[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 162 (Wednesday, November 28, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2163-E2164]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    EULOGY FOR HONORABLE JOE MOAKLEY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 28, 2001

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to make a submission into the 
Record. During the funeral mass for our late colleague Joe Moakley, 
Monsignor Thomas McDonnell of St. Augustine's Parish in South Boston 
gave a wonderful and very moving eulogy. I'd like to share his words 
with the House.
  St. Augustine once wrote that if we ever wish to find hope, we must 
learn to remember. And it is this remembering that leads to the hope 
that must be the center of our reflection today as we give our brother, 
friend, colleague and public servant back to God.
  My own memories will, I know, color my words. I remember a political 
novel about a thinly-disguised mayor of Boston. And years later, I can 
remember the words of the fictitious Monsignor about his hero. With due 
adaptation, they apply so aptly to Joe. His words were to the effect 
that ``to die in God's grace, to have loved many and left behind many 
friends, and to have done a great deal of good--what more needs to be 
said about any man.'' Indeed, we might leave our thoughts here, except 
for one thing. The phrase quoted above overlooks what contributed to 
Joe's goodness and greatness. It overlooks the Congressman's roots as a 
South Boston Irish-Italian Catholic American.
  There was a spiritual depth in Joe which could easily be overlooked. 
After his public announcement regarding his disease, he asked to meet 
with me--and had one question: ``What more should I be doing to get 
ready to meet God?'' He had received the Sacrament of Reconciliation 
and he was given the sacrament of the sick by his friend Cardinal Law. 
But being the pragmatist he was, he wanted to know if he should be 
doing anything else.
  This question, coming from the deepest part of himself, was a natural 
one to those of us who were raised in the Catholic tradition--where we 
were taught that the purpose of our existence was to lead us to spend 
an eternity of happiness with God. It was a question which took on the 
aspect of prayer--spoken in the language of the heart. And ultimately, 
it pointed to the faith-dimension of Joe's life.
  Without breaking any confidentiality, I can say that I could only 
point Joe to the truth which I believe is so important for all of us to 
recognize: God's infinite, affectionate love that He has for every one 
of his children--the love about which Isaiah wrote:

     Even if a mother would forget the child of her womb,
     I can never forget you--
     I have carved you on the palm of my hands.

  Somehow I believe that at the moment of our death, God who has been 
supporting us and holding us will simply grasp us gently by the hand 
and lead us home.
  On another level, one of the great saints of the Catholic tradition, 
St. John of the Cross, wrote: ``In the evening of our life, we will be 
judged upon love.'' And in this context, Joe would pass with flying 
colors. There is no doubt that Joe was loved. The outpouring of 
affection for him was made known to us through the media. For Joe, 
however, the letters he received from people whom he knew all his 
life--or people for whom he did favors were equally if not more 
important.
  But we are loved because we love. True Love, as we know, is ever-
expansive. And the lists of Joe's loves are as endless as they are 
impressive. He loved His God, his church, his special and enduring love 
for his wife Evelyn, his family, his constituents, South Boston, the 
Democratic Party and his country. In a way, I am reminded of the poet 
Dante's description of God, whom he described as having His arms wide-
open to embrace all who turn to Him. In an analogous way, Joe's arms 
were open to all who turned to him, especially the poor and the needy. 
Because we are all made in God's image, we should learn that lesson.

[[Page E2164]]

  It would be wrong, however, to look at Joe simply in terms of a local 
politician. I believe his pursuit of justice for those murdered in El 
Salvador proved that Joe was a true statesman who did not, however, 
forget his roots. His was a passionate pursuit of justice. And as the 
first Scripture reading notes, the just are in the hands of God.
  I doubt whether Joe ever read Aristotle on his frequent trips between 
Boston and Washington, but he instinctively embraced the ideas of this 
Greek philosopher that the vocation of the politician is to strive to 
make others happy. This idea, combined with the Christian belief 
expressed in the Acts of the Apostles that Jesus was one who ``went 
about doing good'' explains the motivating forces for Joe's political 
life and successes. As the Gospel points out, there are many ways to 
our Father's home.
  As we have seen in the past few months, Joe exercised a great appeal 
to so many people. I believe people saw in him 2 virtues for which 
people are hungry--integrity and authenticity.
  But there is something else which also must be mentioned. While Joe 
was not without fault, his virtues outweighed his faults. It was the 
visible virtues of his care and compassion which earned him such 
encomiums as the ``voice of the voiceless.'' I think the key to Joe's 
personality and his success as a politician is to be found in a few 
verses written by the poet politician Patrick Pearse. He wrote:

     Because I am of the people, I understand the people,
     I am sorrowful with their sorrow, I am hungry with their 
           desire:
     My heart has been heavy with the grief of mothers,
     My eyes have been wet with the tears of children
     I have yearned with old wistful men,
     And laughed with young men * * *

  Because Joe never forgot he was a man of the people, he had an 
empathy and compassion for them. These virtues likewise are expansive. 
And Joe's legacy to us was to be a role-model of these virtues. But he 
also challenges us now--to make these virtues come alive in our hearts. 
If we do--whatever our vocation is--the world will become a better 
place. Joe, ``good and faithful servant,'' may you rest in peace. Amen.

                          ____________________