Our Story
Creating an environment where seniors can honor their faith: this is the foundation of Mercy Circle’s community. Here, residents live a purposeful life. Individuals and couples share their life experiences and beliefs with neighbors and staff members, whether in the chapel or the dining room, and during activities and programs.
A full range of lifestyle and healthcare settings provide amenities, support and care that nourish the mind, body and soul. With only 110 residences, Mercy Circle can promise personal, professional attention throughout the full continuum of care — from independent living to settings that require more support, including assisted living, memory care, short-term stay rehab and skilled nursing care.
Mercy Circle opened in 2013 as a retirement destination for older Sisters of Mercy — as well as priests and members of other religious orders — and now welcomes laypeople. In contrast to most senior living communities, our not-for-profit organization does not charge an entrance fee, which makes Mercy Circle more affordable.
Our “life with spirit” motto epitomizes the welcoming hospitality of the Sisters of Mercy, who came to the U.S. in 1843 to serve emigrants from their native Ireland. Arriving in Chicago in 1846, the Sisters quickly established and sustained schools and colleges, orphanages, hospitals and myriad social services throughout the Midwest. Mercy Circle is among the Sisters’ newest ministries.
We believe in respect, loving-kindness and Christian values. If you share our approach to living, you will feel right at home at Mercy Circle.
Executive Director
Our mission
In the spirit of the Gospels, the mission of Mercy Circle is to provide opportunities for seniors to build a faith–based community enabling them to live growing in wisdom, age and grace all the days of their life.
Our values
Respect for the dignity of each person is guided by collaboration, compassion, hospitality, leadership and stewardship.
Board of Directors
2024-2025
Officers
Chairperson
Vice Chairperson
Treasurer
Secretary & Community Leader Designee
Members
John Barrett
Mary Ellen Caron, Ph.D.
Marion Cypser, RSM
John Eber, Ed.D
Ann Flanagan, RSM
Margaret Johnson, RSM
Frances Lachowicz
Carolyn Sheehan
Leadership
Service and care guide those who lead Mercy Circle’s teams of professionals in supporting and enriching the daily lives of residents. Using their expertise in every aspect of senior living, the leadership team collaborates to ensure that all residents can participate in a life with spirit.
Frances Lachowicz, Executive Director
With more than two decades’ experience in the senior living field, Frances moved to Mercy Circle in 2015 from the Franciscan Ministries retirement communities. Here, she sees her leadership role as carrying out “the values and mission” of the Sisters of Mercy. She also follows that passion outside of work, volunteering for other faith-based organizations and chairing the board of CUSA, the Christian support group for people with chronic illnesses. As the youngest of a large family, she also enjoys time with her extended family.
Marge Everett, Senior Living Advisor
As the first person most Mercy Circle residents and their loved ones encounter when they are thinking about moving into the community, Marge serves as admissions director for all care levels. She meets with prospective residents and their family; conducts tours; addresses concerns and answers questions; and facilitates completion of all the paperwork. Then on move-in day, she’s there to help new residents settle into their new home. Although no day is “typical,” Marge’s enthusiasm for water aerobics after work and on weekends helps her balance fast-paced workdays filled with a variety of responsibilities.
Sandy Urbaniak, Executive Administrative Assistant
The culture of Mercy Circle is a natural fit for Sandy: from grade school (Queen of Martyrs) through high school (Mother McAuley) and college (Saint Xavier University), she benefited from being educated by the Sisters of Mercy. As executive assistant to Frances Lachowicz, she collaborates with all managers of all departments. Sandy started at Mercy Circle as a part-time receptionist in 2018, and her diligence made her an obvious choice for her current role. Away from work she enjoys biking, gardening and being with family.
Meagan O’Connor-Roossien, Resident Services Director
Meagan plans and coordinates the delivery of social services for all Mercy Circle residents. She starts by meeting with residents and their families to learn about their wishes and needs and then working with them to update quarterly care plans. In addition, she assists her colleagues in streamlining daily operations and educates them about caring for people with dementia, relying on her previous work for the Alzheimer’s Association®. She and her husband, Aaron, have three young daughters.
Anita Ajayi, RN, Director of Nursing
Anita’s 17-year nursing career spans “the ages of mankind:” she began her nursing career in pediatrics before switching to gerontology. After nine years working in a rehab center and senior living communities, she joined Mercy Circle in 2019 as director of nursing, drawn to its culture as a faith-based community. For Anita, “Faith is everything. We must understand how God watches over us.” She and her husband travel as often as twice a year, most recently to Greece and Dubai where, as she’d hoped, she rode a camel.
