[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 16976-16977] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]IN TRIBUTE TO DISMAS BECKER, A MAN OF FAITH ______ HON. GWEN MOORE of wisconsin in the house of representatives Tuesday, September 28, 2010 Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Madam Speaker, I rise today in tribute to a dear friend, a mentor, a legislator, a community organizer, a loving husband and father to his family. Dismas Becker was a man of faith and that unshakeable faith remains with us even with his passing. Dismas Becker was a former activist priest who was in the forefront of the civil rights movement during the tumultuous 1960's. [[Page 16977]] Along with the well-known activist Father James Groppi, Dismas participated in welfare rights demonstrations, open housing marches, and publicly defended Father Groppi's efforts to organize demonstrations in support of these causes. In October 1969, Dismas was beaten by police while occupying the chambers of the State Assembly in Madison, to protest welfare funding cutbacks. Dismas Becker's sermons were filled with anti-war sentiment and the fight for civil rights that brought complaints from some parishioners. The dissent did not sway Dismas from this calling. In fact, speaking in 1969 Dismas said, ``If you do find yourself in a conflict between you and society and you do not dissent, you are not a Christian.'' He later left the priesthood, but did not leave his activism behind. Dismas Becker went on to serve in other roles, including as a state representative in the Legislature and was eventually chosen as the Majority Leader in the Assembly by his fellow Democrats in 1984. Dismas Becker married an amazing woman, Fay Anderson, who was active in the local Democratic Party, and was an alderperson in her own right. He adopted her children and they adopted a son of their own. He never stopped working on behalf of those who needed it most. With his own personal ministry never wavering, he reached out to the downtrodden, and to people who were going in the wrong direction, to help them turn a corner. Madam Speaker, for these many reasons I rise in tribute to Dismas Becker. He reached out to me, then a young woman with 3 children and encouraged me throughout his lifetime. In 1988, he decided to run for the State Senate. Dismas Becker suggested, pushed, and encouraged me with love to run for his Assembly seat. I am here today due in no small part to the incredible commitment of this loving and giving human being. I will miss my beloved friend, Dismas Becker, and he will be missed by the entire community. ____________________