[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 113 (Tuesday, July 26, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1412-E1413]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         TRIBUTE TO THE VERY REVEREND KENNETH F. GADDY, C.Ss.R.

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. DONNA M. CHRISTENSEN

                         of the virgin islands

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 26, 2011

  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to an 
outstanding faith and community leader from my congressional district 
in the U.S. Virgin Islands, The Very Reverend Kenneth F. Gaddy, 
C.Ss.R., a Redemptorist priest who has served the St. Croix community 
for 21 years.
  On Sunday, July 31, 2011, the Holy Cross Catholic Church will honor 
Father Gaddy for his years of bountiful service to the Church and the 
parish before he leaves the Virgin Islands for a new assignment. Born 
to the late John and Beatrice Gaddy, Father Gaddy was the third of six 
children. He attended Catholic school for elementary and part of his 
secondary education. In 1977, Father Gaddy entered the Redemptorist 
Formation system, in Northeast, Pennsylvania. He went on to further his 
studies and in 1984, he graduated from St. Alphonsus College in 
Suffield, Connecticut, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy. 
Father Gaddy completed his theological studies at Washington 
Theological Union in 1988 and on May 14, 1988, he was ordained to the 
priesthood.
  Father Gaddy's first assignment was to St. Boniface Church, in 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In January of 1990, he was reassigned to 
St. Patrick's Catholic Church on the island of Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin 
Islands, and arrived in the Virgin Islands during a tremendously 
challenging time in our history--just months after Hurricane Hugo 
devastated the island of Saint Croix. He served as an Associate Pastor 
for six years, and then in August of 1996 he was appointed Pastor of 
St. Patrick's Catholic Church. Father Gaddy served as Pastor for 9 
years before he was appointed director of the Blessed Peter Donders 
Formation Residence in July of 2006.
  Mr. Speaker, in July of 2008, Father Gaddy was appointed pastor of 
Holy Cross Catholic Church on Saint Croix, where he is currently 
serving. He credits two Redemptorists, The Rev. Jerome Moody and The 
Rev. Henrique Schulterbrandt, for encouraging and supporting him in his 
decision to pursue his studies to the priesthood. Several years later 
he was introduced to Rev. Carlyle Blake, another Redemptorist, whose 
friendship and mentorship continue to this day.
  Father Gaddy believes firmly that we stand on the shoulders of those 
who precede us and it is our responsibility to keep their memory and 
contributions alive and to provide shoulders for those who come behind 
us to stand on. He also believes that we are all responsible for 
building upon what has been entrusted to us and that we are to leave 
our community better than as we inherited it.
  The Saint Croix community will not soon forget the ministry of Father 
Gaddy, his impassioned sermons, his wise and down-to-earth demeanor, 
and most certainly we will not forget his infectious laughter and kind-
hearted smile. He is a great listener who exudes sincerity and 
humbleness.
  He has shared our ups and our downs, our trials and our triumphs, our 
grief and our joys and has become a much beloved and integral

[[Page E1413]]

part of our community. We wish that Father Gaddy were not being 
reassigned, but wherever he goes, however far, he will always be a 
Virgin Islander and more so a Crucian.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands and a 
grateful flock, I wish Father Gaddy continued success, and on behalf of 
the Congress of the United States, thank him for his long, dedicated 
and bountiful service to the parish of Holy Cross, the community of St. 
Croix and the Diocese of the U.S. Virgin islands. May God continue to 
richly bless him with good health and long life in service to the 
Almighty God.

                          ____________________