[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 58 (Friday, May 12, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E822]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO FATHER BRENDAN NALLY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 11, 2006

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Father 
Brendan Nally. I am proud to join with the members of Our Lady of the 
Rosary in Clinton, Massachusetts in saluting him with a special 
celebration of his retirement as well as the 50th Anniversary of his 
Ordination to the priesthood in the Catholic Church.
  Since 1989, Father Nally has served as Pastor of ``Holy Rosary,'' as 
the Church located in the Acre District of Clinton is known. As the one 
priest assigned to the Parish during the past 17 years, Father Nally 
has singularly ministered to the spiritual needs of all the 
parishioners--saying all the daily and weekly Masses, performing all 
the religious sacraments and ceremonies including baptisms, weddings 
and funerals, visiting the sick and elderly, as well as performing all 
the administrative tasks and duties required for the operation of the 
Church. Throughout this period, Father Nally has endeared himself not 
only to the many families and members of his Parish but to countless 
citizens of the Town of Clinton.
  As a recognized community leader, Father Nally has been a strong 
supporter of the local youth of the town. In addition to coordinating 
and overseeing a strong religious education program for the children of 
Holy Rosary, he has ensured that a program of other youth activities be 
maintained. He has also been a loyal fan and booster of the local 
school athletic teams, attending and cheering on the town's athletes to 
victory. When the Clinton Public Schools needed a clergy member to 
participate in the Baccalaureate Exercises for graduating seniors, 
Father Nally was there. Whenever other organizations needed help, 
Father Nally was only too glad to be of assistance--as, for example, 
when a local Alcoholics Anonymous chapter or an Irish step-dancing 
group needed a meeting place and the parish hall was made available to 
them.
  As if he didn't already have enough duties and obligations to fulfill 
during his busy days, Father Nally also answered the call and served 
for a number of years as Chaplain to the Massachusetts Department of 
Corrections Pre-Release Center in the nearby town of Lancaster.

  Prior to his most recent assignment as Pastor of Our Lady of the 
Rosary, Father Nally had served as a Pastor and Associate Pastor at a 
number of other Parishes throughout the Diocese of Worcester in Central 
Massachusetts. Additionally, his priestly service included periods as a 
faculty member and Headmaster at several Catholic High Schools in the 
region.
  A native of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Father Nally attended LaSalette 
Preparatory Seminary and LaSalette Major Seminary in Ipswich, 
Massachusetts and was ordained a Priest on May 5, 1956.
  The 50th Anniversary of Father Nally's Ordination as a Priest, and 
his remarkable record of outstanding service to the Church, certainly 
deserves to be applauded and celebrated. His rich legacy of religious 
ministry and service has touched and improved the lives of so many 
people, and I am truly honored to offer my personal thanks and 
congratulations. I know that my colleagues will join me in paying 
tribute to this wonderful man of God and in extending very best wishes 
for a retirement blessed with continued health and happiness to Father 
Brendan Nally.

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