A Message from Fr. Jack 
Dear Staff and Families,
I’m sorry it has been so long since I have written. I broke two ribs right after Christmas and ended up in the hospital. Then, I returned home for a long recuperation. I am fully back now and going to the gym several days a week. Thank God for health.
We have been glad to welcome Kevin Knoll to our staff as our General Counsel. He will be coordinating all of Misericordia’s legal issues, such as contracts and the like. Our hope is that he will form a committee of attorneys that is connected with us to help him in directing our needs. We have already met with the Cardinal’s staff of Legal Services and have begun a good relationship with them.
We are currently searching for a Vice President of Human Resources who will join our Executive Team. We give a special shout out to Sharon Keane who has run things as our AVP for Human Resources. Sharon is a real gift to us, and we are grateful to her for all of her hard work. We pray that she will continue with us for years to come. Thanks to Sharon O’Keefe and the Board of Directors HR Committee for all of their work on this search.
Our prayers go out to the family of Marty Heneghan, a longtime resident of Misericordia who passed away. His parents were very involved in the Irish Tent at Family Fest. May he rest in peace!
Mayor Brandon Johnson recently paid a quick visit to us for a small tour and conversation. We raised a number of issues with him that we are following up on, including the Fair Work Week, purchase of Thome Avenue and improvements in getting building permits from the city. We will be putting a large addition on the Moore Aquatic and Fitness Center in preparation for all of the new residents in Rosemary Park. The Cardinal has approved this expenditure and plan, and the permit process is underway.
We want to let you know there are groups working to get the State to give a $3.00 per hour raise to direct care workers. As soon as we feel it is the right time, we will reach out to all of you to make contacts with the legislators. We do not want to do it yet as it is probably too early to have an effect. We will let you know when it is time, as we have done in the past.
For years, a group from New Orleans has been visiting Misericordia in hopes of learning how to build a “Misericordia” down there. We congratulate them as they have completed their first stage of building. We pray that it is a happy home for all of the residents they hope to welcome.
If you are looking for Misericordia’s IT Department, they have moved. They are now located in the attic of the Marian Center. We hope this will be their permanent home as we depend on them for so much of our work and data.
I had a nice visit to Wrigley Field as a guest of Pat Manaher, son of Terry Manaher, who is an executive of the Chicago Cubs. We are hoping to expand opportunities there for our residents.
On a more serious note, and I will address these issues at the next MFA meeting, we need to ask CILA parents to look at the amount of nights they are taking their residents out. The State no longer pays to hold the bed in their absence, and the bill has climbed to over $1.4 million. We need to seriously look at this. I will share more at the next meeting.
The other concern I raise is the way many of our parents have treated our staff. I know the world in which we live seems to encourage us to be very critical of each other. We are asked to often choose sides. That cannot happen with our parents and staff. It is completely unacceptable for a parent to come to a house and criticize staff or residents. There is a chain of command where all issues should be dealt with. We are working on a Code of Conduct that we will introduce shortly. Our staff works too hard to get pressure from parents as well as manage all of the other pressures of their jobs. I know you will all understand this. Please take a breath before you speak. This should be a place of kindness and respect.
In closing, I wish you a very Happy Easter and a special thanks to all of the staff who will work this weekend and to the volunteers who will help us.
God Bless You!
Father Jack