[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 3737-3738]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING ST. GABRIEL MERCY CENTER

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 4, 2014

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
remarkable Civil Rights Organization, St. Gabriel Mercy Center in Mound 
Bayou, Mississippi.

[[Page 3738]]

  On November 9, 1948 Father John W. Bowman was appointed head of the 
project mission in Mound Bayou. In 1949 St. Gabriel Parish began. Five 
acres of land were given to the Catholic Church and five acres were 
purchased by Father John.
  On September 7, 1954 St. Gabriel Mission School for kindergarten 
through eighth grade was founded by the Oblate Sisters of Providence of 
Baltimore, Maryland, who were the first successful Roman Catholic 
sisterhood in the world established by women of African descent. The 
sisters had been invited to Mound Bayou by the Society of Divine Word 
Fathers under Father John Bowman.
  The high school was added in 1958 and closed in 1961. The present 
church was built in 1960 and the convent was built in 1962.
  After 30 years the Oblate sisters left and were followed by the 
Sisters of St. Agnes of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, who stayed five years; 
following from 1990-2001 by the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart 
from Reading, Pennsylvania, who opened an early childhood school after 
the grade school closed.
  In 1994 the upper grades closed and the Early Childhood School opened 
for ages two through four year olds. In 1995 Sister Helen Papan, a 
Certified Parents as Teachers Educator, arrived and started a parenting 
program.
  In 1997, the Gabriel Center was opened by Christian Brother Tom 
Geraghty and in 1999 three Sisters of Mercy arrived. In 2001 the early 
childhood school closed and the building became a community center for 
the citizens of Mound Bayou to continue their legacy of being an asset 
to an improvised community. The current Executive Director, Sister 
Donald Mary Lynch, joined St. Gabriel Mercy Center in 2001 and 
continued to expand on program offerings.
  In 2002 the Mound Bayou County Library opened in the center. The 
library closed in 2010 due to renovations of the center and was 
relocated and reopened in 2011 to its current location in the Mound 
Bayou Community Facility Building. Sister Donald Mary Lynch is very 
involved in the community of Mound Bayou: working with school 
officials, former and current city officials, partnering with the local 
AARP chapter, working with the Taborian Project, serving on Congressman 
Thompson's Military Advisory Board and other civic organizations.
  St. Gabriel Mercy Center offers numerous programs and services to the 
community of Mound Bayou and the surrounding communities such as: the 
Parent Education and Family Support program, which serves families 
throughout pregnancy until children reach the age of three; Parent 
Educators visit the new family in their home each month; Senior 
Outreach Program; Parents as Teachers; GED Program; St. Gabriel's 
Closet; Computer and Learning Lab; and Basic Emergency Needs & Jobs 
Opportunities Programs.
  St. Gabriel Mercy Center continues the legacy of being a forerunner 
as a champion of civil rights, offering opportunities for the less 
fortunate, when others are afraid to take the lead.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing an amazing 
Civil Rights Organization for their dedication for change and equality.

                          ____________________