[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 11345-11346]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO MONSIGNOR LOUIS ANTONELLI

                                 ______
                                 

                  HON. GREGORIO KILILI CAMACHO SABLAN

                    of the northern mariana islands

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 22, 2010

  Mr. SABLAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a man truly 
blessed by his Creator: a man who is religious, honest, faithful, 
devoted, and obedient to his calling. The man to whom I refer is the 
Reverend Monsignor Louis Antonelli, the pastor of San Isidro Church on 
the island of Rota.
  Monsignor Antonelli was born on September 23, 1918, in Sheppron, 
Pennsylvania. He began his studies for the priesthood at the Stigmatine 
Minor Seminary in Waltham, Massachusetts in 1931, at the tender age of 
13 years. He continued his studies at the Stigmatine Major Seminary in 
Wellesley, Massachusetts until he was ordained a priest on June 11, 
1949, and immediately became an assistant pastor at the Sacred Heart 
Church, in Milford, Massachusetts.
  Four years later in 1953, he was assigned to the U.S. territory of 
Guam, where he taught at Father Duenas Memorial School, a Catholic high 
school, until being reassigned to the mainland United States in 1959.
  In 1970 he returned to Guam, this time as Assistant Pastor at the 
Agana Cathedral and San Vicente Church. He also served as Director of 
the Permanent Diaconate Program on Guam.
  In 1973, he was sent to the Northern Mariana Islands, first for two 
weeks on Tinian, then to the permanent position of Pastor of San 
Francisco De Borja Church in Songsong, Rota. There he served until 
1991, when he initiated and built the Rota San Isidro Mission at 
Sinapalu on Rota, becoming its Pastor and serving at the Mission up to 
the present day.
  In his ministry, Monsignor Antonelli presided over countless masses, 
baptisms, catechism classes, counseling sessions, weddings and 
funerals. His daily work involves administering communion to hospital 
patients, prison inmates, the sick and the elderly.
  In partnership with the Sisters of Mercy from Guam, he established 
the Escuelan San Francisco De Borja on Rota in 1985. Today, the school 
continues to provide grade school education to children on Rota. He is 
also directly responsible for the beautification and maintenance of the 
San Pedro Cemetery on Rota, which some have referred as a mini 
Arlington National Cemetery because of the care Pale Antonelli has 
given this ground.
  While ministering to his flock, Monsignor Antonelli also has found 
time to breed and raise cattle and to experiment with a variety of 
grasses to use as feed. He has a herd of nearly 100 head of cattle on 
his small Rota ranch. Many would say that the Monsignor has bred the 
best cattle and maintains the best grazing lands on Rota.
  Monsignor Antonelli's service and activities have won wide 
recognition. Among the honors he has received during his service on 
Rota is recognition as the ``Conservationist of the Year'' in 1990 by 
the Luta Soil and Water Conservation District; and in 1996, Pope John 
Paul II named him ``Prelate of Honor'', which gave him the title of 
Monsignor.
  Monsignor Antonelli has been a priest for 61 years, 37 of which he 
ministered to the spiritual health of the people of Rota, volunteered 
as a high school teacher and assisted farmers and cattle ranchers. He 
has declared and affirmed that Rota is his home for the rest of his 
life and also where he wants to rest in peace.
  On behalf of the people of the Northern Mariana Islands, I wish to 
express my gratitude to Monsignor Antonelli for all his exceptional 
service and wish him good health and much happiness as he continues his 
ministry to our people: We look forward to his 92nd birthday in 
September!

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