[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 59 (Tuesday, April 24, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E634-E635]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          RECOGNIZING REVEREND OLDERSHAW'S 50 YEARS OF SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 24, 2012

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a man who has 
spent 50 years serving our local community with great distinction: 
Reverend Robert H. Oldershaw. Father Oldershaw is a native of Evanston, 
Illinois, and that is where he continues to make his mark even today.
  After being ordained a Catholic priest in 1962, Father Oldershaw 
worked hard in parishes across Chicago--serving communities in Hyde 
Park, downtown Chicago and Lincoln Park before landing back at St. 
Nicholas Parish in his hometown in 1988. Evanston has benefited from 
his outreach ever since. Father Oldershaw retired in 2006, after almost 
20 years in our City. He continues to serve as pastor emeritus at St. 
Nicholas, and I am happy to say he is a constant and welcome figure in 
our neighborhood.
  Father Oldershaw has made significant contributions to the Catholic 
Church. For a number of years while working in Chicago he served as the 
Associate Director for Music of the Archdiocesan Office for Divine 
Worship. In this role he worked to help parishes across the Chicago 
area adapt to the then-recent changes stemming from the Second Vatican 
Council. He has also written a number of articles and pieces of music 
over the years, and serves as the liturgical editor of Worship--Third 
Edition (GIA Publications)--a hymnal used in Catholic churches across 
the country.
  In 1999 Father Oldershaw was featured in a documentary entitled A 
Justice That Heals. This documentary tells the story of how he brought 
together and fostered forgiveness between the family of a murder victim 
and the individual who killed their son. Activities such as these were 
commonplace for a man who has devoted his life to serving his parish 
and the community as a whole.
  In addition to his parish duties, Father Oldershaw was (and remains) 
extremely active in the Evanston community. He is involved in a large 
number of organizations furthering the public good. He served as co-
president of the Evanston Ecumenical Action Council (now known as 
Interfaith Action of Evanston), as a member of the board of directors 
of St. Francis Hospital, and has spent over a decade as a chaplain with 
the Evanston Police Department. Each of these roles has left an 
indelible impact on our local community and we are lucky to have had 
him working among us for so long.
  Father Oldershaw also deserves praise for his social justice work. He 
is an active member of Priests for Justice for Immigrants, and

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he regularly visits detainees at McHenry County Jail. He is also a 
board member of Solidarity Bridge, whose mission is to heal and empower 
poor people living in Bolivia through providing critical medical care 
and support for Fair Trade cooperatives.
  On behalf of myself, our community, and a grateful nation, I want to 
say thank you, Father Oldershaw, for all you have done and continue to 
do for us.

                          ____________________