House chaplain offers prayer for House pages

By Pete Kasperowicz - 08/09/11 10:39 AM ET

House Chaplain Patrick Conroy offered a brief prayer for past House pages on Tuesday morning, after House leaders decided to end the nearly 200-year-old page program.

"We pray also on this day in gratitude for the generations of young people who have served this assembly as congressional pages," Conroy said in Tuesday's brief pro forma House session. "Like so many in our nation, their dedicated work for many years is giving way to improved technology and economic forces."

Conroy was referencing a joint statement from House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), which said the page program is too costly at a time when most members don't need pages to send and receive messages, and can more easily use cellphones and BlackBerrys.

"May their contributions over the years never be forgotten and always appreciated, and may all pages find in their life pursuit the fulfillment of their giftedness and desire in continued service to others," Conroy added.

Conroy's prayer was the bulk of Tuesday's pro forma session, the second such session since Congress went on its break. There is no formal recess this August because House Republicans threatened to reject the Senate's request to recess, over fears that it could lead the Obama administration to make recess appointments.

Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) presided over Tuesday's pro forma session, and Rep. Jeff Landry (R-La.) is scheduled to preside over Friday's session.