HR0769 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0769 LRB094 15813 HSS 51029 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Catherine Mary Norris, Sister Katie as she is known to all, was born in Chicago and is the second oldest in a faithful family of eight children; and

WHEREAS, Sister Katie was born into a family that was used to service to the public, with two grandfathers who served on Chicago's City Council and who went on to serve the City of Chicago in other important capacities; and

WHEREAS, It has been said of Sister Katie that she was unique in her giving spirit even as a young child, and she was thought of as "someone to turn to" among the other children in her family and also by others in her neighborhood of Beverly, a very surprising quality for a young child; and

WHEREAS, When it was time for Sister Katie to further her education, she left Chicago and attended the Sisters of Charity Novitiate, Wayne State University, and received her Masters of Social Work from Fordham University; and

WHEREAS, In 1985, Sister Katie continued her life of giving by returning to Chicago, where she became a social worker for the St. Vincent dePaul Center, continuing in true earnest to give to those who needed help the most, including the children of the "working poor" and their families, seniors, and the homeless; and

WHEREAS, Sister Katie also was responsible for overseeing the planning and construction of the new St. Vincent dePaul facility so that those in need would be better served, and at the same time continued to work tirelessly to grow the number of St. Vincent's donors, volunteers, and friends; and

WHEREAS, In Sister Katie's life there has never been a request for help that has gone unanswered as Sister Katie has continued her tradition from childhood of being that "someone to turn to"; and

WHEREAS, Sister Katie continues her good works and has instilled the Mission and Values of the Daughters of Charity into everyday life at both the St. Vincent dePaul Center and Marillac; she became the Director and CEO of both recently; and

WHEREAS, In 2005, Sister Katie was recognized by the Concern organization with its Bridgid Award; Concern was founded in Ireland to serve those who were afflicted by the potato famine, and they now recognize with their Bridgid Award those individuals who show extraordinary care and effort in the Concern tradition to help those in poverty with food, job assistance, and child care; and

WHEREAS, Also in 2005, Sister Katie received the Cardinal Bernadine Mundelein Seminary "For Those Who Serve" award for her "life of service to the Church" and her "tireless promotion of the Catholic faith"; and

WHEREAS, Sister Katie has been chosen to continue her good works in Evansville, Indiana, and we are sad that we will no longer have this wonderful champion here in the State of Illinois; and

WHEREAS, It can be said that Sister Katie has truly, selflessly made a life of helping people in Chicago through the "rough times"; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we extend our heartfelt thanks to Sister Katie Norris for her unending compassion and help for the needy citizens of Chicago, and we wish her the very best in her future good works; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Sister Catherine Mary Norris as an expression of our esteem.