[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 148 (Monday, December 8, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H8842]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1530
           FATHER RICHARD MARQUESS-BARRY POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4030) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 18640 NW 2nd Avenue in Miami, Florida, as the 
``Father Richard Marquess-Barry Post Office Building.''
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4030

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. FATHER RICHARD MARQUESS-BARRY POST OFFICE 
                   BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 18640 NW 2nd Avenue in Miami, Florida, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Father Richard 
     Marquess-Barry Post Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Father Richard Marquess-Barry Post 
     Office Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Meadows) and the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina.


                             General Leave

  Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from North Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 4030, introduced by Frederica Wilson 
of Florida, to designate the post office located at 18640 NW 2nd Avenue 
in Miami, Florida, as the Father Richard Marquess-Barry Post Office 
Building.
  The Reverend Canon Richard Livingston Marquess-Barry has led a 
remarkable life--one of courage, service, and strong faith.
  Father Marquess-Barry has been an ordained priest in the Episcopalian 
church for 39 years. He currently serves as the pastor of the Historic 
Saint Agnes Episcopal Church in Miami, Florida. In this capacity, 
Father Marquess-Barry has contributed to bettering the lives of those 
in his congregation and community, and he has earned a well-respected 
reputation for bridging the divide between people of different races 
and religions and of uplifting the downtrodden and underprivileged. The 
projects and ministries of his church are numerous--among them, 
spearheading an affordable housing project for low- and moderate-income 
families.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the 
dedication and selflessness that Father Marquess-Barry has shown 
throughout his life, and I urge the support for this bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WELCH. Mr. Speaker, I fully support this legislation.
  At this time, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman 
from Florida, Representative Wilson, and I thank her for sponsoring 
this legislation.
  Ms. WILSON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Welch for 
yielding me time as well as Chairman Issa and Ranking Member Cummings 
for their support in bringing this bill to the floor.
  I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4030, a bill to designate the 
post office at 18640 NW 2nd Avenue in Miami Gardens, Florida, as the 
Father Richard Marquess-Barry Post Office Building.
  The Reverend Canon Richard Livingston Marquess-Barry was born on 
November 14, 1940, in Miami, Florida, to Bahamian immigrants. Raised by 
his grandparents, Reverend Barry attended the Miami-Dade County Public 
Schools system while working as a garbage collector every morning 
before school and as a dishwasher after school.
  Reverend Barry earned his Bachelor of Arts at St. Augustine College 
in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1962. That same year, he married Virla 
Rolle, his college sweetheart. The couple has been married for 52 years 
and has one daughter and two grandsons.
  Reverend Barry's lifelong devotion to the church began in 1965 when 
he became the only person of color enrolled at the Virginia Theological 
Seminary. Three years later, he earned a master's in divinity, and in 
1989, he was the youngest person to earn a doctor of divinity degree in 
the 200-year history of the Virginia Theological Seminary. He has been 
a visiting fellow at the University of Munich in Germany as well as at 
Oxford University in England.
  In 1977, Reverend Barry took a pay cut in order to lead the Saint 
Agnes Episcopal Church, the largest and oldest Episcopal congregation 
for people of color in south Florida. Not only did he transform Saint 
Agnes and leave it with an endowment upon his retirement, he also 
worked tirelessly to improve the Overtown community where Saint Agnes 
is located.
  As a young priest, Reverend Barry served his community religiously 
and also dedicated himself to furthering civil rights despite numerous 
assassination attempts. He led the effort to integrate the St. Lucie 
County public school system. He also pressured the city of Fort Pierce 
and St. Lucie County to adopt fair hiring and promotion practices 
within the police and fire departments and within all other government 
agencies. He has also been a champion of improving housing options for 
underprivileged people in our community.
  Among his many awards, Reverend Barry is currently the holder of two 
keys to Miami-Dade County and of one key to the city of Miami for his 
many years of devotion and advocacy to the south Florida community. He 
has been recognized for his work by Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, the 
NAACP, the Florida State Senate, and President Obama.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Reverend Barry for his decades of 
service to our community, and I ask all of my colleagues to join me in 
supporting this bill to designate the Miami post office the Father 
Richard Marquess-Barry Post Office Building.
  Mr. WELCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support H.R. 4030, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Meadows) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4030.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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