[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 69 (Thursday, May 22, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1040]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN HONOR OF FATHER LEO L. MARCIL

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GERALD B.H. SOLOMON

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 1997

  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
pay tribute to a great man and a great community leader, Father Leo L. 
Marcil, who will have served in the priesthood for an incredible 50 
years this May 31, 1997. Father Marcil will be celebrating his years of 
service at a public ceremony on Sunday, June 1, 1997, in Hudson Falls, 
NY, of my congressional district.
  Mr. Speaker, Rev. Leo Marcil is a product of beautiful upstate New 
York where he has resided virtually his entire life. From his birth in 
Cohoes, to his being ordained by the revered Bishop Edmund Gibbons in 
Albany, to his first assignment in June 1947 at St. Alphonsus Church in 
my hometown of Glens Falls, NY, where he served until 1963, to his 
amazing 28 years of service at St. Paul's in Hudson Falls, Father 
Marcil has been a mainstay in each and every community. Currently, 
Father Marcil makes his home at the now joint St. Mary's/St. Paul's 
rectory in Hudson Falls where he continues his activities on behalf of 
that community and nearby Glens Falls even after his retirement in 
1992. And I use the word retirement loosely, Mr. Speaker. That's 
because the good Father can't help but keep a busy schedule, 
celebrating daily mass, twice on Tuesday, visiting the Glens Falls 
Hospital twice a week, and delivering communion to the home bound.
  Mr. Speaker, that's what makes Father Marcil so special to those 
whose lives he has touched over his 50 years in the cloth. And believe 
me, he has impacted countless people in those times and does to this 
very day. People who go out of their way to share a kind word, flash a 
loving smile, and help those without expecting anything in return 
always do make a lasting impression. That's why I have always admired 
people like Father Leo Marcil who offer their services to neighbors in 
the community, especially to those who may not have the privilege of 
hearing his words of wisdom regularly.
  Actions like these are what makes Father Marcil a pillar of the 
Hudson Falls and Glens Falls communities. We would all do well to 
emulate his brand of respect for one another and public service. On 
that note, Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and all Members of the House 
rise and join me in tribute to Father Marcil's living legacy and in 
wishing him many more years of happiness and success.




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