[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11025]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                     THE REVEREND JOSEPH A. ESCOBAR

  (Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome 
Father Joseph Escobar of St. Anthony's Church in Pawtucket, Rhode 
Island as our guest chaplain.
  Established in 1926, St. Anthony's has long served Rhode Island's 
English and Portuguese-speaking communities.
  The large influx of Portuguese immigrants to Rhode Island resulted in 
the first Portuguese parish in the State, Holy Rosary Parish in 1885. 
Next was St. Elizabeth's, in Bristol in 1913. It was soon followed by 
St. Francis Xavier in East Providence in 1915; and St. Anthony's was 
added in 1926, along with its mission at Little Compton.
  Father Escobar will soon be leaving to transition to be the pastor of 
Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Providence, his hometown. Father 
Escobar was educated in East Providence public schools before attending 
Providence College, my alma mater, where he received a BA in 
mathematics. He completed his seminary studies at the Dominican House 
of Studies right here in the Washington, D.C. area.
  He was soon ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Francis X. Roque in 
Washington, D.C. on May 20, 1988, and returned to Providence College 
where he worked towards a Master's Degree in the Religious Studies 
program.
  He served as assistant pastor at St. Pius the Fifth Church in 
Providence, and St. Elizabeth Church in Bristol, Rhode Island. Father 
Escobar has been the administrator of St. Anthony's Parish in Pawtucket 
since 1977. He was incardinated into the diocese of Providence in 2000.
  Mr. Speaker, I am sure that parishioners of St. Anthony's will miss 
him as much as his new flock at Our Lady of the Rosary are looking 
forward to greeting him. It was an honor and privilege to welcome 
Father Escobar to this United States House of Representatives, and I 
thank him for his invocation.

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