Full Text of HR0168 103rd General Assembly
HR0168 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to congratulate Sister Rosemary Connelly | 4 | | on receiving the 2023 Laetare Award from the University of | 5 | | Notre Dame; and
| 6 | | WHEREAS, Sister Rosemary Connelly walked through | 7 | | Misericordia's doors for the first time in August of 1969; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, Sister Rosemary Connelly identified that there | 9 | | were no goals or challenges for the children to grow | 10 | | emotionally, psychologically, and educationally; and
| 11 | | WHEREAS, Sister Rosemary Connelly contacted experts in | 12 | | academia and government, requesting their help in developing | 13 | | services and programs, but was told at every turn there were | 14 | | not programs for children with developmental disabilities; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Being told she should create her own programs for | 16 | | children with developmental disabilities, Sister Rosemary | 17 | | Connelly did, including building classrooms for primary | 18 | | education and developing programs for self-help skills, speech | 19 | | and physical therapy, and recreational activities; and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, In 1976, Sister Rosemary Connelly was in the |
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| 1 | | process of looking for a home for ambulatory children who did | 2 | | not require skilled nursing services that were provided at | 3 | | Misericordia; she sought a home-like setting where the | 4 | | children could develop independence; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, The Archdiocese of Chicago offered a portion of | 6 | | the ceased 31-acre campus of the Angel Guardian Orphanage to | 7 | | Sister Rosemary Connelly, and she moved into the "North | 8 | | Campus" with 39 children; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, Over 1,200 staff members and thousands of | 10 | | volunteers serve at the present Misericordia campus in the | 11 | | Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, serving over 600 children | 12 | | and adult residents; and
| 13 | | WHEREAS, The University of Notre Dame's president, Rev. | 14 | | John I. Jenkins, announced that Sister Rosemary Connelly will | 15 | | receive the 2023 Laetare Medal at the university's upcoming | 16 | | commencement ceremony; and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, This recognition is named for its announcement | 18 | | occurring during the celebration of Laetare Sunday, the fourth | 19 | | Sunday of Lent in the Catholic Church, and the medal has the | 20 | | inscription "Magna est veritas et praevalebit" meaning "Truth | 21 | | is mighty, and it shall prevail" in Latin; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The University of Notre Dame established this | 2 | | award in 1883 as an American counterpart to the Golden Rose | 3 | | papal honor and is awarded at Notre Dame to a Catholic "whose | 4 | | genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the | 5 | | ideals of the Church and enriched the heritage of humanity"; | 6 | | and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, In his announcement of this award, Rev. Jenkins | 8 | | of Notre Dame stated that Sister Rosemary Connelly, with her | 9 | | characteristic tenacity, grace, and genius, has ensured that | 10 | | the residents of Misericordia have the quality of life and | 11 | | opportunities they deserve; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Sister Rosemary Connelly transitioned to | 13 | | chairwoman of the board of the Misericordia Foundation from | 14 | | her previous role as executive director; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, Sister Rosemary Connelly has stated she is | 16 | | thankful that Misericordia exists, serving as a place where | 17 | | the children are respected and loved and the staff is very | 18 | | committed to them; therefore, be it
| 19 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 20 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 21 | | we congratulate Sister Rosemary Connelly on receiving the 2023 | 22 | | Laetare Award from the University of Notre Dame and for her |
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| 1 | | years of commitment and success to Misericordia Home; and be | 2 | | it further
| 3 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution may be | 4 | | presented to Sister Rosemary Connelly as an expression of our | 5 | | esteem and respect.
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