[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 34 (Thursday, February 23, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S3069]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         BISHOP KENNETH POVISH

 Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, I rise today to honor an exemplary 
individual, Bishop Kenneth Povish. This year Bishop Povish will 
celebrate his 45th year as a priest, his 25th year as a Bishop and his 
20th year as bishop of the diocese of Lansing, MI.
  I was lucky enough to grow up in Lansing and attend college in that 
community. Thus I came to know Bishop Povish as a man who has dedicated 
his life to serving his community's spiritual needs.
  Bishop Povish was born in Alpena, MI. There he attended parochial 
grammar schools and public high school. After graduating from Detroit 
Sacred Heart Seminary in 1946, he went on to earn his master's degree 
in education from the Catholic University of America in 1950. In that 
same year Bishop Povish was ordained a priest in Saginaw, MI, and began 
his pastoral duties in Rogers City. In 1952 he became assistant at 
Saint Hyacinth Catholic Church in Bay City, MI.
  Among his many accomplishments, Bishop Povish helped found Saint 
Paul's Seminary in Saginaw, MI. There he taught Latin, history, and 
religion and, from 1960 to 1966, served as dean of the college. He then 
went on to train over 400 lay catechists as diocesan director of the 
Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. In 1970 Pope Paul VI named him 
bishop and assigned him to Crookston, MN, until 1975.
  Luckily for Lansing, Bishop Povish then was named to current position 
as bishop of that city. Since then he has enriched the spiritual life 
of his community in many ways. He established the Bishop's Council on 
Alcoholism and has written extensively on that subject. He has reached 
out to the less fortunate and shown his deep faith by teaching others 
the ways of Jesus Christ.
  Mr. President, it is an honor to stand before my colleagues on behalf 
of the citizens of Michigan to congratulate Bishop Povish on his 45 
years of selfless dedication to the Catholic Church and to the Lansing 
community. May God bless Bishop Povish and allow him to continue his 
service to those in need of faith, hope, and charity, especially in my 
hometown of Lansing, MI.


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