Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise to welcome Bishop Swain to the U.S. Senate. On behalf of myself, my colleague from South Dakota who is currently presiding over the Senate, and thousands of grateful believers in South Dakota, I thank Bishop Swain for his service to our Lord and to our communities of faith. Bishop Swain was sworn in as the eighth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sioux Falls in late 2006, but his journey of faith and service to his country began far before that. Paul Joseph Swain was born in Newark, NY, and is one of eight children. After graduating from Northern Ohio University with a degree in history and earning his master's at the University of Wisconsin, Bishop Swain joined the Air Force as an intelligence officer. He served our Nation in the Vietnam war, where he earned a Bronze Star. Bishop Swain should feel right at home on the floor of the U.S. Senate because after serving in Vietnam, he tried his hand in politics. He completed his law degree and went on to work on the campaign and in the administration of Gov. Lee Sherman Dreyfus, who served as the Governor of Wisconsin until 1983. After a short stint in politics, Bishop Swain answered a much higher calling. He was received into the Catholic Church, graduated divinity school in 1988, and entered the priesthood. Years of dedicated pastoral work ensued in the Diocese of Madison, WI, and a decade ago we were truly blessed when Pope Benedict named him bishop of Sioux Falls.…”