Rodelyn Gutang, RN, Nurse Manager
Raised in the Philippines, Rodelyn emigrated to the U.S. in 1988 and became a registered nurse in 1991. Now she supervises the nurses and CNAs who care for residents in assisted living and skilled nursing care, and also relies on her decades of experience to teach and guide those in her department. An avid gardener, she embodies her Filipino culture by cherishing her extended community as family and sees Mercy Circle as “one large family” embracing residents and their caregivers.
Melissa Gallelli, COTA, Therapy Manager
Melissa oversees a team of physical, occupational and speech therapists and schedules appointments for all residents. As a certified occupational therapy assistant, she also helps residents regain their life skills after an illness or surgery. Melissa joined the staff in June 2023, having previously managed skilled nursing therapy for another nearby community. She lives in Oak Forest with her husband, Tony, and their dog, Hunter.
Candice Kenny, RN, MDS Coordinator
Candice organizes, reviews and submits all the information needed for reimbursement under Medicare and Medicaid. (“MDS” stands for “minimum data set.”) And as a restorative nurse, she helps patients maintain the gains they made during therapy after their formal sessions conclude. She entered the field partly to honor her departed grandmother, Frances Sitterly, a nurse who often told the teenaged Candice how much she loved what is now their shared profession.
Katie McKirdie, Life Enrichment Coordinator
If Mercy Circle were an ocean liner, Katie would be the cruise director. She and her team plan and produce myriad programs and activities for all Mercy Circle residents, from intergenerational programs to crafts, from exercise programs to bus trips to interesting destinations. Her training comes from life: she’s the mother of six. She has acted in theater and thinks of doing so again, “if I convince myself I still can remember my lines!”
Dan Lunney, D. Min. BCC, Pastoral Care and Mission Integration Director
A board-certified chaplain who earned his doctorate at Catholic Theological Union, Dan leads a team focused on fostering the spiritual life of residents. Dan’s resume includes eight years at St. Joseph Village and nine years as an adjunct instructor at Loyola’s Institute of Pastoral Studies. At Mercy Circle, he tailors spiritual enrichment programs for individuals and groups of residents, and offers spiritual care for residents, families and staff members. A theater buff, he lives in the Edgewater neighborhood on Chicago’s North Side.
Patrick Twiddy, Director of Dining Services
Patrick relishes his long-time relationship with the Sisters of Mercy who always set high standards to ensure the finest for those who benefit from their ministries. Before joining Mercy Circle as its executive chef in 2021, he served in that same capacity for 11 years at Mercy Hospital. After four years at Mercy Circle, his role expanded to manage the entire dining experience for all residents and their guests. He explores fresh ways to enhance menus for 200-plus meals served seven days a week as well as for special events. A Culinary Institute of America graduate, his career in foodservice began as a teen washing dishes in a French restaurant and moving up as he was assigned to stations in the kitchen that required skill and talent.
John Ruzich, Director of Plant Operations
It’s fortunate that John lives in Oak Lawn. He oversees maintenance, housekeeping, transportation and security — and he’s just 10 minutes away in case his attention is required for any facet of Mercy Circle’s building or campus. John spent most of his two-decade career at large commercial properties before joining Mercy Circle in January 2022. An enthusiastic outdoorsman, he and his wife, Joanna, spend much of their time with their three young sports-minded children.
Thomas Ramsden, Director of Development
Tom is inspired by the benefits of his family’s long-time association with the Sisters of Mercy. He brings to Mercy Circle close to three decades of success in managing planned giving opportunities, writing grant requests and securing corporate sponsors, as well as leading major gifts and capital campaigns for highly regarded schools, a mission clearly aligned with the work of the Sisters of Mercy. With his personal commitment to lifelong learning, Tom looks forward to earning a master’s degree for nonprofit administration from the University of Notre Dame in June 2026.
Susan Tirpak, Human Resources Director
Human resources encompasses the well-being of the employees who care for Mercy Circle residents. Susan administers health insurance, retirement planning, contracts, mandatory education — and admittedly loves explaining the details. She has held similar positions over the last 20 years but prefers the warmth of Mercy Circle’s faith-based community. An active mother of three, she loves camping with her family.