RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, on May 21, 2023 Sister Rosemary Connelly, former Executive Director of Misericordia and lifelong advocate for individuals with developmental disabilities, will receive the University of Notre Dame's 2023 Laetare Medal, the oldest and most prestigious honor given to American Catholics; and
WHEREAS, Misericordia Home, founded in 1921, provides residential options and educational and social programs to more than 600 children and adults from diverse backgrounds and wide economic strata on its thirty-one acre North Side campus; and
WHEREAS, in the belief that human dignity is the key to quality of life, Sister Rosemary Connelly has profoundly changed and improved the standards of care for the developmentally disabled community; and
WHEREAS, Misericordia Home's mission is dedicated to the principle that each person should be encouraged to achieve his or her maximum through educational, vocational, spiritual, and recreational programs; and
WHEREAS, the Chicago City Council has been informed of this honor by Alderman Edward M. Burke; and
WHEREAS, born in Chicago, Sister Rosemary Connelly attended Catholic schools and taught in several Archdiocese of Chicago schools; and
WHEREAS, in 1959 Sister Rosemary Connelly earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Science from Saint Xavier University; and
WHEREAS, she subsequently earned her Master of Arts Degree in Sociology from Saint Louis University in 1966 and a Master's Degree in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago in 1969; and
WHEREAS, Sister Rosemary Connelly was appointed Administrator of Misericordia Heart of Mercy in August 1969 at a time when the institution only accepted children under the age of six; and
WHEREAS, the first seven years of Sister Rosemary Connelly's tenure were spent on Chicago's South Side, where Misericordia Home was originally located; and
WHEREAS, in the winter of 1976, following the announcement closure of the Angel Guardian Orphanage at 6300 Ridge Avenue in Ch...
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