[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 67 (Thursday, May 25, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E832]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO REV. PHILIP RONAN BRENNAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN T. DOOLITTLE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 24, 2000

  Mr. DOOLITTLE. Mr. Speaker, today I wish to recognize the Reverend 
Philip Ronan Brennan, a remarkable man who has rendered fifty years of 
service to the people of my Northern California district.
  Born on August 23, 1926, in Duleek, County Meath, Ireland, Philip 
Brennan was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest on June 18, 1950, in 
Dublin. His first assignment in the priesthood brought him half way 
around the world to the beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains of 
California, where he has made his home ever since. In fact, although 
born in Ireland, he is now a naturalized citizen of the United States. 
It is here that he has offered a lifetime of compassion and dedication 
to others.
  Beginning as an associate pastor at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in 
Auburn, in 1950, Reverend Brennan later went on to serve as an 
assistant at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish in Truckee in 
1952. In 1956, he began an eleven-year assignment as Chaplain at Folsom 
State Prison. In this capacity, he worked with some of those members of 
society who stand in the greatest need of comfort and guidance. Then, 
in 1967, Father Brennan advanced to the position of pastor at Corpus 
Christi parish in Tahoe City, California, which included the community 
of Squaw Valley.
  In 1972, Rev. Philip Brennan returned to where he began his ministry, 
serving as pastor at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Auburn. During his 
years in Auburn, he negotiated the purchase of a 16-acre parcel of land 
in North Auburn, moving St. Joseph's school from the overcrowded and 
landlocked downtown location to the new site. He also sparked the 
building of a large parish center there. Recognizing his contributions 
to the community, in 1988 the City of Auburn named Father Brennan as 
one of the 100 most influential people in the city's first 100 years of 
history.
  After spending eight years at St. Joseph's, Father Brennan moved to 
the small town of Sutter Creek, serving for 12 years as pastor at the 
Immaculate Conception parish. Since retirement in 1992, he has again 
settled in Auburn, where he continues to sit on Diocesan committees and 
acts as supply pastor throughout the Sacramento Diocese.
  As he celebrates the Golden Jubilee of his ordination to the 
priesthood on June 18, I join with his many friends and admirers in 
honoring the Rev. Philip Ronan Brennan for his tireless efforts to meet 
the temporal and spiritual needs of those he has served so faithfully. 
No price can be placed on Father Brennan's contributions. His influence 
cannot be measured. His service cannot be gauged. His is a life well-
lived, and I thank him for it.

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