[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 119 (Thursday, September 21, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1813]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN HONOR OF BISHOP F. JOSEPH GOSSMAN'S RETIREMENT AND WELCOMING BISHOP 
MICHAEL F. BURBIDGE TO THE RALEIGH DIOCESE OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

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                          HON. DAVID E. PRICE

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 21, 2006

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer 
thanks for the life and work of Bishop F. Joseph Gossman in the Raleigh 
Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church and to welcome his successor, 
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, whose installation I attended at Meymandi 
Concert Hall in Raleigh last month. It was a grand event, dedicated to 
the glory of God. The community is indebted to Father Gerald Lewis, 
General Chair of the Planning Committee, and others who so carefully 
and lovingly prepared this service.
  Bishop Gossman led the Roman Catholic diocese for 31 years in 
Raleigh, becoming the longest-serving diocesan bishop in the United 
States. The diocese grew from about 38,000 members in 1975 to 200,000 
in 2005, with 62 new churches dedicated during that time. Priests who 
worked with Bishop Gossman describe him as collaborative and collegial, 
genial and gentle. But he was a warrior on issues to which his faith 
spoke. He supported the right of factory and farm workers to organize, 
spoke out against the death penalty, and stood up for civil rights and 
social justice. In recent years, he addressed the divisive issue of 
immigration, advocating for laws that respect the human rights of 
immigrants and preserve the unity of their families, and paid special 
attention to the spiritual needs of North Carolina's growing Latino 
population.
  Bishop Gossman broke new ground in promoting and participating in 
ecumenical and interfaith dialogue. He moved women into more and more 
responsible leadership positions; eight of the parishes in the diocese 
are now headed by women. Noting that his leadership drew on 
expectations flowing from the Vatican Council of the 1960s, William 
Powell, historian of North Carolina Catholics, recently recalled what 
Bishop Gossman said when asked how he would like to be remembered: As 
someone who loved people and . . . who let people breathe, not just the 
air of the Church but the air of life.
  Joseph Gossman leaves a rich legacy, not only of burgeoning parishes 
and schools, but also of countless lives touched and enriched by his 
witness and his ministry. I join a grateful community in wishing him 
health, happiness, and many rewarding years to come.
  Bishop Michael Burbidge comes to Raleigh from Philadelphia, PA with a 
rich history in the church despite his relative youth. He studied for 
the priesthood at the Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary and subsequently 
served as parish priest, school chaplain, seminary dean, and 
administrative secretary to the Archbishop of Philadelphia. More 
recently Bishop Burbidge has led in the formation of future priests as 
Rector of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary and has served as an auxiliary 
bishop of Philadelphia with oversight duties ranging from the 
Secretariat for Clergy to the Office for Communications.
  Bishop Burbidge thus brings a wealth of experience to the Diocese of 
Raleigh, where he has invited the faithful ``to join him in his prayer 
for grace always to `walk humbly with God,' in loyalty and fidelity, 
trusting the past to His mercy, the present to His love, and the future 
to His providence.'' He has made an auspicious beginning, and the 
citizens of North Carolina welcome him warmly and wish for him grace 
and strength in the work he has undertaken.

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