On the recordNovember 30, 2010
it was a great honor to have Father Gregoire Fluet, my parish priest in East Haddam, CT, provide the opening prayer this morning. I thank him immensely for his words. Reaching back to Archbishop Carroll was a wonderful way to begin the session. Father Fluet is not only my parish priest, Mr. President. He is a dear friend and practically a member of my extended family. Father Fluet and I first met nearly 30 years ago when he was pastor of St. Joseph's Church in North Grosvenordale, CT. Since his appointment in 1998 as pastor of my home parish, Saint Bridget of Kildare in East Haddam, Father Fluet has been an important figure in my life, providing spiritual advice and counsel to me on a number of occasions. Father Fluet has also played an important role in the lives of my two daughters, Grace and Christina. He baptized both of them after they were born, and provided religious instruction and first communion to my older daughter, Grace. In addition to being a great spiritual leader, Father Fluet has long dedicated himself to the study of our Nation's history and particularly to the history of New England.
