[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14362]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



HONORING THE MOST REVEREND G. AUGUSTUS STALLINGS, JR., D.D., ARCHBISHOP 
     AND FOUNDER ON HIS 25TH ANNIVERSARY AS A PRIEST AND THE 10TH 
                    ANNIVERSARY OF THE IMANI TEMPLE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EVA M. CLAYTON

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 24, 1999

  Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, on Sunday, July 4, 1999, at 10:00 a.m., 
when the Nation pauses to celebrate its independence, the Imani Temple, 
African-American Catholic Congregation, will also pause to celebrate 
its founding and to properly pay tribute to its Archbishop and Founder, 
the Most Reverend G. Augustus Stallings, Jr. D.D. This native North 
Carolinian has made our state proud.
  Archbishop Stallings is not an ordinary man. He has braved perilous 
waters, daring to be different, daring to walk alone, daring to have a 
purpose firm and daring to make it known. He understands Saint Matthew 
at Chapter 16, Verse 18, which reminds us that, ``Upon this rock I will 
build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.'' 
He follows the instruction of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 4, Verse 12, which 
teaches that, ``. . . though a man might prevail against one who is 
alone, two will withstand him. A threefold cord is not quickly 
broken.''
  With faith as his instrument and God as his guide, in the Imani 
Temple, Archbishop Stallings has created a formless rock, and by 
joining in a strong, woven cord, the Church helps our families avoid 
stumbling blocks and helps them shape stepping stones. That is because 
Father Stallings recognizes that the real strength of America, and the 
real strength of his Church, is compassion for people, those who live 
in the shadows of life--the poor, the weak, the frail, the disabled, 
our children, our seniors, the hungry.
  More importantly, unlike some, Archbishop Stallings does not sit in 
comfortable pews, shielded by stained glass windows, protected from the 
people and things that many do not wish to see. No, he makes certain 
his Church goes out and embraces the huddled masses, crouched beneath 
the street lights of our Nation.
  The common fabric that can be found in Archbishop Stallings and other 
great leaders of our time is compassion. He cares. He is comfortable, 
embracing the infirm, hugging a child, standing up for the downtrodden. 
He responds to the less fortunate among us, those who work hard yet can 
not make ends meet, those who dwell in the back alleys and on the rear 
stoops of our towns and cities, in the gutters of America, those who 
need a little help to make it through the day.
  And, so it is fitting, that we pause and pay tribute to Archbishop 
Stallings on the 10th Anniversary of the founding of Imani Temple and 
on the 25th Anniversary of his tenure as a Priest.

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