Rich Neal: “I come to the floor of the House this morning to pay tribute to a close friend of mine, Monsignor George Farland, who is…”

“I come to the floor of the House this morning to pay tribute to a close friend of mine, Monsignor George Farland, who is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his ordination as a Catholic priest. On May 4, 1968, Monsignor Farland received his ministerial orders at Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel in my hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts. I know because I was the CYO basketball coach at Sacred Heart upon his arrival. For the next half century, he has been a source of inspiration and comfort to his faithful parishioners at Sacred Heart Church in Springfield. Every Sunday, he provides a strong spiritual message, frequently laced with a special grace and a sense of irony and good humor, but always a powerful message. We have watched and witnessed as he has rebuilt and sustained a vibrant parish in the life of its members. Sacred Heart Church was built by immigrants, and to this day, it welcomes immigrants, as he frequently says in the opening phrases of his powerful homilies: ``No matter what your status or station in life, you are welcome in this church.'' He has found time to serve as a police chaplain for the Springfield Police Department and also a hospital chaplain in the Sisters of Providence Health System in Mercy Medical Center. He has surely reinvigorated the life of the church, and is a son of Hungry Hill, a graduate of Cathedral High School and Saint Anselm College. His spiritual leadership in western Massachusetts has become, in fact, legendary.…”