Congressional Record—Senate S418
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
S418 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE January 22, 2015 I was Governor in 1983 when President Rea- ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS as a priest in the Archdiocese of An- gan’s Education Secretary, Terrell Bell, chorage by Archbishop Joseph T. Ryan. issued a report called: ‘‘A Nation at Risk,’’ This week marks the 40th anniversary which said that: ‘‘If an unfriendly foreign TRIBUTE TO BISHOP CHAD W. of Father Fred’s ordination. On Satur- power had attempted to impose on America ZIELINSKI the mediocre educational performance that day evening, friends of Father Fred exists today, we might well have viewed it as ∑ Ms. MURKOWSKI. In November, Fa- will gather in St. Anthony’s parish hall an act of war.’’ ther Chad Zielinski, the deputy wing to celebrate his 40 years of faith and The next year Tennessee became the first chaplain at Eielson Air Force Base service. I join with the Anchorage com- state to pay teachers more for teaching well. near Fairbanks, received what he re- munity in expressing my appreciation In 1985 and 1986, every Governor spent an garded as an odd early morning tele- to Father Fred for his good works. entire year focused on improving schools the phone call. The call came from the Ap- Father Fred was born in the Phil- first time in the history of the National Gov- ernors Association that it happened. I was ostolic Nuncio, the Vatican’s ambas- ippines and migrated to Anchorage chairman of the association that year and sador to the United States. The Nuncio with his family in 1963. He was age 14 the Governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton, was informed Father Zielinski that he had at the time. He graduated from West the vice chairman. been selected by Pope Francis to serve High School in 1967 and went on to In 1989, the first President Bush held a na- as the Catholic bishop of Fairbanks. study humanities and theology at the tional meeting of Governors in Charlottes- His immediate reaction: This makes University of Dallas/Holy Trinity Sem- ville, Virginia, and established national edu- no sense; how can this be? There must cation goals. inary. Following his ordination, Father Then in 1991–1992, President Bush an- be some mistake. But there was no Fred was assigned to St. Benedict’s nounced America 2000 to help move the na- mistake. In December, Bishop Zielinski parish as an assistant pastor. In 1978 he tion voluntarily toward those goals, state by was ordained and installed to lead the was selected as the first resident pastor state, community by community. I was the Diocese of Fairbanks. The Catholic An- of Sacred Heart parish in Wasilla and Education Secretary at that time. chor newspaper reports that Bishop served there until 1981. He was subse- Since then states have worked together Zielinski is the first active duty mili- quently promoted to direct the perma- voluntarily to develop academic standards, tary chaplain in recent history to shep- develop tests, to create their own account- nent diaconate and ministries program ability systems, find fair ways to evaluate herd a diocese. At age 50 he is also the for the archdiocese. teacher performance—and then adopted 11th youngest of the 267 active U.S. Five years later, while on sabbatical, those that fit their states. Catholic bishops. Father Fred set out on a new direc- I know members of this committee must be The selection was met with great en- tion—to reconnect with his roots in the tired of hearing me talk until I am blue in thusiasm throughout interior Alaska Philippines and enrolled at the East the face about a ‘‘national school board.’’ I and especially in our military commu- Asian Pastoral Institute in Manila know it is tempting to try to fix classrooms nity. Before being called to the priest- where he became immersed in East from Washington. I also hear from governors hood, Bishop Zielinski served on active and school superintendents who say that if Asian thought and culture. Father ‘‘Washington doesn’t make us do it, the duty in the Air Force. He was ordained Fred signed up for the Maryknoll Asso- teachers unions and opponents from the a priest for the Catholic Diocese of ciate Priests Program and upon com- right will make it impossible to have higher Gaylord, MI, in 1996. But after the pletion of the training he was sent off standards and better teachers.’’ events of September 11 he saw a need to Mindanao in the southern Phil- And I understand that there can be short for Catholic chaplains in the military ippines. Father Fred had much to term gains from Washington’s orders—but and rejoined the Air Force. my experience is that long term success learn. He grew up in the northern Phil- His Air Force career was varied. ippines and the language and culture of can’t come that way. In fact, today Washing- Bishop Zielinski served as Roman ton’s involvement, in effect mandating Com- the southern Philippines was much dif- Catholic cadet chaplain at the Air mon Core and teacher evaluation, is creating ferent. Yet he was determined to con- Force Academy in Colorado Springs a backlash, making it harder for states to nect with the people he served no mat- and as a chaplain recruiter assigned to set higher standards and evaluate teaching. ter how steep the learning curve. It As one former Democratic governor told the Air Force Recruiting Service. He was the right fit—a 5-year contract me recently, ‘‘We were doing pretty well also served at Grand Forks Air Force turned into an 8-year experience. What until Washington got involved. If they will Base in North Dakota and at RAF was to have been a short sabbatical get out of the way we can get back on Mildenhall in Suffolk, England. track.’’ And he served three tours of duty in turned into a life changing event. So rather than turn blue in the face one Upon his return to the United States, Iraq and Afghanistan—his first in more time about the national school board the Archdiocese of Anchorage assigned let me conclude with the remarks of Carol Baghdad in 2003 and his last in Afghan- istan where he served 18 forward com- Father Fred to Kodiak Island, a diverse Burris, New York’s High School principal of community with an economy revolving the Year. She responded last week to our bat positions, where religious services around the fishing industry. Blue col- committee working draft this way: were punctuated by the sound of live . I ask that your committee remember gun fire. On one sad day, the convoy in lar workers, mainly from the can- that the American public school system was which he was traveling was hit by a neries, made up the bulk of the parish. built on the belief that local communities rocket, killing one of the drivers, who During fishing season the population cherish their children and have the right and includes Filipinos, Salvadorans, Mexi- responsibility, within sensible limits, to de- also happened to be a parishioner. That day ended with the bishop conducting a cans, Vietnamese, Samoans and Lao- termine how they are schooled. tians among others. Father Fred re- While the federal government has a very funeral. Needless to say, Bishop special role in ensuring that our students do Zielinski was regarded as an exemplary garded Kodiak as a laboratory for in- not experience discrimination based on who chaplain and I have no doubt that he corporating what he learned through they are or what their disability might be, will be an exemplary bishop. his work in the Philippines. Congress is not a National School Board. The Diocese of Fairbanks, the most After 5 years in Kodiak, Father Fred Although our locally elected school boards northern and geographically diverse in was reassigned to St. Anthony’s parish may not be perfect, they represent one of the where he remains today. He is known purest forms of democracy that we have. Bad the United States, covers some 410,000 square miles. It holds 46 parishes, most throughout Alaska for his work in ideas in the small do damage in the small building inclusive parishes and is ac- and are easily corrected. Bad ideas at the of which are in the Alaska Native vil- federal level result in massive failure and are lages. I am excited about Bishop tive in interreligious activities in An- harder to fix. Zielinski’s elevation and I look forward chorage. Since 2003, Father Fred has Please understand that I do not dismiss to working closely with him in his new been involved with Alaska Faith and the need to hold schools accountable. The and important role as a leader in our Action Congregations Together, has use and disaggregation of data has been an faith community.∑ taught foundations of Christianity at important tool that I use regularly as a prin- f Alaska Pacific University and has fa- cipal to improve my own school. However, cilitated fatherhood workshops for the the unintended, negative consequences that TRIBUTE TO FATHER FERNANDO Alaska native community. In 2011, Fa- have arisen from mandated, annual testing ‘‘FRED’’ BUGARIN and its high stakes uses have proven testing ther Fred was awarded the doctor of not only to be an ineffective tool, but a de- ∑ Ms. MURKOWSKI. On January 25, ministry degree from the Pacific structive one as well. 1975, Father Fred Bugarin was ordained School of Religion in Berkeley, CA. VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:28 Jan 23, 2015 Jkt 049060 PO 00000 Frm 00052 Fmt 0624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A22JA6.087 S22JAPT1 SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with SENATE January 22, 2015 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S419 Father Fred has left a very powerful friendliness, and clearly, it works.