A Catholic priest will succeed a Catholic priest as the next chaplain of the House of Representatives. House Speaker John Boehner has picked Jesuit Father Patrick Conroy, former chaplain at Georgetown University, to take over for Father Daniel Coughlin. USA Today has more.
Conroy, a Jesuit ordained in 1983, has done stints as a parish priest in his native Washington state, where his parishioners included the people of the Colville Indian Reservation and the Spokane Indian Reservation.
From 1990 to 1994 and again from 1997 to 2003, he was chaplain at Georgetown University. In between, Conroy was chaplain at Seattle University. Currently, he is teaching at Jesuit High School in Portland, Ore.
Coughlin retired last month to widespread praise from members of Congress.
(Former House Speaker Nancy) Pelosi said Conroy “will provide guidance and comfort, ministering to the needs of the Capitol Hill community in an interfaith way.”
The House chaplain’s post dates back to 1789, when a tradition began during the Continental Congress that the day’s proceedings open with a prayer.