[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 95 (Thursday, June 21, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1112]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  COMMEMORATING THE 350TH ANNIVERSARY OF ST. FRANCIS XAVIER CATHOLIC 
                           CHURCH IN MARYLAND

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JERRY LEWIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 21, 2012

  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to both salute a 
former staffer who now works for a boss more powerful than any Member 
of Congress and to celebrate a feat of incredible longevity at his new 
workplace.
  I was honored to employ Brian Sanderfoot, from Appleton, Wisconsin, 
for many years. He represented the highest values we in Congress want 
to provide: courtesy, commitment, and a dedication to public service.
  A devout Catholic, Brian left Congress to pursue his true calling in 
the priesthood. After studying both at D.C.'s Catholic University and 
in Rome, Brian became Father Sanderfoot and entered a new phase of 
service.
  Father Sanderfoot settled in the Archdiocese of Washington which is 
home to over 600,000 Catholics living in Washington, DC, and five 
Maryland counties. He now ministers at Maryland's St. Francis Xavier 
parish and is making a real difference in the lives of his 
congregation.
  In a nation that commemorates the 25th or 50th anniversary of an 
event, Father Sanderfoot's parish has a special distinction. It 
recently celebrated its 350th anniversary, making it the oldest 
Catholic parish in America.
  In anticipation of this milestone, Father Sanderfoot initiated two 
historical discovery projects. The first was a thorough survey of the 
cemetery at the parish's Newtowne Neck Church to map and index the 
graves. The second project was an archeological dig to discover the 
location of the original chapel.
  St. Francis Xavier's parish has been a silent witness to a new 
country coming into being, its expansion across a continent, a civil 
war that pitted brother against brother, the strength of a people 
tested by the Great Depression and world wars, and the rise of a 
superpower. It has been the site of countless baptisms, weddings, 
funerals, masses, and homilies. For three and a half centuries, this 
parish has been the place where faith was nurtured, renewed, and 
embraced.
  It is a privilege to consider Father Brian Sanderfoot a part of the 
extended Lewis family. I celebrate his new life and his lasting faith. 
Let us honor the durability of St. Francis Xavier's parish, which has 
been a steadfast source of identity and a pillar of stability for all 
Catholics in the area.

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