[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 82 (Thursday, May 27, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S4473]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             GUEST CHAPLAIN

  Mr. LeMIEUX. Madam President, I am honored to welcome Captain William 
F. Cuddy, as the guest Chaplain for the U.S. Senate for today. Since 
July of 2006, Captain Cuddy has served as Chaplain of the U.S. Coast 
Guard.
  Coast Guard Chaplains have a long history of assisting service men 
and their families in their spiritual journey. Since 1929, when 
Chaplain Roy L. Lewis was ordered to the submarine base at Groton, CT, 
with primary duties to the base and additional duties to the Coast 
Guard Academy, religious ministry has been a critical component of 
supporting the men and women who shoulder the burdens of safeguarding 
our homeland.
  Captain Cuddy proudly continues that tradition by providing religious 
counsel to our young men and women who are often tested by military 
life.
  What's more, Captain Cuddy's ministerial outreach is an asset to the 
families of our Coast Guard men and women during spouses' deployments 
away from home.
  A native of Boston, MA, Captain Cuddy graduated from Cathedral High 
School in June 1967 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He served aboard the 
USS Essex homeported in Newport, RI, until 1970, when he left active 
duty for the Navy Reserve and entered Fitchburg State College. He 
graduated in 1974 with bachelor of science in education.
  Captain Cuddy then entered St. John's Seminary in 1974. During his 
seminary studies, Captain Cuddy remained active as an aviation 
structural support technician with a number of Reserve squadrons and 
was commissioned an ensign in March 1977 in the Chaplain Corps' 
Theological Student Candidate Program.
  After graduating from St. John's Seminary in 1979, he was ordained by 
Cardinal Humberto Mederios for service in the Archdiocese of Boston and 
received an appointment in the Reserve Chaplain Corps in 1980 as a 
lieutenant junior grade.
  Captain Cuddy once again reported for active duty in July 1990. While 
assigned to Mayport, FL, from 1998 to 2001, he provided chaplain 
support to the Coast Guard units in northern Florida. In this role, he 
provided spiritual support to the men and women safeguarding our 
country.
  On behalf of the State of Florida and my colleagues here in the 
Senate, I thank Captain Cuddy for his service to our country and for 
his prayer today. We welcome him to the U.S. Senate.

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