Letter from Father Jack 
Dear Coworkers and Families,
I am sorry I have not written since before Easter. I will fill you in as I go along. Thanks to all who made our Holy Week so special, especially Madge, Bob, Andrew and our Choir Members, as well as Fr. Bart.
A special thank you to the HR Committee of our Board of Directors. They have been working very hard to find the new VP for Human Resources to work with Sharon Keane and her team. We hope to find someone by the time Family Fest is here.
Congratulations to Julie O’Sullivan and our Young Professionals group. They had another outstanding Red Heart Bash this year. They were able to present over $100,000.00 in proceeds from last year’s Bash. Thanks!
I had a planned hernia surgery that ended up way more challenging than expected. I had to be re-hospitalized with blood clots in my abdomen. Recovery took much longer than was planned. Hence, why this message has taken so long to get out. I am back to 100% and am in the gym 5 to 6 evenings a week. Thank God for health!
Our Notre Dame Architecture study continues on the campus with a few more months of work to accomplish. They are preparing a study for the next 25 years. Thanks to Matt Walsh who helped to arrange all of this. It is a growing experience to have completely new eyes look at us.
Thanks to all, especially Lois and our Misericordia Foundation, along with Gregg Hartemayer, who helped us pull off a post-Covid Candy Days. We raised another $2 million to help with our funding. Thanks to all who stepped up and got back out on corners and at store fronts to help spread the good news of Misericordia.
I was very pleased at the end of April to be healthy enough to travel to Mercy Circle, the local administration of the Sisters of Mercy. I was able to celebrate Mass for their Jubilarians, which included the 75th anniversary of Sister Rosemary in the Mercy Sisters. What an amazing celebration. Congratulations Sister!
The Finance Committee of the Board of Directors has begun their work under the direction of Rob Figliulo. They have been assisting Kevin Connelly, Carolyn Sheehan and Amy Boyle with the new budget and with all things financial. Thanks so much for your guidance.
On May 18th, we had our Annual May Crowning. Thanks to Kathy Morris and our Music Group for making it so special. Congratulations to Andria Cimo who crowned Mary.
A big shout out to all who planned and participated in the Annual Artist in All. It returned to a May event at the Art Institute. Once again, the artwork was outstanding and a good time was had by all. Thanks to all of the sponsors who made it a success.
In preparation for the opening of a number of beds in various residences, we have been busy meeting new parents. This is a chance for all of us to sit down and talk about expectations as their children prepare to join us. A special thanks to Social Service, the VPs and AVPs for making all of these meetings happen.
We extend our sympathies to Holly Tamisiea, who represents the Cardinal on our Board of Directors, on the sudden death of her husband, John.
Congratulations to Kevin Connelly and the BUMS committee for another outstanding Golf outing. Thanks so much for helping us meet our financial goals and for providing such a wonderful event. Happy 50th anniversary!
In mid-June, I had the opportunity to travel to Ireland to see some of my family and to celebrate a dear friend’s mother’s 100th birthday. It was great. I will return in July for a family reunion the weekend of the 19th.
Congratulations to the MFA as we celebrated life after Covid with its Annual Benefit Dinner. So many people worked so hard. Special thanks to Benefit Chairs Kay Lunkes and Ellen Malone, and to Fundraising Chair Holly Jennings. Well done ladies!
The Board of Directors met on June 25th, under the direction of Mary Dempsey. Thanks to them for all of their hard work. I have mentioned some of their committees as I have been a part of those meetings. They passed our budget, and we are challenged to raise $30+ million for the coming year for operating expenses. The largest chuck of the budget of course is salaries and benefits. We were happy to give an additional $1.00 per hour to our employees on July 1st. This is retroactive to January 1st. I am proud to say this is the eighth raise we have given since June 2020.
I am pleased to announce that Ed Finnegan has taken on the role of Special Assistant to the President. He will be working with our Purchasing Department as well as all of our businesses. This will include, but will not be limited to, our restaurants, gift shoppes, bakery & coffee programs, etc. These are all vital to our residents and Ed’s business sense will be a great gift to managing all of these areas. Ed has been with us for a while, but steps into this new role as of July 1st. I am personally grateful for his help and guidance.
I wish all of you a Happy 4th of July. In these challenging times, we need to thank God that our nation is always ultimately in His hands no matter what we do.
God Bless you all!
Father Jack