[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 13, 2009)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E71] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] CONGRATULATING SISTER ADRIAN BARRETT FOR A LIFETIME OF SERVICE TO THOSE IN NEED AND EXTENDING TO HER BEST WISHES FOR A WELL DESERVED RETIREMENT ______ HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI of pennsylvania in the house of representatives Tuesday, January 13, 2009 Mr. KANJORSKI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask you and my esteemed colleagues in the House of Representatives to pay tribute to Sister Adrian Barrett, IHM, an extraordinary woman whose capacity for caring for the poor is exceeded only by her selflessness and humility. Sister Adrian's remarkable career of service began in 1949 when she became a sister of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. After her early years teaching at schools in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New York and working summers in Scranton ministering to poor children, Sister Adrian and an old acquaintance, Monsignor Joseph P. Kelly, created Project Hope, a summer camp for underprivileged youths, first at Pius X Seminary at Dalton and later at Camp St. Andrew in Tunkhannock. Sister Adrian returned to Scranton permanently in 1976 to work full time with low income families at United Neighborhood Center's Progressive Center. She developed an annual Thanksgiving Dinner for the needy of the community, at first with 24 guests, now with more than 2,000. In 1985, she established Friends of the Poor with the stated objective of bringing together ``those who can give with those who have a need to receive.'' Over the years, Sister Adrian has become a hero in the Scranton area, providing food, clothing, furniture and healthcare education and assistance to those in need and sponsoring an annual educational trip to Washington, DC, for underprivileged children. Mrs. Mary Lou Burne, one who has worked with and knows Sister Adrian well, observed recently that ``She's the heart of the poor in Scranton. She feels what they feel. She cries when they cry.'' Retired local banking executive David Tressler, who has done volunteer work with Sister Adrian for more than 25 years, said she inspires with her unflagging, round-the-clock commitment to the poor and is not bashful about asking those with means to assist those without. ``She is a unique individual,'' Mr. Tressler said. ``She has time for anybody and everybody.'' Now, as she approaches the age of 80, she has decided it is time to retire and hand her incredible work to a successor, Sister Maryalice Jacquinot, IHM. Sister Adrian once observed that the highest compliment anyone could pay her is to acknowledge that she tried to love and serve the poor and, in so doing, loved and served God. Madam Speaker, please join me in congratulating Sister Adrian Barrett who truly has loved and served the poor and, in so doing, has improved the quality of life for countless souls and has inspired all of us to a heightened awareness of our calling to help our fellow man. ____________________