[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 84 (Wednesday, June 24, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S7035]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      THE 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CHURCH OF ST. JOSEPH-ST. THOMAS

 Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, I rise to offer my 
congratulations on the occasion of the 150th Anniversary of the oldest 
Catholic church in continuous existence on Staten Island, the Church of 
St. Joseph-St. Thomas. Evolving out of a small Catholic community in 
Rossville, the church has improved New York's quality of life for 
generations and is an integral part of the Staten Island community.
  The impact this parish has had on its community is remarkable. Both 
in times of prosperity and in times of despair, the contributions of 
the pastors and congregants of St. Joseph-St. Thomas have profoundly 
affected the residents of Staten Island. The parish has provided 
education for children, held community gatherings and helped the 
disadvantaged.
  The leaders of St. Joseph-St. Thomas have been responsible for much 
of this tradition of community involvement. Though I will not name all 
of the former pastors here, I would like to mention two. Father Edward 
A. Dunphy's established child-care programs for immigrants during the 
19th century. These first Catholic child-care facilities helped 
maintain the devotion to Catholicism within Staten Island's immigrant 
community. During the Great Depression, Father Thomas S. Magrath cut 
church expenses to relieve parishioners' fiancial burdens. All the 
while, he developed projects and programs to feed and shelter the 
suffering.
  Today this spirit of helping those in need lives on with Monsignor 
Peter G. Finn and the church's involvement in such programs as Project 
Hospitality and the St. Vincent De Paul Society.
  With appreciation and admiration I extend my best wishes to the 
Church of St. Joseph-St. Thomas. Its 150th Anniversary is cause for 
much celebration and anticipation of even greater accomplishments to 
come.

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