Daniel Coughlin

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Daniel Coughlin bigraphy, stories - Religion

Daniel Coughlin : biography

November 8, 1934 –

Fr. Daniel P. Coughlin STL (born November 8, 1934) served as the 59th Chaplain of the United States House of Representatives from March 23, 2000, to April 14, 2011., retrieved April 15, 2011. He was the first Roman Catholic priest to serve in that position, and the process that led to his selection included some controversy., retrieved April 20, 2011. However, as a Washington Post article pointed out in 2010, on the occasion of Coughlin’s tenth anniversary in the House Chaplain position, "there is ample evidence that the rancor that accompanied his selection has disappeared: Last week, lawmakers from both parties streamed onto the House floor to honor his decade of service."Pershing, Ben, , retrieved April 22, 2011.

House of Representatives

Selection process controversy

The selection of the 59th Chaplain of the House of Representatives was a controversial process prior to Coughlin’s eventual selection., retrieved April 23, 2000. Then House Speaker Dennis Hastert appointed a bipartisan search committee made up of 18 congressional members to recommend a new chaplain to him, but when that committee reportedly recommended Catholic priest Timothy O’Brien (selected by secret ballot after consideration of more than 50 applicants and nominees for the position), Hastert chose Presbyterian minister Charles Parker Wright instead. In a "personal privilege" address to Congress on March 20, 2009, Hastert denied that O’Brien’s name was given to him as the first choice of the committee, instead saying that O’Brien’s name was the first of the final three names submitted to him because the names were in alphabetical order, not numerical ranking., retrieved April 25, 2011.

Hastert’s decision not to select Fr. O’Brien led to accusations of anti-Catholic bias, and ultimately resulted in the Reverend Wright’s decision to withdraw his name from consideration. Press reports of Hastert’s "surprise compromise selection of a Chicago Catholic priest" covered the story of the Speaker’s decision as a way of diffusing the controversy., retrieved April 23, 2011. Hastert, a native of and representative from Illinois, had his staff reach out to Chicago’s Archbishop, Francis Cardinal George, for a recommendation of a priest to fill the role of House Chaplain., retrieved April 23, 2011.

Selection

Daniel Coughlin, Cardinal George’s recommendation and Hastert’s ultimate selection, was described as a 65-year-old "gentle, soft-spoken priest," who said he was "blown away" by the news that he had been "plucked out of obscurity for the job and thrust into the middle of a political maelstrom." Responding to a reporter’s comment that he was being thrown into a "lion’s den," Coughlin noted that perhaps it was fitting that his name was "Daniel."

Hastert formally interviewed Coughlin on March 13, 2000, and Coughlin was sworn in as the fifty-ninth Chaplain of the House of Representatives on March 23, beginning his service with the 106th Congress. Because he was named while congress was in session, he served as Acting Chaplain throughout the remainder of the 106th Congress, formally elected to a full term as House Chaplain on January 3, 2001, when the 107th Congress convened., retrieved April 22, 2011.

Service

As House Chaplain, Coughlin opened every session with a prayer, either delivering it himself or coordinating the service of a guest chaplain (often nominated by members of the House, representing their home districts). Coughlin has noted that "Welcoming guest chaplains is one of the very rewarding things I do. It shows the breadth and depth of the religious experience in the U.S., and is a shining beacon of religious liberty."Friedman, Lisa (editor), "The Almanac of the Unelected: Staff of the U.S. Congress," 21st edition (2008), Bernan Press, Lanham, MD. He has also shared his belief in "prayer and the power of prayer," and its power to "bring about change in the nation’s capital."Henderson-Blunt, Sheryl, , retrieved April 22, 2011.