[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 17316]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      WELCOMING THE GUEST CHAPLAIN

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, the Congressional Record will show the 
introduction of and prayer by our visiting Chaplain today, Father 
Claude Pomerleau of Portland, OR, a member of the Holy Cross priests. 
That is as much of a thumbnail as saying any one of us is a U.S. 
Senator, period. There is a lot more to it.
  Claude Pomerleau has been nearly 50 years a priest. I know because he 
is my brother-in-law, and my wife Marcelle and I, as well as his 
wonderful parents, Phil and Cecile Pomerleau, joined him in Rome nearly 
50 years ago when he was ordained a priest. My family--my parents, my 
brothers and sisters, and also our children--has always had such a 
wonderful relationship with Father Pomerleau. It is great now to see 
the young grandchildren come in and give him a hug and say: Hi, Uncle 
Claude.
  I also look at his distinguished career. He is not just a brother and 
brother-in-law, an uncle and friend, he is a man who has taught, speaks 
many languages, and who has a Ph.D. from the University of Denver. He 
teaches now at the University of Portland even in semiretirement and 
also in Santiago, where he is a well-respected visiting professor, and 
where I am told his Spanish is like that of a native.
  He was born in Vermont. His parents are French Canadians, two people 
who strongly practiced their religion, believed in it, and brought up 
their children speaking French at home. They instilled in him the 
values that really make our country great and make a human being even 
greater.
  He has been a mentor. He has been a moral anchor for our family for 
decades. I think of him being on the altar as a young altar boy at the 
time Marcelle and I were married 52 years ago, and he has been part of 
our lives and our marriage ever since. He is the man we turn to when we 
want guidance. He is a man both of us love greatly. And I would like to 
say, as the longest serving Member of the Senate, what an honor it was 
to have him open with the prayer.
  Mr. President, I thank my colleagues for allowing this.
  I yield the floor.

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