On the recordJuly 30, 2021
We rise today--my colleague, Congressman Peters, and myself--in honor of Father Joe Carroll, our San Diego's Mother Teresa. Father Joe was born in the Bronx, New York, on April 12, 1941, and had seven brothers and sisters. He moved to California in his twenties, where he completed his studies at the University of San Diego and was ordained as a priest in 1974. He was assigned to St. Rita Catholic Church with a concurrent assignment to work with St. Vincent de Paul, a Catholic organization known for helping the poor, especially the poorest of the poor. From 1982 to 2011, Father Joe led St. Vincent de Paul, growing the organization to 500 employees and a budget of $40 million. In 2015, the organization was renamed ``Father Joe's Village'' in his honor. On July 10, 2021, just a few months after his 80th birthday, Father Joe passed. Father Joe Carroll was a heroic man who helped his community with the entirety of his heart and soul. He helped the poor, the hungry, and especially the homeless, and he had a gift for bringing all people together in his mission to serve. Father Joe was loved by many and influenced so many of us. His accomplishments and contributions to the community were profound. He will be sorely missed. Many of us expect that one day he will be named a saint in the Catholic Church. ____________________
