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[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 129 (Friday, September 21, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1637]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  75TH ANNIVERSARY OF CATHOLIC CHARITIES AND MONSIGNOR JOSEPH SEMANCIK

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. PETER J. VISCLOSKY

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 21, 2012

  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, it is with great respect and admiration 
that I recognize Catholic Charities, Diocese of Gary, as the 
organization celebrates its 75th anniversary. During the celebration, 
which will take place on Friday, October 5, 2012, at the Center for 
Visual and Performing Arts in Munster, Indiana, Catholic Charities will 
also take time to honor my dear friend, Monsignor Joseph Semancik, for 
his 38 years of dedicated service to the organization.
  Catholic Charities, a part of the Diocese of Gary, has been helping 
to meet the needs of citizens throughout Northwest Indiana for the past 
75 years. It is a private, not-for-profit social service agency that 
serves Lake, Porter, LaPorte, and Strake Counties in Northwest Indiana. 
Catholic Charities, established in 1937, was originally part of the 
Diocese of Fort Wayne until 1957, when it became part of the Diocese of 
Gary. Initially, its function was to serve the underprivileged and 
needy through programs that would meet the professional standards of 
social work. However, throughout the years, Catholic Charities has 
focused its attention on programs that meet the changing needs of the 
community. In recent years, counseling, volunteer programs, and 
programs for the elderly and family life ministry have been added. 
Catholic Charities has been triumphant due to the unwavering dedication 
of its staff, board members, volunteers, and donors. Catholic Charities 
is a remarkable organization that is dedicated to serving those most in 
need and has been an extraordinary asset to the community. Northwest 
Indiana is not only grateful, but proud to have had the organization's 
support and help during the past 75 years.
  Born in 1929, Joseph Semancik was ordained a Catholic priest in 1953 
and in 1984 was named a Domestic Prelate with the title Monsignor. 
First and foremost, Monsignor Semancik is a man of God, who has 
tirelessly discharged his sacred duties with vigor, compassion, and an 
uncommon practicality. Generous to a fault with this time and 
commitment to help those most in need, Monsignor Joseph Semancik was 
deeply involved for most of his entire adult life with Catholic 
Charities, both locally and at the national level. A holder of a Ph.D. 
from the University of Chicago, Father Semancik is an author and 
teacher as well. In his ``spare time,'' Monsignor was the local 
Diocesan Director of Catholic Relief Services, representing North 
America on a planning committee for Caritas Internationalis, a union of 
145 Catholic Charities organizations worldwide. He also was a founder 
of Hospice of the Calumet Area and one of the originators of the 
Indiana Catholic Conference. Monsignor Semancik currently serves on the 
Board of Trustees of Calumet College of Saint Joseph, the Board of 
Directors for Saint Catherine Hospital, the Board of the Community 
Foundation of Northwest Indiana, and is a member of the Lake County 
Advancement Committee.
  The recipient of numerous awards, I believe Joe Semancik is probably 
most gratified by the respect and affection shown by those innumerable 
individuals whose spirit, body, and mind were guided, made whole, and 
yes made to laugh, because this good man touched their lives. It is an 
honor to consider Monsignor Joseph Semancik a friend, and it has been a 
privilege for each of us in Northwest Indiana to have had our lives 
enriched by this good and holy man.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my distinguished colleagues to join me in 
commending Catholic Charities and Monsignor Semancik. For their 
remarkable commitment to serving those most in need, Catholic Charities 
and Monsignor Semancik are to be highly commended, and they serve as an 
inspiration to us all.

                          ____________________
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