Political Quotes

“I am delighted that Father Marcel Rainville has offered the opening prayer for the Senate this morning, and I thank him very much for joining us in doing so. Father Rainville is a native of Vermont. He is a distinguished member of the Society of St. Edmund, an order which has a very long history in our State. Established in Vermont first at Keeler's Bay in 1891 and then in Swanton in 1895, the Society of St. Edmund still has its headquarters in Vermont. The society founded St. Michael's College, which was officially incorporated in 1913 as the first Catholic college in the State of Vermont with the authority to grant college degrees. The Edmundites have long stood for justice and civil rights in our country, including in Selma, AL, where they have a mission. The society has established a successful alternative school for African-American boys in New Orleans. The Edmundites have as a major part of their vocation the mission to help those who are most in need, and we appreciate all of the good work they do. Father Rainville was born in Swanton, VT. He was ordained as a priest in the Society of St. Edmund, and this year marks the 40th anniversary of his ordination. Father Marcel spent part of his life as a priest serving in the Edmundite mission in Venezuela, working with and sustaining the impoverished in a barrio in Caracas. He currently resides in Winooski Park, VT, where he has also served as chaplain.…”