[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 71 (Friday, June 9, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E951-E952]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO FATHER STEPHEN PATRICK (PAT) WISNESKE ON THE OCCASION OF THE 
                    GOLDEN JUBILEE OF HIS ORDINATION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BART STUPAK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 8, 2000

  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, today I honor a most remarkable individual--
a dear friend, a counselor, a shepherd, a man of the people and a man 
of God. I pay personal and heartfelt tribute to Father Stephen Patrick 
Wisneske, the pastor of Holy Spirit Church of Menominee, MI, on the 
occasion of the 50th anniversary of his ordination, his golden jubilee.
  Father Pat came to Menominee 28 years ago. He came to town at a 
particularly difficult time for the local Catholic faithful, who were 
being reorganized from the five traditional congregations--including 
the old settlement alignments of the French church, the Irish church, 
the Polish church, and the German Church--to three new congregations, 
based on neighborhood and proximity. The restructuring made sense in 
terms of reducing the infrastructure that church members needed to 
support, but it presented real challenges in forging new congregational 
bonds and establishing new ministries. Father Pat became pastor of the 
newly structured Holy Spirit Church.
  He brought years of service in other northern Michigan communities to 
his new task. Born in 1922, Father Pat was raised in a Catholic home, 
attended Catholic school for 12 years, served as an altar boy, and was 
interested in Church affairs even before he was called to his religious 
vocation. Father Pat was ordained on June 3, 1950 by Bishop Francis J. 
Hass at St. Andrew's Cathedral in Grand Rapids, and within the month he 
was assigned as assistant at Holy Trinity in Ironwood. In 1951 he 
became an assistant at St. Thomas Catholic Church in Escanaba, and in 
1953 became an assistant at St. Mary and St. Joseph in Iron Mountain, 
where he also served as chaplain to veterans in the hospital there.
  Like his religious predecessor Bishop Baraga, Father Pat spent time 
in several small parishes in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan--Dollar 
Bay, Loretto, Quinnesec, White Pine, and Bergland, before his posting 
to Menominee.
  Perhaps because of his own Catholic schooling, Father Pat has always 
shown that his commitment to his parish--to all local families--lies 
outside the walls of his beautiful and more than 100-year-old Gothic 
church. He regularly visits Menominee Catholic Central School, meeting 
and greeting parents, teachers and children in this more informal 
setting.
  Father Pat has become well-known for his homily--his brief moment of 
addressing the congregation during each Mass. A quick sense of humor 
has always served him well in helping to drive home the important 
lesson he wished to teach each week.
  I have always admired Father Pat for his positive outlook and his 
concern for his congregation. But it was when tragedy struck my own 
family that the depth of his wisdom, love, and advice, to me, to my 
wife Laurie and my son Ken was truly revealed. He counseled, sheltered, 
and guided us through our darkest hours, and his homily to my son BJ 
captured

[[Page E952]]

the essence of this vital young man for friend and stranger alike. For 
these kind acts in our greatest time of need, I and my family will 
always be grateful to Father Pat.
  Mr. Speaker, moments of crisis often bring brief flashes of insight 
so brilliant that we are forever changed in our view of the world. In a 
moment of darkness, I was given an opportunity to truly understand the 
mission of a parish priest as an agent of divine compassion and 
strength. I and my family were held in Mighty Hands and bathed in a 
river of sublime love. Father Pat, a man of the people and a man of 
God, has spent 50 years shaping himself to be a funnel of that great 
Power. There can be no greater calling.

                          ____________________