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1997 SESSION

976022758
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 394
Offered February 7, 1997
On the death of Father James K. Healy.
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Patrons-- Whipple, Howell and Ticer; Delegates: Almand, Connally and Darner
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Consent to introduce
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WHEREAS, Father James K. Healy, the former pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Arlington, died on January 10, 1997; and

WHEREAS, a native of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Father Healy received his Master of Divinity degree from St. Mary Seminary in Norwalk, Connecticut, and later earned a law degree from Antioch School of Law in Washington, D.C.; and

WHEREAS, ordained in 1962, Father Healy was a member of the Congregation of the Holy Ghost, a Catholic order with a commitment to service in Africa and to African-Americans; and

WHEREAS, following service as teacher, chaplain, and priest in Phoenix, Chicago, and Portsmouth, Rhode Island, Father Healy served as Headmaster of the Arusha Catholic Seminary in Tanzania, East Africa; and

WHEREAS, in 1984, Father Healy came to Arlington as pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace, a Catholic church with a long-standing history of interracial harmony and advocacy for the poor; and

WHEREAS, Father Healy continued and built upon that tradition, expanding the church's commitment to social justice for the poor and the dispossessed; and

WHEREAS, under Father Healy's leadership, a committee was established to celebrate the faith and gifts of the church's founders, to bring forth the cultural richness, gifts, and skills of African-American Catholics, and to respond sensitively to the needs of the African-American community; and

WHEREAS, continuing his interest in assisting Catholics in the world's poorest countries, Father Healy was the co-founder and executive director of the Washington Office on Haiti and served as chairman of its board of directors for seven years; and

WHEREAS, combining his work in Africa, South America, and Haiti with his strong and charismatic leadership of Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Father James K. Healy leaves an enduring legacy of responsive and effective service to his church, his community, the nation, and the world; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly mourn the passing of a uniquely talented and committed Virginian, Father James K. Healy; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Father James K. Healy as an expression of the General Assembly's deep and abiding respect for his life of service.