Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember the life and work of Father Patrick Ryan. Father Ryan, the pastor of Saints Peter and Paul's parish in Chattanooga from 1872 to 1878, was a shepherd who gave his life in ministering to his flock. He died a martyr's death in the yellow fever epidemic of 1878 when he was only 33 years old. Perhaps his most notable accomplishment in the Chattanooga community was the opening of Notre Dame Academy, under the direction of the Dominican Sisters, which is the oldest private school in the city. The school had been in operation for little more than 2 years when it had to be converted into a hospital and orphanage because of the terrible yellow fever scourge in the city. Although many people left the city as the disease spread, Father Ryan and Jonathan W. Bachman, pastor of the First Presbyterian church, were among the 1,800 people remaining in the city. They were good friends, and when Father Ryan was stricken, he was visited by Dr. Bachman. Father Ryan is described by an eyewitness as ``going from house to house in the worst infected section of the city to find what he could do for the sick and needy.'' He continued ministering to his flock, after he himself had contracted the dreaded disease, to within 48 hours of his death.…”