[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 176 (Wednesday, December 7, 2016)]
[House]
[Page H7281]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       CELEBRATING 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CHURCH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Huelskamp) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HUELSKAMP. Mr. Speaker, this year my parish, Holy Cross Catholic 
Church in Hutchinson, Kansas, is celebrating its 60th anniversary. 
Sixty years ago, then-Bishop of Wichita, Most Reverend Mark K. Carroll, 
proclaimed Holy Cross Parish to be the third parish in Hutchinson. On 
June 23, 1957, the church celebrated their first mass in a 4-H 
building.
  Holy Cross Parish has come a long way from that first mass held on 
the Kansas State Fairgrounds. Now a beautiful church adorned with holy 
images, the parish serves Christ's people from the moment they are born 
with the Sacrament of Baptism, to feeding them with the Word of God and 
the Holy Eucharist, to couples exchanging marriage vows, to those 
seeking forgiveness in the confessional, and, finally, to when we 
prepare to meet our Lord at the end of our earthly lives. At each 
milestone of a Catholic's life, Holy Cross Catholic Church is there to 
guide us toward the truth: to know, love, and serve the Lord in this 
life so as to be with Him in the next.
  The work of the Holy Cross community certainly extends outside the 
church walls. The parish is present in the community, serving meals to 
the needy, visiting inmates in prison, working to save the lives of the 
precious unborn children, and comforting those who grieve.
  Additionally, education has always been a high priority for the Holy 
Cross Parish. Hundreds upon hundreds of boys and girls, young men and 
women, have received a superb Catholic education at Holy Cross Catholic 
School and Trinity Catholic High School. Dedicated teachers, 
administrators, coaches, committed families, holy priests and nuns, and 
supportive parishioners have worked together to prepare each of these 
students to serve as Christ's light to the world. The families that 
make up Holy Cross Catholic Church are a living example of individuals 
who live out their faith in their work and their daily lives.
  Our country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. The First 
Amendment guarantees the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and 
freedom of conscience. It is my sincere hope that, as America moves 
forward, our leaders will place the issue of religious liberty at the 
forefront of their political and legislative agendas.
  On this 60th anniversary of Holy Cross Catholic Church, it is my 
prayer that the parish will continue to grow and thrive, welcome new 
members, and share the Gospel with the world.

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