On December 4, Mercy colleagues and community guests gathered for the annual Gift of Light ceremony - a tradition started by the late Madeleine Joy, S.P., to support cancer patients and their families. Sister Madeleine served in pastoral care as a spiritual counselor for the hospital’s cancer and grief support groups.
In advance of the tree lighting, the event included remarks by Robert Roose, MD, MPH, President of Mercy Medical Center, Johnson Memorial Hospital, and Saint Mary’s Hospital; Philip Glynn, MD, Medical Director of the Sister Caritas Cancer Center; and John Sjoberg and Brenda Garton-Sjoberg, Mercy supporters and longtime Gift of Light participants. Sister Mary Caritas, SP, also led the group in prayer. Immediately after flipping the switch to light up the tree, the gathering broke out into a festive version of Deck the Halls.
Several of the speakers paid tribute to the late Sister Madeleine Joy, SP, who served as a member of the hospital’s pastoral care department for many years. Sister Madeleine was remembered for touching the lives of hundreds of people as a spiritual counselor, through her work leading the hospital’s cancer and grief support groups, and by establishing the Gift of Light program to honor patients and their families as they manage a cancer diagnosis.
The event concluded with a generous donation from Bob Kaine Alves and his Wicked in Pink team. For the last thirteen years, they have presented a check to Sister Caritas and this year their gift was $10,000 - proceeds from their annual Wicked in Pink Motorcycle Run - to support the Sister Caritas Cancer Center Patient Assistance Fund. A cancer survivor himself, Bob created the Run to honor the care he received at Mercy and to help ease the financial burdens faced by cancer patients. The mission is simple: show support for those battling cancer and their families, friends, and caregivers.