Misericordia, Heart of Mercy - In the News 
This is an excerpt from a homily delivered by Brian Paulson, S.J., president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States, on January 24, 2025, at the Mass for Life in Washington, D.C.
There is an amazing work of the Catholic Church on the North Side of Chicago called Misericordia/Heart of Mercy Home. The word misericordia has its roots in two Latin words, miserere (to have compassion or have mercy) and cor, which means heart. Over 600 people of all ages live at Misericordia Home in a sort of village or campus spread over 37 acres.
As its mission statement explains, Misericordia aims “to provide a continuum of care and support for children and adults of all faiths and cultures who have intellectual and developmental disabilities…. Through Catholic values and traditions we strive to be a diverse and inclusive community of acceptance, respect, dignity, spirituality, and quality of life for us all.”
Many but not all of the residents of Misericordia were born with Down syndrome. If you ever have had the privilege of getting to know more than one person with Down syndrome, you probably have seen that many of them are highly intelligent and high-functioning, and there are others who have greater intellectual and developmental disabilities. You also would know that most people with Down syndrome who receive the love and care they deserve—whether within their family or in a community like Misericordia—are among the most joyful and happy people you could ever meet. They often have an innocence about them which is beautiful to behold. When they are introduced to the faith, they have a natural openness to God and to Jesus, and they will sing joyfully at Mass and recognize the Holy Spirit in their midst—and they typically have a great sense of humor.
Behind many great missions and organizations there is a great leader. Misericordia is no different. A religious Sister of Mercy, Sister Rosemary Connolly, arrived at Misericordia in 1969 as a young sister and is still there today. Along with countless people in Chicago, I have the privilege of counting Sister Rosemary as a friend. I truly consider her a living saint, because she had the vision to create programs and activities, and to design and build the residences, to help the residents at Misericordia achieve their full potential as human beings, all in a loving, caring community.
Some of the residents work in a bakery that prepares baked goods which are sold to help support Misericordia. There is also a restaurant which is largely staffed by residents who take pride in their positions working there, many of them waiting tables for guests, which include families of those who are in residence there as well as volunteers, friends and benefactors of Misericordia. There is a wonderful choir of residents called the Heartbreakers. The residents produce some amazing art with the help of loving people who work with them in the art classrooms.
Jesus was constantly talking about the Kingdom of God. I consider Misericordia/Heart of Mercy Home a foretaste, here and now, of the Kingdom of God. Misericordia is a joyful place. It draws love, laughter, generosity, hard work and creativity out of everyone associated with it—the residents, the staff, the families, the benefactors and the volunteers. If you want to see a little slice of heaven on earth, please go visit Misericordia Home in Chicago.
What is the secret sauce that makes Misericordia work so well? I think it is faith, hope and love—what we call the three theological virtues. None of us has an infinite “gas tank” inside of us of self-sacrificing love. But Jesus does, and, as Christians baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, we can tap into that infinite reservoir of divine love which is the Holy Trinity and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We are invited and called by virtue of our baptism to join our hearts to the heart of our brother Jesus, risen among us, who dwells in our hearts, so that we can share his love and mercy with everyone we meet, like Sister Rosemary and everyone involved with Misericordia does each and every day.
Excerpted from an article in "America: The Jesuit Review"
Link to the full article -> The Kingdom of God here and now: A homily for the Mass of Life