[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 139 (Wednesday, October 8, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1963]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN MEMORY OF REV. FERRIS A. KLEEM

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 8, 1997

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of Rev. Ferris 
Kleem, a Catholic and Maronite priest, a scholar, and a philanthropist.
  Father Kleem was born in Wilkes-Barre, PA. After high school, he 
served in Italy in the infantry and medical corps of the U.S. Army. He 
earned a bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry from King's College 
and went on to study medicine at the American University of Beirut, 
Lebanon. His international experiences did not end there. He earned a 
degree in sacred theology at Catholic University in Angers, France and 
was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in the Holy Cross order in 
LeMans, France. His passion for learning led him to pursue further 
studies at Catholic University of America, Johns Hopkins, McGill and 
Cleveland State Universities, and the University of the Holy Spirit in 
Lebanon. He received a doctorate in higher education from Wayne State 
University.
  As an assistant at St. Brendan Church in North Olmsted and at SS. 
Cyril & Methodius Church in Lakewood, Father Kleem shared his 
spirituality, international experiences, and knowledge with many 
Catholics in northeast Ohio. During this time, he also counseled 
divorced and separated Catholics in Cleveland. He led pilgrimages to 
Lourdes, Fatima, the Holy Land, and other religious sites. In 1991, he 
founded a philanthropic group, Our Lady of the Cedars Society.
  My fellow colleagues, please join me in honoring a man whose 
countless contributions and achievements will never be forgotten.

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