Reverend Thomas McCarthy
St. Paul Catholic Church
Salem, OH
Sponsor: Rep. Hon. Tim Ryan, (D-OH)
Date of Prayer: 03/21/2007
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
(Mr. RYAN of Ohio asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)
Mr. RYAN of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Father McCarthy for your inspiring prayer.
Albert Einstein once said that ‘‘Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.'' And for almost 46 years Father Tom McCarthy has served the Diocese of Youngstown as a priest, and in that service he has lived that motto.
A Warren native, Father McCarthy attended St. Mary's School and St. Mary's High School, which was the predecessor to my alma mater, John F. Kennedy High School. After his seminary training, he was ordained on August 15, 1961 in St. Columba Cathedral by Bishop Emmet Walsh.
Those who know him would describe Father McCarthy as pastoral, charming, gregarious, a great friend, funny, everything Irish, and above all, holy in his service to God.
Father McCarthy has served at many parishes in the Youngstown Diocese, including St. Ed's in Youngstown, St. Joseph's in Austintown, St. William's in Champion, St. Michael's in Canfield, Blessed Sacrament in Warren and St. Joseph's in Mantua.
Father McCarthy has also spent much of his career in service to other priests. He has served as Diocesan Director of Vocations, Priest Personnel Adviser, a member of the Priest Personnel Board, and for 6 years served as a director of that board. Father McCarthy also spent time in Chicago as president of the National Federation of Priests' Councils. Since 2003, he has served as the Bishop's Delegate for Retired Priests.
I am happy to have invited, along with my colleague, Charlie Wilson, Father McCarthy to Washington, D.C. I thank him for his service to our community, for his prayer this morning, and for his many, many years of service to the Catholic Church.
(Mr. WILSON of Ohio asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)
Mr. WILSON of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I join my distinguished colleague from Ohio, Mr. Ryan, in welcoming Father Thomas McCarthy to the Congress today.
After an active and impressive career serving the people of northeastern Ohio, Father McCarthy has retired to St. Paul's Parish in Salem, which is in Ohio's Sixth Congressional District which I represent. As the Sixth District Representative in Congress, I am honored to represent Father McCarthy , and I am also pleased to welcome him here today.
While Father McCarthy may have officially retired, he is showing no signs of slowing down. To this day, Father McCarthy remains active in the diocese, where he serves as the Bishop's Delegate for Retired Priests.
The people at St. Paul's describe Father McCarthy as a beloved and dedicated member of their close–knit community. They say he is someone who never hesitates to help someone in need, whether that means making a late–night hospital visit to pray with the sick, or comforting a family member during the death and funeral of a loved one.
We are so lucky to have Father McCarthy among us here today in Congress. We are even more fortunate to have his unwavering commitment and faith guiding us each day in the Ohio Valley.
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
God, we acknowledge your Gracious Presence among us. We acknowledge the human limitations that bind us. We know how many of your people depend upon our wisdom and our ways to better their lives and brighten their tomorrows. We are aware of your call to serve your people well. With these huge tasks ahead of us we call upon you for wisdom, guidance, and a sense of concern for what is right and good. Give us a generous share of your spirit and your love for your people. Guide our minds and hearts in the right ordering of human affairs. We seek today to be a source of hope and assistance to your people; we seek today to find the opportunity to make peace with justice for all people, the badge of our service. In this we ask your continued help.
Amen.
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory