[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 15] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 22270] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]A TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE OF BISHOP JOHN T. STEINBOCK ______ HON. JIM COSTA of california in the house of representatives Wednesday, December 15, 2010 Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, I rise today with my colleagues Mr. Radanovich, Mr. Cardoza, and Mr. Nunes to pay tribute to Bishop John T. Steinbock who passed away on December 5, 2010 at the age of seventy- three in Fresno, California. Bishop Steinbock was a key figure in the Diocese in Fresno which serves more than one million parishioners in eight counties from as far north as Merced County to as far south as Kern County. Bishop John T. Steinbock was born on July 16, 1937 in Los Angeles, California. He was one of three boys born to Leo and Thelma Steinbock. As a child, the Bishop learned to read from racing forms at the horsetracks and learned to count by playing blackjack. The Bishop's decision to turn towards the priesthood came after his two brothers had joined the seminary. He attended a rigorous college preparatory high school designed for young men considering the priesthood and graduated in 1955. After spending the summer of 1958 learning Spanish at a boardinghouse in Mexico City, he decided that he wanted to become a priest. On May 1, 1963, Bishop Steinbock was ordained into the priesthood. Upon is ordainment, Bishop Steinbock was assigned to Resurrection Parish located in the Hispanic barrio in Los Angeles, California. During Bishop Steinbock's time in Resurrection Parish, he developed his reputation as a great administrator, a valued skill which would lead his promotion within the Catholic Church. In 1973, Bishop Steinbock was transferred to St. Vibiana's Catholic Cathedral near Skid Row in Los Angeles. During the Bishop's time in East Los Angeles, he ministered to the poor and homeless, often dealing with individuals suffering from mental illness, drug and alcohol addiction, and physical abuse. Bishop Steinbock also became a police chaplain for the Los Angeles Police Department. When reflecting on his time in East Los Angeles, Bishop Steinbock wrote, ``The greatest suffering was the loneliness and despair I found in the lives of so many.'' Bishop Steinbock would have been content to stay a priest; however he was informed by the late Cardinal Timothy Manning that the late Pope John Paul II had named him to be a Bishop. Bishop Steinbock was hesitant to accept the honor, but was convinced by Cardinal Manning's message that the Pope was simply acting in accordance with God's will for Bishop Steinbock's life. His first assignment as Bishop was in Orange County serving from 1984 to 1987. He would later serve in Santa Rosa, California until he arrived in Fresno, California in 1991. Bishop Steinbock arrived in Fresno to lead a diocese and quickly rose to the occasion, solving several inherited challenges such as a $3 million deficit. In addition, during the Bishop's first decade in Fresno the diocese undertook seventy major building or renovation projects on churches, parish halls, offices, and school classrooms. Bishop Steinbock's style of ministry was uniquely his own. He sought out technology and innovation as a means for communication, evangelization, teaching, and formation. The Bishop also recognized the need for personal and genuine love and concern for his brother priests who were never far from his thoughts and prayers. Bishop Steinbock personally celebrated the Sacrament of Confirmation for virtually every young adult in the Diocese, except in a handful of all the eighty-eight diocesan parishes. Bishop Steinbock's pastoral messages, homilies, and Masses often addressed immigrants, farm workers, the unemployed, the imprisoned, those without health care, restorative justice and love for one's neighbor. Despite the Bishop's busy schedule, he made time to visit each office in the Pastoral Center to spend time with staff and volunteers. On October 23, 2009, Bishop Steinbock celebrated his Silver Jubilee as Bishop of the Diocese of Fresno. Madam Speaker, Mr. Radanovich, Mr. Cardoza, Mr. Nunes, and I ask our colleagues to join us in honoring the life of Bishop John T. Steinbock as we offer our condolences to his family and celebrate his memory and service to the Diocese of Fresno and California. ____________________