[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15861]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING ARCHBISHOP BLASE JOSEPH CUPICH AND CARDINAL FRANCIS GEORGE 
                          OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania). The Chair 
recognizes the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome Blase Joseph 
Cupich as the ninth archbishop of the archdiocese of Chicago and to 
thank Cardinal Francis George for all of his years of service to the 
archdiocese. Archbishop Cupich is being installed today at a mass at 
Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago.
  After many years of study in the U.S. and in Rome, including a 
doctorate at Catholic University, in August of 1975, Blase Cupich was 
ordained to the priesthood. In his first assignment, he served as 
associate pastor at St. Margaret Mary Church and as an instructor at 
Paul VI High School in Omaha.
  From 1981 to 1987, he served as secretary of the Apostolic Nunciature 
of the Holy See to the United States here in Washington, D.C.
  Cupich was appointed bishop of Rapid City, South Dakota, by St. Pope 
John Paul II on July 6, 1998. Pope Benedict XVI appointed Cupich bishop 
of Spokane on June 30, 2010, and he was installed as the sixth bishop 
on September 3, 2010.
  Cupich has served as chair of the United States Conference of 
Catholic Bishops Committee on the Protection for Children and Young 
People since 2008. He has remained a strong advocate for children, 
saying that the Catholic Church needs to put children first and 
foremost. In March 2013, he began a 3-year term as chairman of the 
National Catholic Education Association.
  In addition to his dedication to Catholic education, Archbishop 
Cupich is committed to Catholic social teaching of reaching out to help 
the poor and others at the margins of society. Yesterday, at the Rite 
of Reception, he spoke of the challenges that await him, including 
immigration reform, violence in the streets, drug problems, and staying 
connected to the real lives of people.
  I look forward to working together with our new archbishop as he 
addresses these issues and other challenges that we face.
  Archbishop Cupich is succeeding Cardinal Francis George, who has been 
archbishop of Chicago for 17 years. Cardinal George was ordained to the 
priesthood in 1963 at his home parish of St. Pascal Church in Chicago, 
Illinois. His older sister, Margaret, remembers a young Cardinal George 
holding pretend masses in his bedroom as a child.
  After earning several degrees, including his masters in theology from 
the University of Ottawa in 1971, Cardinal George embarked on a journey 
across the globe as a student missionary. From 1974 to 1986, he served 
as vicar general of the oblates in Rome.
  In this position, he led numerous priests and brothers as they 
journeyed across the world. Cardinal George then went on to earn two 
doctorates. In 1997, he was appointed by St. Pope John Paul II as 
archbishop of Chicago, and in 1998, he was elevated to cardinal.
  Despite being diagnosed with polio at age 13 and battling cancer 
currently, Cardinal George has never slowed down. ``Even illness can be 
a gift in some way,'' Cardinal George has said.
  His spirited demeanor is well-known to Catholics. Bishop Francis Kane 
has said, ``He's involved on so many levels. He's involved nationally. 
He's involved in our whole archdiocese, and then he loves to go out to 
individual parishes.''
  Cardinal George's outreach goes beyond the Catholic community. He is 
known to convene interreligious discussions and shows deep respect for 
other faith communities, and he is deeply committed to social justice 
that reaches to all corners of our society.
  On a personal level, the more that I had the opportunity to get to 
know Cardinal George, the more I have admired him. He is an 
intellectual powerhouse who has a special ability to communicate great 
truths in a simple manner.
  Every time I hear him speak, I learn something that enriches both my 
mind and my faith, but his intellect is not a distant intellect of a 
philosopher in an abstract world, but it is well-grounded in an 
understanding of the everyday life of his people, and as someone who 
appreciates straightforwardness, I have always liked his directness. 
Maybe that is because Cardinal George and I both come from Chicago.
  I will never forget the time he took my wife, Judy, and me 2 years 
ago in Rome on the eve of the installation of Pope Francis. He truly is 
a remarkable man and a great shepherd.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in welcoming 
Archbishop Cupich and honoring Cardinal Francis George. I offer both 
men my prayers as they enter into a new phase of their new calling by 
God and the Catholic Church to the service of others.

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