Just before St. Patrick’s Day, our friends from Cork County Ireland, in Chicago for holiday celebrations, returned to Mercy Home after a two-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mercy Home’s relationship with County Cork is an outgrowth of an international trade partnership between the governments in Cork County, Ireland and Cook County, Illinois.

Fr. Scott welcomed the dignitaries that included a special guest, the Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Gillian Coughlan as well as Derry Cronin, of Specialized Travel and Cronin’s Coaches, who has been coming to the Home since the beginning of the group’s relationship with Mercy Home and has hosted groups of our young people in Cork over the years.

Fr. Scott started the meeting in the Jesus the Healer chapel, giving them an overview of its history and architecture, before moving into our Board of Regents room, where they learned more about our work and watched a video about Mercy Home alum Marcelo.

Jim Marrese told the group how relationships are at the center of our work, noting the relationships that have been built over the years of the partnership. And he reminisced about the first youth trip to Cork that he chaperoned.

Guests recalled the overwhelmingly positive impressions that the residents of Cork have had from their interactions with our young people during these trans-Atlantic cultural exchanges throughout the years. Cronin noted that while the delegation first reached out to Mercy Home in order to have an impact on the Chicagoland community, they couldn’t have imagined the impact that their interactions with Mercy Home’s youth and coworkers would have on them. Derry Cronin, for example, noted how his daughter had been so inspired by Mercy Home’s work that she applied to volunteer to help an overseas mission in Sierra Leone. Another guest said that upon learning more about the Home and especially after seeing it in person that they couldn’t have imagined the scale of what we do.

Thinking back on the origin of our partnership, Derry Cronin remembered our dear departed friend and Board member Bill Gainer who had introduced them to Mercy Home. “I feel he’s looking down on us now,” Derry said.

In appreciation, the Irish delegates and Mercy Home coworkers exchanged gifts that symbolized such a rewarding friendship, including local products from Cork and Chicago respectively. Fr. Scott then led a brief tour of the Home and its learning center.

As they have for several years, the group then marched just in front of Mercy Home’s March for Kids float, stopping in front of the reviewing stand for a rousing acapella rendition of the Cork anthem, “The Banks of My Lovely Lee.” Mayor Coughlan was on the reviewing stand speaking to the crowd as well. All joined us at our Post-Parade Party later in the afternoon.