Reverend Jonathan Slavinskas
St. Bernard Church of Our Lady of Providence Parish
Worcester, MA
Sponsor: Rep. James McGovern, (D-MA)
Date of Prayer: 03/11/2020
One Minute Speech Given in Recognition of the Guest Chaplain:
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to welcome to the House
floor my dear friend, Father Jonathan Slavinskas, who offered today's opening prayer.
Father Jonathan, as most of his parishioners call him, is the pastor
of St. Bernard's Church of Our Lady of Providence Parish on Lincoln Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. A lifelong resident of Worcester, he is also the police chaplain for Worcester, Auburn, and Southbridge.
What makes Father Jon so extraordinary is his complete devotion to
bettering the lives of his parish community, especially the young
people. He hosts an annual Halloween party for hundreds of neighborhood kids so they have a safe place to go trick–or–treating.
Stories abound of his little acts of kindness, like buying pizza for
kids hanging out on the church steps or opening up the church gym for
youth basketball games or making it a point to walk around the
neighborhood and simply say "hi."
Madam Speaker, Father Jon's compassion and commitment to making
everyone feel welcome at St. Bernard's––no matter who they are––is truly remarkable. He is an inspiration to us all.
Opening Prayer Given by the Guest Chaplain:
Eternal Word, we come to You with praise and thanksgiving for the many blessings that You bestow upon us. We thank You for the blessings
of our faith, freedom, and Nation.
As we gather, we do so rejoicing, giving thanks for being able to live in a nation that provides us with the opportunity to freely elect the women and men within this assembly who have been called to assist in guiding our Nation.
Our prayer is that, through the Members of this assembly's diverse and unique gifts and talents that You have bestowed upon them, they might be woven together as one, continually championing the common good for all within our Nation.
We pray that, in moments of disagreements and debate, an authentic understanding and mutual respect might prevail, bearing witness to the
gift of collaboration for the promotion of the common good.
We pray for Your continual blessings to flow upon this assembly and the works that come forth, and we pray for all of those who have been affected by illness and disease that they may find healing and comfort in this time of uncertainty.
We pray for all of this in Your name. Amen.
To learn more about Members who have sponsored a Guest Chaplain, please visit the Congressional Biographical Directory