[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 30 (Tuesday, March 11, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E438]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            PAYING TRIBUTE TO ST. JOSEPH PARISH, LEBANON, IL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 11, 1997

  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I want to ask my colleagues to join me in 
paying tribute to St. Joseph Parish in Lebanon, IL, which is 
celebrating its 135th anniversary this month. For over a century, St. 
Joseph Parish has provided essential services to its parishioners, 
local residents, and to communities throughout the diocese through a 
number of organizations and programs.
  Locally, St. Joseph Parish works with other parishes to provide 
substantial financial assistance to Christian Home Care Services, an 
ecumenical nonprofit organizations. With the help of St. Joseph's, this 
group focuses on keeping people in their homes as long as possible by 
providing low-cost, nonmedical care in the form of companionship, 
transportation, light housekeeping, and meal preparation for the 
elderly and disabled in the community. St. Joseph Parish seeks to meet 
the emotional needs of the community as well through its participation 
in the family care ministry which helps strengthen individuals and 
families by providing low-cost counseling. The most immediate needs of 
local residents are not overlooked by St. Joseph Parish, which also 
contributes to a local food pantry and provides financial resources to 
transient individuals, and to individuals needing rental assistance.
  The parish's tradition of giving extends well beyond the local 
community. Through its local chapter of Saint Vincent dePaul, St. 
Joseph Parish provides children in the neighboring community of East 
St. Louis with school supplies during the school year and Christmas 
gifts during the holiday. St. Joseph's also aids the community by 
donating clothing, furniture, and household items, and has participated 
in various flood relief efforts in recent years through these means.
  St. Joseph's has a rich history of helping others and has become one 
of the mainstays of this small, close-knit community. I ask my 
colleagues to join me in congratulating St. Joseph Parish's 
parishioners and friends on their 135th anniversary.

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