[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 13 (Tuesday, January 24, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E86]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING BISHOP FRANK OTHA WHITE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KATHLEEN M. RICE

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 24, 2017

  Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in honor of 
Bishop Frank Otha White, who passed away on Friday after serving for 
many years as the Senior Pastor of Zion Cathedral Church of God in 
Christ in Freeport, NY.
  Born in 1940 in Oakley, South Carolina, Bishop White moved with his 
family to Long Island as a child, and went on to become a pillar of the 
Freeport community. In 1971, while serving as Assistant Pastor, Bishop 
White was the driving force behind the construction of the Zion 
Cathedral Church, a beautiful place of worship that still graces the 
Freeport skyline and will long stand as a visible testament to Bishop 
White's leadership, faith, and commitment to the Church.
  I knew and worked with Bishop White both in my current position, and 
when I served as the Nassau County District Attorney. He was, first and 
foremost, a man of God, a man who dedicated his life to bringing people 
together and helping them to find in themselves the same enduring faith 
that motivated his work. And he was a leader not only in the Church, 
but in the community. He was deeply committed to the pursuit of 
justice, and to helping those who are most in need and so often 
overlooked by our society--the homeless, the poor, the sick, the 
elderly. He was a powerful advocate for children and for education. He 
saw tremendous value in every human life, he recognized that every 
human being had something unique to contribute to the community, and he 
worked to make others see the same.
  I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to know Bishop White and 
tremendously grateful for all that he did to strengthen the community 
in Freeport and beyond. I offer my prayers and deepest condolences to 
Bishop White's family and loved ones and to the entire Zion Cathedral 
congregation as they mourn his loss and celebrate his life. I pray that 
he will rest in peace, and that his memory will continue to inspire us 
all to act with love and commit ourselves to the pursuit of justice in 
our communities every single day of our lives.

                          ____________________