Reverend Matthew Mello
Church of the Resurrection
Lakeland, FL
Sponsor: Rep. Dennis Ross, (R-FL)
Date of Prayer: 09/12/2012
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Without objection, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Ross) is recognized for 1 minute.
There was no objection.
Mr. ROSS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to take a brief moment to say thank you to today's chaplain. I would also like to thank the Speaker for making this possible.
The invocation today was offered by Father Matthew Mello of Resurrection Catholic Church in my hometown of Lakeland, Florida.
Mr. Speaker, in 1963, my mother and father helped found the church Father Mello calls home. And like my parents and most Floridians, Father Mello is a geographic mutt: born in New Jersey, attended grade school in Puerto Rico, went to high school in Florida, attended seminary in Indiana, and studied theology in Chicago.
We don't know if he's a Yankees fan, a Cubs fan, or a White Sox fan. But one thing's for certain: since 1998, Father Mello has been a constant and reassuring presence in the spiritual life of countless residents of my hometown and to my family. His presence in my dad's final year of life was a comfort to him as well as to my family.
Father Mello personifies Christ's instruction to us to be the ‘‘servant of all.'' I firmly believe, as the Bible also says, ‘‘that the fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.'' Knowing Father Mello, I have no doubt that today's prayer was heard on high.
I thank him for his prayer today and his lifetime of service.
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
Dear God, we give You thanks for giving us another day.
We ask for Your blessings to this legislative body as they govern the welfare of all the people of this great Nation. Endow them with wisdom, discernment, courage, and conviction to engage the issues of our day, and for the generations to come to be better off as a result of all decisions made within this assembly hall.
Bind them together in a shared commitment to You, a passionate patriotism, and a deep dedication to find creative solutions in the concerns that confront us and divide us in these times.
We remember our Ambassador, Christopher Stevens, and his colleagues.
We ask that this be done this day and in the days to come, giving honor and glory to You, our God, and we pray Your blessings be upon us always.
In Your name we pray.
Amen.
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory