Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
With true sadness but with firm hope, I join you in offering prayers today for Senator Chuck Colgan who died on January 3, 2017.
In so many ways, Senator Colgan embodied the virtues we attribute to those whom we collectively call "the greatest generation."
A veteran of World War II, he served our country with honor.
In his chosen field of aviation, he used his talent for the glory of God and the good of others.
As a public servant in Prince William County and in an extraordinary way as a Senator in the Commonwealth of Virginia, he promoted the common good by working always to affirm the dignity and value of every human person, with a special commitment to encouraging the fulfillment of our God-given potential through the educational opportunities he sought to provide for so many.
Senator Colgan's legacy will be preserved by statues and schools established in his honor, but his greatest legacy will be the example of faith he gave to his family and his fellow-parishioners for so many years here at All Saints Church in Manassas.
With Bishop Loverde and the faithful of the Diocese of Arlington, I express my deep sympathy and offer an assurance of my prayers to Senator Colgan's wife, Carmen, his children and their spouses, his 24 grand-children and 22 great-grand-children, his brother Robert, his many nieces and nephews and his sister-in-law, Sister Maris Stella.
I also join the members of Senator Colgan's family in praying for the repose of the soul of his wife of 52 years, Agnes; his parent Ruth and Raymond, his bother William and his sister Catherine - may they all enjoy eternal life together in God's heavenly kingdom.
The prayers of our funeral liturgy remind us that for those who die in the Lord, life is changed not ended. May eternal life for Senator Colgan be our hope, and may we be consoled by the promise of Jesus that all who in Baptism have died with Him may also one day share in the glory of His resurrection.
With an assurance of my prayers for the consolation of all, and that our brother Senator Colgan may rest in peace, I am...
Sincerely in the Lord,
Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge
Bishop of Arlington
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