Meet Father Jack Clair
by Ernie Stark
Many of us have attended Mass with Father Jack or seen him at various campus events. Did you know that Father is responsible for several departments that keep Misericordia running? These include Food Services, Maintenance and Security. Look for subsequent articles about these important departments.
Most of us do not know Father Jack’s personal story or what brought him to Misericordia. Let’s hear that in Father’s own words.
“I was adopted by an Irish Catholic family on the Northwest side of Chicago. My father was a Chicago policeman who grew up on the South side. One of his police duties was to be a crossing guard at a public school where my mother taught kindergarten. That’s where they met. In their 30s, they found out that they were unable to have children. They went to Catholic Charities where they adopted my sister, Sheila, and several years later they adopted me.
I grew up in Edgebrook at the St. Mary of the Woods parish and school. I remember wanting to be a priest at a very early age. We went to Mass every morning; we were a very church-going family! Ours was a very happy home. We spent all of our holidays with our extended family. Around 6th Grade, I visited the Capuchin Seminary in Wisconsin several times. I wanted to go to high school there and ultimately become a monk. However, my sister, Sheila, became very ill and my family did not want me to leave. After a year in public high school, I went to Quigley High School where I feel like my future was set. I was selected as one of Cardinal Cody’s altar servers at the Cathedral. Throughout my life, I spent extended periods of time in Ireland, which was very important to me.
I went to Niles College of Loyola where I majored in Communications and Theology. From there, it was on to St. Mary of the Lake Major Seminary. I worked as a bartender at a local pup; before long, I was the manager. Once ordained, I was assigned to St. Michael’s Parish in Orland Park. My first Mass was celebrated at my home parish, St. Mary of the Woods.
My first assignment out of seminary was St. Hubert Parish in Hoffman Estates. I loved it there. I continued my work with youth as well as producing and directing young people in the parish. After eight years at St. Hubert, I went to Niles College to oversee all operations on the 33 acre campus. I was also responsible for developing fundraising programs for the seminary. During this time, we became part of Loyola University and I oversaw this transition.
The next ten years flew by. Then, I met Kevin Connelly and began volunteering at Misericordia. A group of us would bartend at the Family Fest and collect money at Candy Days. And the rest is history! Cardinal George gave me permission to come to Misericordia. I began volunteering full time in 1999 and became staff in 2000.
Today, I feel that so much of my past world has come together to bring me to Misericordia. As a baby at Catholic Charities, I am back where I started. My sister lives on campus and is doing very well. My ministry includes pastoral Masses and assisting with fundraising. The operations people report to me, including Food Service, Bakery, off-site businesses, Housekeeping, Telecommunications, Maintenance, Buildings and Security. I also am the administrative lead for our younger outreach program.”
