Reverend Richard Doerr
Diocese of Lafayette Indiana
Carmel, IN
Sponsor: Rep. David McIntosh, (R-IN)
Date of Prayer: 04/04/2000
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
After speaking with some of the members of his congregation in Carmel, Indiana, I can tell my colleagues that Father Doerr enjoys the kind of universal adoration that folks like us in Washington can really only dream about.
He is cherished by his congregation because of his memorable sermons, his positive nature, and his devotion to young adults in Indianapolis. Father Doerr is a priest of the Diocese of Lafayette–in–Indiana. He is an associate pastor of our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church and St. Maria Goretti Mission in Carmel, Indiana, a beautiful suburb north of Indianapolis.
He was educated in Indiana. He got his bachelor's degree from Purdue, where, I am told, he was a star in the Glee Club. And he went on to earn his masters degrees in theology and arts at St. Meinrad Seminary in Southern Indiana. He has ministered in St. Louis, in Fishers and was a chaplain at the St. Francis Newman Center on the campus of Ball State in my hometown of Muncie.
Father Doerr has done wonderful work with young adults throughout his career. Together with his brother, Brian, Father Doerr founded the Frassatti Society in Indianapolis, a group of more than 200 young Catholic adults.
The Society's members help each other keep faith in their lives during the transitions from college life, joining the work force and starting a family.
At those critical junctures, Father Doerr is there to make sure they remember to keep their faith in everything they do, say, and think.
One of my staffers, a young woman from Carmel, attends Father Doerr's mass and described him as captivating in the pulpit. She said that he tells real–life stories and makes it easy for her to apply the lessons of the scripture in her life. Most of all, she said he is funny.
So it is with great pride that we Hoosiers present Father Richard Doerr as today's chaplain. Thank you, Father Doerr , for blessing us in this House today.
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
Loving God, You are author of life and origin of all created things.
We ask that Your grace and blessing be bestowed upon the men and women who have been called to serve our country in the House of Representatives.
Help them to represent their constituents wisely with an eye toward safeguarding the deeper truths of human life that come only from You.
Bless the regions that they represent. Bless our country. Help our legislators to enact laws that will uphold the values of peace and justice in our land and throughout the world. We ask this in God's name. Amen.
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory