[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 75 (Thursday, June 11, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1114-E1115]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO REVEREND CHARLES DOYLE

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 11, 1998

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is my great pleasure to congratulate a 
prominent humanitarian activist, the Reverend Charles Doyle, of Beverly 
Shores, Indiana, for his lifetime of service, compassion, and 
leadership in Northwest Indiana. After forty-five years of service with 
the Catholic Church, Father Doyle is retiring. On Sunday, June 28, 
1998, a celebration will be held in Father Doyle's honor at St. Ann's 
Church, where he has served as pastor for the last thirty years.
  Father Doyle has never believed that his work as a priest was limited 
to Sunday mornings. Even though he is extremely dedicated to the people 
of his parish, Father Doyle has never restricted his humanitarian 
activities to only his parishioners. Instead, he aids as many people as 
he can, no matter their situation. Indeed, Father Doyle's activism 
spans four decades and includes service as Chaplain at the Indiana 
State Prison, Chaplain of the Beatty Memorial Hospital in Westville, 
Indiana, priest for seven different parishes, Public Defender in 
LaPorte County, Indiana, and a member of the Indiana State Bar, with a 
specialization in criminal defense. In addition, Father Doyle has 
served as a board member of the National Institute Against Prejudice 
and Violence, the Calumet Chapter of the Indiana Civil Liberties Union, 
the Indiana Coalition Against the Death Penalty, and the Northwest 
Indiana Open Housing Center. He was also Counsel to the Michigan City 
Human Rights Commission, the Chairperson of the Indiana Chapter to the 
Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants, and a founding member of 
the Northwest Indiana Coalition to Abolish Control Unit Prisons. Father 
Doyle has been honored as an Honorary Chaplain for the Indiana House of 
Representatives. He has also received numerous awards including: the 
Whitlock Award, from the Indiana Civil Liberties Union; the Artisan 
Award, from the Academy of Fine Arts and Friends; and the Life 
Achievement Award, from the Indiana Public Defender Council.
  Born in Nappanee, Indiana in 1927, Father Doyle is a lifelong 
Hoosier, As a young man, he chose to serve God and graduated from St. 
Meinrad College and Seminary, with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, 
followed by his ordination. In 1962, Father Doyle continued his 
education by earning a Master degree in counseling from Loyola 
University. After marching with Martin Luther King, Jr., from Selma to 
Montgomery, Alabama in 1965, Father Doyle decided to turn to law as 
another way to further his ministry and to aid people. Turning this 
dream into reality, he graduated from Valparaiso University's Law 
School in 1974 and soon passed the bar examination.
  One of the true activists of the region, Father Doyle may be leaving 
the pulpit, but he will never abandon his work for social justice and 
prison reform. He plans to work for the goals of prison reform, 
abolition of the death penalty, and an end to the spirit of vengeance 
that pervades our society. Toward these ends, Father Doyle plans to 
write articles and lecture in high school and college classrooms to 
raise

[[Page E1115]]

awareness and educate people about the true conditions in prison as 
well as on death row.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that you and my other distinguished colleagues 
join me in commending the Reverend Charles Doyle for his lifetime of 
service and dedication to the people of Northwest Indiana and the 
citizens of the United States. Father Doyle's unceasing service has 
left an indelible mark on Indiana's First Congressional District and 
serves as a shining example for activists all over the world.

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