[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14822-14823]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    WELCOMING HIS HOLINESS, POPE FRANCIS, TO THE UNITED STATES AND 
       EMBRACING HIS MESSAGE OF HOPE, HEALING, AND RECONCILIATION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 24, 2015

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the constituents of the 
Eighteenth Congressional District, I rise to express joy and 
appreciation on the occasion of the historic visit to the United States 
by His Holiness, Pope Francis.
  I am deeply honored to have participated in the historic arrival 
ceremony at the White House welcoming His Holiness, the spiritual 
leader of 70 million Catholic Americans and 1.2 billion Catholics 
worldwide.
  I wish to thank President Obama for his gracious welcoming remarks on 
behalf of the American people which conveyed to Pope Francis and the 
world what is best about our nation.
  I especially appreciate Pope Francis's message of hope, healing, and 
reconciliation which inspires us all to do more ``to care for the least 
of these,'' to be good stewards of the earth, and to work for peace.
  Mr. Speaker, the messages of President Obama and Pope Francis affirm 
the value and good works performed daily by Catholic organizations and 
charities in the United States, including those in my congressional 
district represented by the many advocates for social justice who 
accepted by invitation and made the pilgrimage from Houston to 
Washington, D.C. to bear witness to this historic and joyful occasion.
  I am pleased that my office was able to extend invitations to many 
organizations and Galveston-Houston Archdiocese churches from my 
congressional district to come to Washington, D.C. to salute His 
Holiness.
  Among them are the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, St. Francis 
Assisi Catholic Church, St. Monica Catholic Church, Our Mother of Mercy 
Catholic Church, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, and a number of 
Houston's Wounded Warriors.
  I am also pleased that Deacon Sam Dunning, the Archdiocese of 
Galveston-Houston's Director of the Office of Justice and Peace, was 
able to join me in celebrating the pontiff's visit, as were students 
and staff from St. Pius X High School, members of the Idbo Catholic 
Community, and World Harvest Outreach.
  In his moving remarks today, Pope Francis reminded us that ``the 
Creator does not abandon us'' and that we ``still have time to make the 
change needed to bring about a sustainable and integral development.''
  Mr. Speaker, every day in communities across America and around the 
world, Catholic organizations and agencies can be found doing the 
Lord's work of caring for the poor, the sick, the needy, the aged, the 
helpless, the lost and hopeless.
  We see the fruits of this work in the sanctuary found by women 
fleeing from domestic violence, in the reunification of families 
separated by natural disasters, in the shelter found by a homeless 
wounded warrior suffering from PTSD, and the love and support given the 
child of undocumented immigrants who seek only the chance to make a 
better life for themselves and their family in a land that has always 
been the most welcoming nation on earth.
  Mr. Speaker, the good works of the Catholic Church are on display 
daily in my congressional district where agencies and organizations 
supported by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston 
take to heart the biblical injunction that we are our brother's keeper.
  Ten years ago, for example, Hurricane Katrina forced thousands of 
people to flee New Orleans and relocate to Houston.
  Among these persons were an adoption specialist for Catholic 
Charities in New Orleans, one of the birthmothers she was working with, 
and the adoptive family the birthmothers had just chosen for her baby.
  With phone lines down and no communication between them, the adoption 
was sure to fall through, but somehow they found each other in Houston 
and the adoption was put back on track.
  The Lord works in mysterious ways indeed.
  The day following the flood that struck the Houston area this past 
Memorial Day, staff members of Catholic Charities of the Galveston-
Houston Archdiocese were out in the field assessing the needs of their 
senior citizen clients, one of whom was 74-year old Minthia Terry.
  Ms. Terry survived the flood but her house was severely damaged; 
thanks to Catholic Charities her damaged house was restored and she is 
able to live safe and secure in the home she worked so hard to acquire.
  The Lotus Project is a program of Catholic Charities of the 
Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston that helps homeless female veterans 
rebuild their lives.
  I am thankful for the Lotus Project, and so is a woman named Yolanda.
  Yolanda served her country honorably in the Armed Forces but her 
three-year tour of duty left her with emotional scars that still affect 
her today.
  She was a victim of verbal abuse by an officer, which escalated to 
physical violence, and then to sexual assault.
  After reporting the abuse, violence and assault she had suffered, she 
underwent psychological counseling and was subsequently honorably 
discharged.
  But the emotional and psychic scars resulting from her traumatic 
experience did not disappear after her separation from the military.
  To combat them and cope with the pressure of caring for her two young 
sons, Yolanda turned to drugs and alcohol, and committed offenses that 
landed her in prison.
  During her third stint in prison, Yolanda renewed her relationship 
with God and dedicated herself to a new life, but she needed help to 
get there.
  When the Lotus Project helped her get an apartment under her own 
name, she cried; then with the help and support of the Lotus Project 
she went about the business of furthering her education so she can 
support her family and be a positive role model for her children.
  Mr. Speaker, a woman named Esmerelda was living in a rapidly 
deteriorating situation.
  When she became a victim of domestic violence, she knew she had to 
leave.
  But because her immigration paperwork was not in order, she did not 
believe it would be safe to turn to law enforcement authorities for 
help.
  Thankfully, she was able to turn to Catholic Charities who helped her 
secure safe housing, assisted her in applying for an adjustment of her 
immigration status, and helped her secure employment at a full-time job 
that support her and her daughter.
  These are but a few of the countless miracles of hope and healing 
that Catholic organizations and agencies work every day and which 
demonstrate, as the Talmud teaches, that ``whosoever saves a life, it 
is considered as if he saved an entire world.''
  Mr. Speaker, I am hopeful that Members of Congress will receive the 
hopeful message of

[[Page 14823]]

the first pontiff to address a joint session of the Congress of the 
United States with open hearts and in a spirit of goodwill.
  If we do this, I am confident we will be able to come together and 
find the common ground necessary to address the real problems and 
concerns of the American people such as fixing our broken immigration 
system, making college affordable, reducing the economic disparities, 
and reforming the criminal justice system.
  In the hopeful message of Pope Francis, we are shown the way to 
grace.
  Mr. Speaker, all Americans are honored by the visit to the United 
States of Pope Francis, an amazing servant of humanity and an 
inspiration to people the world over.

                          ____________________