[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 10 (Thursday, January 25, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S557-S558]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
THE GUEST CHAPLAIN
Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, it is my honor to welcome Father Jim
Trainor to the Senate this morning, but I think it was his honor to be
escorted to the President's chair by one of the great men of the
Senate, Senator Strom Thurmond. I am sure one of the things that Father
Trainor will take from this experience is, not particularly the fact
that he gets to see Senator Carper and me--he sees us all the time at
home--but the fact he got to meet Strom Thurmond, the legendary Strom
Thurmond.
Mr. THURMOND. Thank you. That is kind of you.
Mr. BIDEN. When Father Trainor put his hand out--Senator Thurmond was
introduced to Father Trainor a moment before the prayer--he looked at
Senator Thurmond and said: ``Senator, you are an inspiration.'' And you
are an inspiration, Strom. You are an inspiration to all of us and you
are a darned good friend of mine and I'm glad you got to meet my buddy,
Father Jim Trainor.
My colleagues do not know this, but Father Trainor prays for us every
Sunday in Wilmington. I think he prays particularly hard for me because
he is always making an extra prayer--maybe the Irish part of him--
praying for the politicians and public officials.
I say to the majority leader, Senator Lott, I go to a church called
Saint Joseph's on the Brandywine, an old church that was built by the
Du Pont family for ``their Irish'' back at the turn of the century, the
turn of the 19th century, the early 1800s.
But my daughter and my wife like to go to Saint Patrick's Church,
which is an inner-city church that, when I was a kid growing up, was in
an Irish parish, and is now in the middle of the city and the parish is
predominantly African American. It has become the haven for everyone in
need in the city. Father Trainor has been there for about 25 years and
has built and rebuilt that parish.
There is a long series of steps to go up to the church. It is an old-
fashioned church where the actual church altar is on the second floor
and below are all the meeting rooms. You walk up these two flights of
stairs and occasionally--I know my colleagues will find this hard to
believe--I am late.
It is such an honor to be invited here and an honor to have an
opportunity to invite someone here. As you all know,
[[Page S558]]
this invitation went out over 6 months ago, a long time ago.
So I made the mistake of walking in a little bit late this Sunday
evening for 5 o'clock mass. As I walked in the door, I knew I made a
mistake. It was like being back in school. Father Trainor was up in the
pulpit and I missed part of his sermon. He looked down to the
congregation and he said: By the way, one other thing I want to tell
you all. I want to tell you that I have had the great honor of being
invited to open a session of the U.S. Senate this week. It came from
the late Joe Biden--who just walked in the door. And then he proceeded
to tell a story I hope he won't mind my telling.
He was standing in front of the entire congregation last Sunday--and
by the way, this congregation attracts most of its people not from the
parish. They are young professionals who come from all over the city to
come into that 5 o'clock mass at night because of Father Trainor. It is
always packed. It is literally standing room only. The few of us who
are occasionally late, we stand a lot.
He told the following story: ``I want the congregation to pray for
me,'' he said, ``because I hope I don't make the mistake I made the
first time I was in Washington.''
I was a young seminarian, in graduate school, and I came to
Baltimore to drop off my trunk early in the summer. I had a
good friend with me who was wheelchair bound. It was his car.
We decided to go visit Washington. The only thing I remember
in Washington is everything is steps, steps, steps, steps. I
was a pretty tough guy, and I would take that wheelchair and
move it up the stairs.
He is going like this in the pulpit.
So we went all over the city. We finished up at the
Capitol.
That was before, thanks to Bob Dole and others, we had accessible
entrances to our buildings in 1961 or 1962. I don't remember the exact
year.
He said:
I got to the Capitol steps and I looked up and said,
``Sweet Lord, I can't do that.'' I walked around the side.
There was a nice Capitol Policeman there. I said, ``You guys
have elevators here?'' He said, ``Sure, bring your friend
in.'' I brought my friend in, and the officer said, ``You can
use those elevators. You can use them. I am sure they won't
mind because of the circumstances.''
Then two senatorial fellows got in the elevator and he said they both
looked at him.
He said:
I didn't know what to say.
I hope I am saying this accurately.
He said:
Senators, I am sorry we are in here, but the police officer
told us that because the other umbrella was broken, we could
take this umbrella to the second floor.
He said:
I hope I don't do that when I say my prayer this time.
I told him a story. The first time I came here, I was a student at
the University of Delaware. A number of my friends went to Georgetown,
and I loved coming up here. On a Saturday morning, I came up. There was
an unusual Saturday session which had just closed down.
There were no metal detectors. A lot of you guys worked here as pages
and had experience as staff. I walked through the double doors. The
Senate had just gone out. I just walked in. The doors were open. I
walked back by the Marble Room. No one was around. I opened the Chamber
doors, and I was in awe. I think we all felt that the first time we
ever stood in this Chamber. I was in awe. Literally, it took my breath
away.
I walked in, looked around, and I walked up and sat in the chair. I
was not being a wise guy. I was in awe. I sat down in the President's
chair, looking out, and all of a sudden this officer grabs me, spins me
around, and stands me up. He scared the devil out of me,
understandably. He knew what I was doing and arrested me.
Most of you do not know that there is a police station downstairs
underneath this building. He took me down. By the time we got down
there, he realized I was just a college student in total awe of this
place.
I was elected to the Senate 10 years later. The first day I walked
into the Senate Chamber, and a police officer tapped me on the
shoulder. He said: Do you remember me, Senator?
I said: No, I don't.
He said: I arrested you 10 years ago when you came in.
We both had inauspicious starts in the Senate. I say to you, Father,
your prayer was right on target, and the finish was much stronger than
the finish I have had. I thank you for being here.
I conclude by saying it is genuinely an honor for the State of
Delaware to have a Senate host Chaplain today. Reverend Ogilvie, I
thank you. You are a consummate gentleman, and I appreciate the
hospitality you offered to Father and always to all of us in the
Senate.
I note for the Record and say to my colleague from Delaware, Senator
Carper, I only know of a total of three other Delawareans since I have
been here who have ever been guest Chaplains. Senator Carper knows them
all: Rabbi Kenneth S. Cohen from Congregation Beth Shalom was a guest
Chaplain in 1982, and Father Robert Balducelli from St. Anthony's
Parish. We need a little Irish levity brought into this. Now we have it
all covered in my State. I thank you again, Father Trainor. I know the
majority leader wishes to speak. After he does, I want to ask
permission to yield to my colleague from Delaware for brief comments.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I have enjoyed the welcome speech from the
Senator from Delaware, and I look forward to hearing from the other
Senator from Delaware.
Welcome, Father Trainor. We all welcome you. Thank you for being
here. You and our Chaplain, Lloyd Ogilvie, mean a great deal,
obviously, to the Senators from Delaware, but also to the spirit of our
country. We thank you for being here this morning and being our guest
Chaplain.
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