The state Senate's chaplain isn't at the Capitol to proselytize. He doesn't seek to turn the podium into a pulpit. He isn't there to advocate for or against a bill. He isn't, as one legislator asked, the "Democrat or Republican chaplain."

The Rev. Jerry Lowney's opens Senate and joint floor sessions with a quick prayer. And then he listens.

Legislators miles from home and family at times need to sit and talk with the smiling, salt-and-pepper crowned 67-year-old priest. Sometimes relatives or friends become ill or pass away, and he becomes a sounding board.

Father Lowney, a Carroll College professor, checks with officials first thing in the morning to see if anyone in either house may need to chat.

"If you're present," he said, "then their needs come out."

Sen. John Brueggeman, R-Polson, said legislators appreciate Lowney's availability.

"This is a tough time in a lot of ways for families," he said.

Lowney was appointed by then-Senate President Jon Tester in 2005. When Mike Cooney, D-Helena, took the reins this year, he reappointed Lowney.

Throughout the Capitol, the priest is known for his kindness and humor.

"He adds a lot of color to the body," Brueggeman said.

"I love his sense of humor," Sen. Dan Weinberg, D-Whitefish, said. "It's helpful in an environment that's sometimes contentious and difficult."

When Lowney selects his daily prayer, he picks a piece that's ecumenical and inclusive, without reference to Christ or the Catholic Church. Sometimes he modifies the prayer to suit the needs of the day, asking for civil discourse and respect.

"I'm here for everybody, regardless of their faith or non-faith," Lowney said.

Weinberg said the priest tries hard to be inclusive.

"I think he's a terrific guy," he said. "And I like that his message to the Senate is one of universal acceptance."

Lowney, who holds a doctorate in sociology, has studied juvenile criminology and written a book on youth drug culture, paused during a Friday interview as senators debated an issue related to the state Department of Corrections. Much piques Lowney's intellectual curiosity, and he arguably knows the session's daily minutiae more than any other civilian.

He said many miss the bipartisan cooperation and hard work he sees every day.

"People who aren't here ... only see in the press two sides arguing with each other," Lowney said. "People only see the debate and division."

Politicians cooperate with each other on bills that are good for Montanans, he said.

"Those don't make headlines," Lowney said.

Legislators spend hours at the Capitol, at times eating lunch at their desks and staying late into the night.

"People don't understand about the hearings and the many, many things they get done," Lowney said. "You see ... the very hard work they put in."

Lowney was born and raised in Butte. He worked as a deputy clerk in the state Supreme Court and in the insurance business before heading to San Diego State University in the 1960s, where he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in sociology. He earned his doctorate at the University of Kentucky. He's studied drug culture, medical sociology, criminology and deviancy.

He taught at the University of Richmond and at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Ala., before he "quit fighting" his calling in 1985, when he enrolled at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He was ordained in 1988 and served at the Cathedral of St. Helena before joining the faculty at Carroll College full-time in 1992.

He's published two books: "Deviant Reality: Alternate World Views" in 1981, and "What Your Parents Were Doing Back Then: Youth and Drugs in a Southern California Beach Area from 1970 into the 21st Century" in 2001.

In the latter work, Lowney drew on three decades of studying youth drug culture. He was funded by U.S. Department of Justice grants that guaranteed confidentiality -- meaning he wasn't pressured to report the people he was studying to authorities.

In those days, Lowney grew a long beard and wore sandals and cutoffs, he said with a laugh.

Lord,

Grant all of us health, peace and wisdom.

We know there are times for levity and times for brevity,

But for all times let us practice civility.

Amen.

-- The Rev. Jerry Lowney

Larry Kline can be reached at 447-4075 or larry.kline@helenair.com.