[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 21 (Wednesday, March 1, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E216]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E216]]
     PRESENTING CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL TO JOHN CARDINAL O'CONNOR

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 15, 2000

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of 
this legislation, and I applaud my colleague from New York City [Mr. 
Fossella] for his work in bringing it to the floor today. I am proud to 
be a cosponsor of this bill honoring a great man and a great New 
Yorker.
  I rise too, to celebrate John Cardinal O'Connor's eighty years and 
his more than fifteen years of service as the Archbishop of New York. 
Cardinal O'Connor was not only a spiritual leader, but a secular leader 
as well. He spoke softly--and sometimes not so softly--about our most 
pressing problems: homelessness, the AIDS crisis, and condition of the 
poor, and he worked with others on concrete plans and strategies to 
address them. Former Governor Mario Cuomo recently cited Cardinal 
O'Connor's efforts as paving the way for the City's aggressive response 
to AIDS.
  Cardinal O'Connor was a great leader and a friend of all leaders in 
our city. More than one mayor told me they often consulted with him on 
how to handle their work and to respond to the challenges of leading 
the City. He received almost every award his Church and City could 
bestow on him, although he once told me once that the only award that 
impressed his mother was the time he was named Grand Marshall of the 
St. Patrick's Day parade.
  Cardinal O'Connor was a permanent fixture at many of our City's major 
events. I remember him at every parade, coming out to greet the people. 
In addition, he was an outstanding pastor, taking care of individual 
needs, and putting the most personal of touches into his sermons.
  Cardinal O'Connor will be retiring later this year, and will be 
solely missed by all residents of the City. Whoever is selected as his 
successor will face a great challenge--to bring together a diverse 
population, and to serve--as Cardinal O'Connor did--as a beacon and an 
inspiration to the less fortunate and to all residents of the City.
  In light of his years of public service and his devotion to people of 
all walks of life, it is only fitting that we give him this honor 
today. I applaud Cardinal O'Connor for his leadership, and for his 
service to the people of New York and to Catholics around the world. I 
thank my colleague from New York for introducing this legislation, and 
I urge all my colleagues to support this bill to pay a fitting tribute 
to a genuine humanitarian and a great leader.

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