[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 160 (Thursday, November 13, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         TRIBUTE TO THE PEREZ COUNCIL #262, KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BILL PASCRELL, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 13, 1997

  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to call your attention to 
Perez Council #262 of the Knights of Columbus as they celebrate their 
100th year of promoting the ideals of Columbianism in Passaic, NJ. The 
entire community has benefitted from the principles of this order, 
namely charity, unity, fraternity, and patriotism.
  On September 7, 1897, a small group of Catholic laymen met with the 
Reverend John A. Shepherd to form what would eventually become the 
Perez Council #262, Knights of Columbus, Passaic, NJ. The founders 
quickly became pillars of the religious and civic community. The names 
Ryan, Bowes, Driscoll, Gallagher, Galvin, Whelan, Cogan, and Burgoyne 
still elicit fond memories from the older gentlemen of the Passaic 
members of the Knights of Columbus.
  Through good times and bad, the Council has provided the moral 
leadership for the surrounding community. During the Depression era, 
the Passaic Knights of Columbus lost their home on Hoover Avenue and 
Washington Place. Yet, their spirit was kept alive by a number of 
dedicated members, who continued to meet regularly in the building they 
once called their own. Happily, in March 1947, with the help of His 
Excellency The Most Reverend Thomas H. McLaughlin, and our Chaplain, 
the Right Reverend Monsignor William V. Dunn, the Passaic Knights once 
again found themselves on firm financial footing, with a home of their 
own.
  The Perez Council has much to celebrate, including a long and 
distinguished record of leadership in the field of religious activity. 
In 1912, the Council leapt into the fledgling field of the Retreat 
Movement, sponsoring trips to areas in New York and New Jersey for 
meditation. They have played a pioneering role in attempting to bridge 
the gap between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches. In 
1956, the Council held its Annual Communion Breakfast in the Parish 
Hall of the St. Nicholas Ukrainian Church of the Eastern Rite.
  The members of the Council have also distinguished themselves in 
service to our country. During the First World War, sixty-eight 
brothers were in the Armed Forces. Twenty-eight answered the call 
during the Second World War. Others served during the Korean War and 
the conflict in Vietnam. Many brothers continue to serve, giving up 
their time to assist injured Catholic veterans and help these veterans 
attend mass in the East Orange Veteran's Hospital.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join me, our colleagues, and the entire 
Passaic area in congratulating Perez Council #262 of the Knights of 
Columbus on one hundred years of serving the spiritual needs of the 
community.

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