[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 13847]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               WELCOMING THE VERY REVEREND ERNESTO MEDINA

  (Mr. BECERRA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor for me to rise today to 
introduce our guest chaplain, the Very Reverend Ernesto R. Medina of 
the Cathedral Center of St. Paul in Los Angeles, California. Reverend 
Medina is an ordained minister and a graduate of the Church Divinity 
School of the Pacific as well as the University of California at San 
Diego.
  Reverend Medina is more than just the pastor of the Cathedral Center 
of St. Paul. He is neighbor, friend, and indispensable spiritual leader 
in the community of Echo Park in Los Angeles. He is the first Latino to 
be appointed as a provost within the Episcopalian Church in this 
country. Reverend Medina has demonstrated a leadership style that has 
endeared him not only to the members of his congregation and the 
community of Echo Park but also to those throughout the community of 
Los Angeles who have been fortunate enough to work with him.
  Not long ago, there was a collapse of an apartment building not far 
from the Cathedral Center where, were it not for the efforts of 
Reverend Medina, several families would have been left homeless. But 
quickly, Reverend Medina and the parishioners of the Cathedral Center 
came forward and offered families with small children a place to stay 
and a place to eat. Today the parish of Cathedral Center is much 
blessed by the work that has been done by Reverend Medina. His 
compassion not only for the residents of Echo Park but for all of Los 
Angeles has exemplified the type of work that is done by the 
Episcopalian Church. I am very proud to say that today, the first day 
perhaps in more than 2 weeks when we see the sun out in Washington, 
D.C., that Reverend Medina has come forward.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. BECERRA. I yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I would simply like to join my friend in 
welcoming Reverend Medina, who has just informed me that he is a 
constituent of mine. We are very appreciative of the prayer and the 
very kind words.
  Mr. BECERRA. I join with my colleague from California (Mr. Dreier) in 
recognizing that not only is he an able reverend but he is also a very 
important constituent. I thank the Speaker for this opportunity to 
express some thoughts for this 1 minute. I thank the reverend for 
making the trip to Washington, D.C., and bringing the sunshine with 
him.

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