[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 12]
[EXTENS]
[Page 16737]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               IN RECOGNITION OF OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 8, 2016

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize 
The Parish of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on the occasion of its 175th 
anniversary. I am pleased to recognize their continued dedication to 
maintaining one of the oldest parishes in Queens and all of Long 
Island.
  Since its founding in 1841, Our Lady of Mount Carmel has been devoted 
to welcoming all members of the community. The Parish celebrates the 
rich Queens Borough culture through educational programs and monthly 
festivities. This has earned it the title ``Mother Church of Queens 
County.''
  Mount Carmel is one of the few parishes in New York City that has its 
own parish cemetery. Their cemetery reflects the heritage of the early 
Irish Catholic settlers of Astoria, many of who arrived there to escape 
Ireland's potato blight of the late 1840s. Our Lady of Mount Carmel was 
also the first Catholic community in Queens County to have a resident 
priest, and the first to conduct Mass in its own church building.
  Along with English language services, the Parish has performed masses 
in Spanish since 1977 and has added services in Czech and Slovak as 
well.
  Additionally, the Parish has made significant efforts to improve the 
community through religious and educational programs. They accomplished 
this by establishing religion classes for mentally disabled and 
physically challenged students, religion classes for junior high school 
students, adult religious education programs, a teen club, and 
children's summer programs. The Parish has also established the Young 
Adult Internship Program, a job-training program for unskilled youth 
that teaches valuable workplace skills to roughly 35 students per 
semester, resulting in more employment opportunities within the 
neighborhood.
  The Parish has devotedly served its Queens community for 175 years, 
and it is a pleasure to represent this treasured institution in 
Congress. I am proud to salute all the friends, supporters, and 
parishioners of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and I extend my sincerest 
appreciation for their dedication to the community.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the 
remarkable history and extraordinary work of the Parish of Our Lady of 
Mount Carmel on its 175th anniversary.

                          ____________________