[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 120 (Thursday, September 11, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1737]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      IN HONOR OF THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF OUR LADY OF MERCY CHURCH

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                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 11, 1997

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Our Lady of Mercy 
Church for 75 years of service to its dedicated and faithful 
parishoners.
  Over the past 75 years, Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church has grown 
and flourished from a small, isolated Slovak community, to a modern 
thriving parish. The original name of the church was St. John the 
Baptist. Early parishoners converted a store into a frame church, and 
remodeled nearby houses into a two-room schoolhouse and a rectory. 
After going heavily into debt and being abandoned by the Polish 
National Church, these parishoners were finally received into the Roman 
Catholic Church by a public Act of Faith in 1921. The church was 
blessed and renamed Our Lady of Mercy.
  In 1948, construction on a much needed, larger, and more modern 
building began. The new building is built in the Slovakian Church 
Architecture style and boasts a 56-foot bell tower and unique artwork. 
The church used to host an annual Slovak Cultural Day to celebrate its 
rich traditional history. It still offers parishoners a Catholic Parish 
Credit Union, the second in the Cleveland Diocese; a weekly bulletin, 
``Our Lady of Mercy News,'' and is highly involved in the Cleveland 
community.
  This summer, after 24 dormant years, the school building at Our Lady 
of Mercy Church was renovated and is once again in full use. The new 
Hope Academy, a private noncatholic school, serves students in the 
greater Cleveland area and is the crown jewel of the recent 
accomplishments of Our Lady of Mercy Church.
  Our Lady of Mercy Church has served its community well for 75 years. 
My fellow colleagues, please join me in honoring this exceptional 
parish as its dedicated members and other prominent dignitaries of the 
community celebrate this landmark anniversary on September 14, 1997. I 
wish them continued success.

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