Reverend Phillip Kaim
Diocese of Rockford
IL
Sponsor: Rep. Rep. J. Dennis Hastert, (R-IL)
Date of Prayer: 06/10/2003
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
(Mr. HASTERT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. HASTERT. Mr. Speaker, today the House opened with a prayer from our guest chaplain, Father Phil Kaim . Father Kaim is a newly ordained priest in the Rockford diocese in the State of Illinois. Father Kaim is also a close personal friend of mine and a former member of my staff.
When Phil worked in my office, I always admired his clarity of vision, his strong conviction, and his compassion for those around him. Phil had a knack for politics. He worked for me for almost 10 years.
He served in my office as my district director and was my eyes and ears back home in Illinois. Phil was very good at his job, but I guess he decided he had a higher calling. Six years ago he made a decision to become a priest, and after the election of November of 1998 he left my employment, packed his bags and moved to Rome to study at the North American College to become a Roman Catholic priest.
On May 17 of this year he was ordained. He will return to Rome later this year to continue his studies.
Father Kaim, thank you for your prayer today and good luck to what I know will be a bright future.
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
Almighty God, as we open Congress for another day,
we ask that You open the hearts and minds of our legislators to do Your will. We ask that You gift them with the wisdom to know Your will, the prudence to know the means to accomplish it, and the courage to follow through, to persevere, and overcome any obstacles put in their path.
As we open Congress, we keep in our thoughts and prayers all the men and women in our armed services, especially those still deployed in Iraq, who risk their lives every day to protect our cherished freedom. We ask You to keep them safe and out of harm’s way. We also ask that You provide sufficient chaplains to serve this unique and challenging ministry.
We ask all of this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory