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Names in U.S. Congressional Records

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Written by: Bernard Punzalan

Published: 25 September 2013

Is your name or someone you know of recorded in a United States Congressional Record that you may not be aware of? I found my name twice on two separate occasions and am honored to be recognized and officially recorded in Congress for my achievements. Congressional Records can also be a valuable source of genealogical and historical information about a person.

Constitution

Article I, Section 5, of the U.S. Constitution requires Congress to keep a journal of its proceedings. Wikipedia.org does a fairly good job at describing the different components of a Congressional Record so I won't go much into the details of all the sections. However, you can find the tributes that our Congressional delegates (Guam and CNMI) have submitted and official recorded in Congress within the Extension of Remarks section.

Father Isaac Masga Ayuyu

Below is an example of one Congressional Record I retrieved from the Government Printing Office website. It was delivered and recorded by the Honorable Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan to the House of Representatives on October 24, 2011 to honor Father Isaac Masga Ayuyu for his 25 years of outstanding service to the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa. A copy of this congressional tribute was later presented to Father Ayuyu.

Transcription of Congressional Record

Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, we recently celebrated an important anniversary in the Northern Mariana Islands: between our community and one of our longest-serving spiritual leaders. Reverend Father Isaac Masga Ayuyu, a native of Rota, has led the faithful in our islands for twenty-five years. Pale' Ike, as he is fondly known, was ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of Chalan Kanoa on August 30, 1986. He is now the Parochial Vicar of Mount Carmel Cathedral on Saipan and the Director of Worship in the Diocese. Pale' Ike is the first ordained priest from Rota, and the first ordained priest of the new Diocese of Chalan Kanoa, Saipan. He is the fifth local priest to serve our islands.

Hailing from a large family, Pale' Ike has a diverse, well-educated, and well-traveled background that is belied by his humble nature. As a youngster, he attended grade school in Rota. He then moved to our neighboring territory of Guam for his junior high and high school years, which was followed by college in California and Connecticut.

Pale' Ike received his spiritual training at Saint Patrick's Seminary in California before returning to his home in the Northern Marianas. The decision that the church was his true calling was formed during his youth, when he was an altar server for two of our region's most well-respected leaders: Bishop Emeritus Tomas A. Camacho of the Northern Marianas and the late Archbishop Felixberto Flores of Guam.

Pale' Ike's parents, Francisca Masga Ayuyu and the late Corbiniano Songao Ayuyu were also supportive of their son's path, which he recalls each time he celebrates mass with the chalice that was a gift from them.

In addition to his duties in the church, Pale' Ike is a strong advocate of, and a member of the Ecclesial Team for, our local chapter of the Worldwide Marriage Encounter program, which is designed to strengthen couples' relationships with one another and with God. His involvement in Marriage Encounter has improved the lives of countless married couples in the Northern Marianas. In his typically unassuming and candid fashion, Pale' Ike explains to others that the program has even improved his relationship with the people to whom he ministers.

Spirituality has always been an important component of life in our islands, even before the arrival of what we think of as ``organized religion.'' The Chamorros and Carolinians of our islands have always held spiritual leaders in high regard. In our small, faith-based community, local priests are in demand. Pale' Ike is a man whose work truly is never done. He baptizes the newly-born and conducts funeral rites for the recently departed; he tends to the spiritual needs of those who are homebound or in the hospital; he conducts weddings; he hears confessions; and he celebrates the Mass. Just a few of his Diocesan titles offer a glimpse into the scope of his responsibilities: he is the hospital chaplain, the coordinator of pre-baptismal seminars, and the coordinator of the marriage preparation program for the Diocese. Outside of traditional priestly responsibilities, in our culture if there is a village fiesta, he plays a lead role; if there is a large family party, he's expected to attend; if someone builds a new home, he is called upon to bless it before it is occupied. Pale' Ike is very much a part of the daily life of many residents of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Please join me in congratulating Pale' Isaac Masga Ayuyu in celebration of his twenty-five years in the priesthood.