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Faith Friends Feature
Missouri House Chaplain is a Uniter
Norma King, Media Director (Rush Creek Ward)
When Monsignor Robert A. Kurwicki was appointed Chaplain of the Missouri State House of Representatives, he was given three instructions by the House Speaker:
“You are a uniter, not a divider.”
“I want you to give prayers, not sermons.”
“You are not the 164th member of the House of Representatives.” (There are 163 elected representatives.)
Following those instructions has served him well, says the Monsignor of the 15 years he has served at the Legislature in Jefferson City. During that time, he has continued to serve as a Catholic Priest and is the Pastor at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, which is across the street from the Capitol building. St. Peter was built in 1883, and the Capitol building in 1917.
Msgr. Kurwicki’s constitutional duties are to first: open the session daily with prayer.
“The second duty is spelled out by the Constitution. It is to visit members of the chamber who are ill or hospitalized. And the third is to preach before the assembly and in times of an emergency. Which I’ve only done once in 15 years,” said Msgr. Kurwicki.
“The unofficial duty is to be a pastor to these people who are coming from various backgrounds, faith traditions, and no faith.”
He’s served under six House Speakers since he was first appointed in 2011 and has given his own counsel to each new Speaker on their first day: “There’s something that you need to know. There are 162 speakers out there, and you’re the only member. Because everybody thinks they can do a better job than you.”
Msgr. Kurwicki does not get involved in debate on the floor and strives to be completely neutral. “The prayers have to be neutral, too,” he said. “You have agnostics, you have atheists, you have Muslim, you have Jewish, you have Protestant, you have Catholic, and you have non-affiliated. So the prayers have to express a sensitivity to all that.”
His prayer in the House on Missouri Church Leaders Day at the Capitol on March 11 is a great example of praying in a way that benefits all and offends none.
“O Lord of Heaven and Earth, grant unto us once again the assurance of Your mighty presence as we bow in prayer. Inspire us with a firmer trust in You and with a sympathetic outreach of love and service toward all the people of our great state of Missouri.
“Give to each one of us the realization that Your power is at work in the Show Me State, moving in the direction of justice, peace, and love in the hearts of all cities and farms. “You are always with us and we pray You give us the strength to always be with You. Bless our State and as a people make us mindful of Your presence and keep us eager to do Your will now and always!”
“You are a uniter, not a divider.”
“I want you to give prayers, not sermons.”
“You are not the 164th member of the House of Representatives.” (There are 163 elected representatives.)
Msgr. Kurwicki closes each prayer with the words “And the House says…” and is answered by the voices of those in attendance with a resounding “Amen!”
He explains, “When I first got there, they didn’t know when to say amen. So I developed this, ‘and the House says,’ and they know that’s their cue.”
God is at work in the legislature, he said. “They have a rule. Don’t let the perfect get in the way of the good. And sometimes the perfect is perfect for one side, politically. But after debate and discussion, oftentimes the bill is fashioned into something that’s very good and useful. And God uses people, words, and sometimes change of heart.”
Over the years, he has seen the divide between the two major political parties deepen, mirroring U.S. Congress. He attributes this, in part, to changes in laws that limit sponsored meals, reducing opportunities for legislators from both parties to share a table and build relationships
“They don’t get to know each other personally. Even when you eat with someone, you find out their grandma’s sick, their grandchild’s in the hospital, the wife has cancer, the husband has dementia. But when you just look at each other on debate on the floor, you don’t understand the person. You don’t understand what they’re going through. Some people are going through very wonderful times, some people are going through very difficult times. But you don’t know that.”
Msgr. Kurwicki said the most wonderful things about his job are “meeting the most interesting people” such as first responders, police, firemen, 100-year-old veterans, brave women who have done unbelievable things with charity or taking care of people, selfless individuals, and young people who have left behind a life of addiction or crime.
The second most wonderful thing is witnessing history and the historic things that happen. “I’m someone who loves history,” he said.
“When you accept this job, you must take an oath, literally, that you’ll protect and defend the Constitution of the United States and the State of Missouri. And you will never reveal the secrets of the House.”
“Finally, I always tell the young people who visit, that this is the most beautiful public schoolroom in the state of Missouri. You learn things here as a member, that you’ll never find in books.”
Captions
01 – House Speaker Jon Patterson (on dais) bows his head as Monsignor Robert A. Kurwicki (lower center) gives the opening prayer in the Missouri State House on March 11. Photo by Norma King
02 – Msgr. Kurwicki prepares to open a legislative session with prayer. Photo by Tim Bommel, Missouri House Photographer
03 – Msgr. Robert A. Kurwicki, Chaplain of the Missouri House of Representatives. Photo by Tim Bommel, Missouri House Photographer