The Office of the Chaplain United States House of Representatives

Reverend Ronald L. Calkins

Mary, Queen of Peace Catholic Church
Mandeville, LA

Sponsor: Rep. Bobby Jindal, (R-LA)
Date of Prayer: 05/10/2007

One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:

The SPEAKER. Without objection, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Jindal) is recognized for 1 minute as the sponsor of our Guest Chaplain today.

There was no objection.

Mr. JINDAL. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

Madam Speaker, I'm delighted to have Father Ronald Calkins here today to offer our opening prayer.

Father Calkins , a constituent from my district, is the pastor of Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Mandeville, Louisiana. Appointed in July 1995, Father Calkins has led Mary Queen of Peace through a period of rapid growth and overseen the opening of Mary Queen of Peace Catholic School, which turned 10 years old this past August.

We are honored to have Father Calkins with us here today. He has shown remarkable leadership, especially as his parish and as our State has struggled through and is recovering from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. I thank him for his dedication, his service to his parish, and to the residents of southeast Louisiana.

We welcome Father Calkins as well as the students and their chaperones from Mary Queen of Peace Catholic Church and School.

Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:

Almighty God, source of all wisdom, fill the Members of the House of Representatives with your divine wisdom. They face many issues in serving the people of this nation. May their decisions always be for the well–being of all our citizens.

Loving God, people of goodwill will have disagreements. May these not be a source of division, but an opportunity to reflect more deeply on the issues that confront us.

May your peace be in our hearts, our homes, our communities, our nation, and our world. Protect those who serve to protect us, both here and abroad.

We pray to you, who are Lord and God, forever and ever.

Amen.

To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory