[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 66 (Tuesday, May 21, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H2664-H2665]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  NEW YORK DONATES WORLD TRADE CENTER STEEL TO SACRED HEART CATHOLIC 
                                 CHURCH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 23, 2002, the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Mrs. Wilson) is 
recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. WILSON of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, this is a very special day. 
Something special is happening in New York City this morning. There is 
a small church in Barelas in the old part of Albuquerque, New Mexico 
called Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church. In the 1970s, they had to 
tear down their church because it was structurally unsound. It had two 
bell towers. They rebuilt the church across the street, but the bells 
were lost until recently, and they found one of the huge bells and they 
are now going to rebuild the bell tower.
  Some leaders in the community contacted me and the Archbishop and 
wrote to the mayor of the City of New York and asked for two beams from 
the World Trade Center to incorporate into the design of the new bell 
tower. Some people from New Mexico, including Father Moore and John 
Garcia and Sosimo Padilla and a member of my staff, are in New York 
this morning at ground zero picking up those two beams that were given 
to us by the City of New York.
  Those bells at the Barelas bell tower rang when World War II ended. 
They rang for weddings and funerals. They rang every Sunday morning 
over the City of Albuquerque to call people to worship. We are pleased 
in Albuquerque and thankful to the people of New York that the bell 
towers will be rebuilt and the bells will ring again. They will ring in 
remembrance, and they will ring in the call to worship.
  Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church in Albuquerque is a beautiful 
church where about 800 people meet to worship. The Church, including 
twin bell towers, was razed in the mid-1970s because of structural 
problems, and its two bronze bells disappeared. One bell was found 
recently in a back yard, the other remains missing. The Church has been 
rebuilt and plans to build a new bell tower. This need and an inspired 
idea were the beginning of a wonderful journey that has brought 
together the people of New Mexico and the citizens of New York.
  The bells in Barelas rang when the war ended. They rang for weddings 
and for funerals. They rang to call people to prayer. Now they will 
ring again in remembrance.

[[Page H2665]]

  New Mexico Archbishop Michael Sheehan and I wrote to New York Mayor 
Bloomberg in January about the community's hopes to use steel from the 
World Trade Center to rebuild a bell tower for the Church. The Barelas 
Community Development Center spearheaded this effort to revitalize the 
neighborhood with this landmark as the center of the community.
  New York City has agreed to donate two 20-foot steel beams from the 
World Trade Center for a Bell Tower at the Sacred Heart Church. The 
beams will be incorporated into the design of the tower and memorialize 
victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
  Many people deserve a lot of credit for making this a reality. John 
Garcia and Sosimo Padilla thought they could make this happen, and they 
sought assistance from me and others. And they did it.
  We saw the face of evil on September 11th. And in the aftermath, we 
saw the depth of America's goodness and a return to simple faith. New 
Mexico will rebuild this bell tower and remember. We are a strong, 
loving people and a faithful people. This bell tower will remind us and 
call us to worship for many years to come.
  After the attacks on September 11, President Bush said that terrorism 
cannot dent the steel of American resolve. I agree. These beams, this 
parish, this community, represent the strength of our American 
character and all the best our Nation has to offer. I'm honored to be a 
part of this.
  Today, a delegation of New Mexicans are in New York to accept the 
beams in a ceremony. Traveling to New York are John Garcia; the Rev. 
James Moore of the Sacred Heart Church; Sosimo Padilla, head of the 
church's bell committee; Sam Tinker, a local business owner who 
volunteered to transport the steel, and a representative from my staff, 
Dawn Petchell, who assisted in this request.
  I also want to thank Southwest Airlines who donated airfare for the 
New Mexico delegation to go to New York, and to Bob Turner's Ford 
Country who donated a large flag to drape over the steel beams as they 
travel to the State. The Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce is 
planning a celebration to welcome the steel beams to New Mexico.

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