For 60 years, Misericordia Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in York has been a place of compassion, care and mercy for residents and patients in need of skilled care, whether short term, long term or end of life.
Established at its original site in 1943 under the care of the Daughters of Our Lady of Mercy, Misericordia is Latin for “Mercy,” which continues to be lived out in the healthcare facility’s present site for the past six decades.
On Thursday, April 10, members of the Daughters of Our Lady of Mercy joined administrators, staff, volunteers and patients in welcoming Bishop Timothy Senior for the celebration of Mass to mark Misericordia’s anniversary.
“The work that is done here is the work of Jesus,” the bishop said in his homily during the liturgy, celebrated in the center’s chapel. “We are called to be instruments of mercy, challenged to be merciful by Christ.”
“What does it mean to put on heartfelt compassion?” the bishop asked. “It is what is done here every day. We ask the Lord today to continue to bless this ministry. The ministry of mercy – the great work of the Church.”
“Most of all, we give thanks to the Sisters – the Daughters of Mercy – for their charism of mercy for all these years. What a blessing they are to us, the Diocese and to the patients here,” he said.
During the Mass, Bishop Senior blessed the chapel’s new Allen Organ, generously donated by Joseph Mauri. He is the brother of Sister Claudia Mauri, the Director of Pastoral Care at Misericordia, who has given her compassion, care and mercy to patients for numerous years. The new HISTORIQUE Allen Organ replaces the chapel’s 53-year-old model, which will be refurbished and sold by Susquehanna Organ.
“Misericordia’s mission is reflected in its name to care for our residents with a heart of mercy. The love and care that the Sisters and staff provide to our residents is seen every day and has earned Misericordia the status as the top-rated skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility in York as rated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services,” said Marion Bittner, Administrator.
Misericordia Nursing & Rehabilitation Center provides 24-hour skilled nursing care, therapy, respite care, hospice care and pastoral care to its residents. The ministry is dedicated to continuing the work of Jesus in the spirit of St. Mary Joseph Rossello – who founded the Daughters of Our Lady of Mercy in Italy in 1837 – providing kind, compassionate faith-based care.
The facility began as Misericordia Convalescent Home, located near the York Fairgrounds at the corner of Roosevelt and Linden avenues. It was blessed by Bishop George Leech on October 23, 1943. Before long, the demand for space led to the purchase of the new property at 988 South Russell Street, east of the city, where it has been located for 60 years.
In 2018, the center expanded with a $7 million project to enhance its physical space, improve security and create an environment that allows residents to feel more at home in the facility.
At the conclusion of Mass, Bittner told those gathered, “We were blessed to have Bishop Senior celebrate Mass to commemorate Misericordia’s 60 years of service in East York. In his homily, he spoke of God’s love, compassion, mercy and kindness. Through Bishop Senior, Misericordia experienced God’s tenderness when Bishop Senior got down on his knee to speak eye to eye to our residents and to pray with them, give them his blessing, and merely take the time to chat with them. It was a special, touching experience.”
Learn more about Misericordia Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at www.mn-rc.org.
(Photos by Chris Heisey, The Catholic Witness.)
By Jen Reed, The Catholic Witness
