[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 33 (Wednesday, March 3, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H915-H916]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       ST. JOSEPH'S DAY BREAKFAST

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to inform my colleagues 
about an important event, the St. Joseph's Day Breakfast, that will be 
held on March 18th, and I strongly urge anyone who can be present to 
attend. The St. Joseph's Day Breakfast is sponsored by a truly 
exceptional organization called the Faith and Politics Institute.
  The St. Joseph's Day Breakfast celebrates the day of St. Joseph, who 
is the patron saint of the worker. This event brings Members of 
Congress together with leaders of our Nation's labor unions. As they 
break bread together, they will remember the religious values and the 
moral imperative that underlie the struggle for economic justice.
  This is a bipartisan event sponsored by our colleagues the gentleman 
from Georgia (Mr. John Lewis) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Amo 
Houghton) to honor those who have acted courageously on behalf of the 
working men and women of our country. The St. Joseph's Day Breakfast is 
also the primary event of the Faith and Politics Institute, and the 
motto of this wonderful organization best sums up their goals and their 
accomplishments: spirit, community and conscience in public life.
  The Faith and Politics Institute was established in 1991 as an 
interfaith, nonpartisan approach to reach consensus across party lines 
and break down the polarization that often engulfs our body. The 
mission of Faith and Politics seeks to provide occasions for moral 
reflection and spiritual community to political leaders, and draws upon 
the moral lessons and religious traditions to encourage civility and 
respect for one another and differing opinions.
  These values, civility and respect, are essential to our strong 
democracy, and toward this end Faith and Politics have brought Mark 
Gerzon to Washington for private meetings a year before he led our 
Members into the historic bipartisan Hershey retreat.
  Since its inception, the Institute has brought to Capitol Hill a 
combination of theological perspective, spiritual sensitivity, and 
political know-how as it has undertaken projects on behalf of labor, 
race, economic exploitation, the environment, and kindness to all. Last 
June this marvelous organization kicked off, with the help of General

[[Page H916]]

Colin Powell, the ``Congressional Conversations on Race'', which is 
spearheaded by a bipartisan steering committee made up of equal numbers 
of Republican and Democrat Members.
  The goal is to ``evoke the potential among Members of Congress, 
seeking spiritual insights to provide creative moral leadership on 
racial issues.'' They have already sponsored many events to bring about 
a dialogue on race, and will continue to do so, understanding that the 
``serious of experiences to deepen Members' understandings and to 
strengthen their leadership in the realm of race relations'' is a 
worthy goal.
  Mr. Speaker, I respectfully urge my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle to get involved with this wonderful Institute, to go to the 
breakfast, if they can, because it is good for us individually and good 
for the country as a whole.

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