106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 3557
AN ACT
To authorize the President to award a gold medal on behalf
of the Congress to John Cardinal O’Connor, Archbishop
of New York, in recognition of his accomplishments as
a priest, a chaplain, and a humanitarian.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) His Eminence John Cardinal O’Connor is a
man of deep compassion, great intellect, and tireless
devotion to both spiritual guidance and humani-
tarianism.
(2) John Joseph O’Connor was born on Janu-
ary 15, 1920, in southwest Philadelphia, the son of
Thomas J. O’Connor and Mary Gomple O’Connor.
(3) John Cardinal O’Connor joined the Navy
Chaplains Corps in June 1952 during the Korean
Conflict, served with elements of both the Navy and
the Marine Corps, and saw combat action in Viet-
nam. He later served as chaplain of the United
States Naval Academy and was appointed as Chief
of Chaplains of the Navy with the grade of rear ad-
miral, from which position he retired four years
later, in May 1979. He was ordained a Bishop by
Pope John Paul II on May 27, 1979. He then
served as Vicar General of the Military Ordinariate
(now the Archdiocese for the Military Services) until
1984.
(4) John Cardinal O’Connor became Bishop of
Scranton, Pennsylvania, on May 10, 1983, was
named Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of
New York on January 31, 1984, and was elevated
to the rank of Cardinal by Pope John Paul II on
May 25, 1985.
(5) John Cardinal O’Connor has demonstrated
an unwavering commitment to public and parochial
school education. He has supported and strength-
ened Catholic schools in their mission to provide a
quality education to students of all races, ethnic
backgrounds, and religions in the Archdiocese of
New York and throughout the Nation.
(6) John Cardinal O’Connor has provided com-
fort and care to the sick, the elderly, and the dis-
abled and provided millions of people with spiritual
and emotional support. He lead the effort to open
New York State’s first AIDS-only unit at St.
Claire’s Hospital, remaining a frequent visitor and
volunteer at the hospital.
(7) Throughout his life, John Cardinal O’Con-
nor has also served on behalf of the poor and the op-
pressed, as exemplified by his assistance on behalf of
famine victims in Ethiopia and victims in war-torn
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
(8) Throughout his career, John Cardinal
O’Connor has been a strong advocate of interfaith
healing and understanding, particularly among indi-
viduals of the Catholic and Jewish faiths, and has
played a significant role in helping to establish diplo-
matic ties between the Vatican and Israel.
(9) John Cardinal O’Connor took the inspiring
words of the Declaration of Independence—‘‘Life,
Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’’—and trans-
formed them into a statement of purpose. He has
dedicated his life’s work to protecting and defending
these inalienable rights of all people.
(10) John Cardinal O’Connor celebrated his
80th birthday on January 15, 2000, and has dis-
played remarkable courage and the true power of his
faith in carrying on his life’s work in the face of life-
threatening illness.
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) PRESENTATION AUTHORIZED.—The President is
authorized to present, on behalf of the Congress, a gold
medal of appropriate design to John Cardinal O’Connor,
Archbishop of New York, in recognition of his accomplish-
ments as a priest, a soldier, and a humanitarian.
(b) DESIGN AND STRIKING.—For the purpose of the
presentation referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary
of the Treasury (hereafter in this Act referred to as the
‘‘Secretary’’) shall strike a gold medal with suitable em-
blems, devices, and inscriptions, to be determined by the
Secretary.
SEC. 3. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
Under such regulations as the Secretary may pre-
scribe, the Secretary may strike and sell duplicates in
bronze of the gold medal struck under section 2 at a price
sufficient to cover the costs of the medals, including labor,
materials, dies, use of machinery, overhead expenses, and
the cost of the gold medal.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL MEDALS.
The medals struck under this Act are national medals
for purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
SEC. 5. FUNDING AND PROCEEDS OF SALE.
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—There is hereby authorized to
be charged against the United States Mint Public Enter-
prise Fund an amount not to exceed $30,000 to pay for
the cost of the medals authorized by this Act.
(b) PROCEEDS OF SALE.—Amounts received from the
sale of duplicate bronze medals under section 3 shall be
deposited in the United States Mint Public Enterprise
Fund.
Passed the House of Representatives February 15,
2000.
Attest:
Clerk.