[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 21487]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     WELCOMING FATHER THOMAS JOHNS

  (Mr. LaTOURETTE asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to welcome this 
morning Father Tom Johns of St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Mentor, 
OH, as the guest chaplain today. I am honored to have Father Johns here 
today.
  I want to welcome him, his sister and brother-in-law, Trish and 
Denny, and their two children, Kyle and Kayla, to the House of 
Representatives.
  Father Johns has been with St. John Vianney since 1993 and became 
pastor in January of 1998. He is a treasured member of our community, 
and he also has a special Washington connection. Several years ago, 
Father Johns presided over the wedding of Kirsti Talikka Garlock, 
counsel for the House Committee on International Relations, and her 
husband, Vince. I know it is a thrill for them to have Father Johns 
here this morning as the guest chaplain.
  I first met Father Johns at the home of Jim and Ruthie Jackson a 
number of years ago, and they referred to him as Father Tom. Even 
though I am a Methodist and he is a Roman Catholic, I have to tell you 
that it is probably a good duty when you are marrying somebody like 
Kirsti and Vince. I have also had the sad occasion of being with him 
when he was the presiding official at the funeral of not only Jim 
Jackson but also Mike Brown. And Father Johns's ability to help friends 
and family get through those occasions really makes him a special 
person in my mind. It is a pleasure to have Father Thomas Johns with us 
today, and I thank him for being here.

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