Fellow Mormons Praise Romney

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By Sara Murray

: Associated Press; Mitt Romney his wife, Ann, left, and Nancy Marriott arrive at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012 in Wolfeboro, N.H. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

BOSTON – Members of Mitt Romney‘s church praised his role in publicizing Mormonism in a positive light as they attended a service with the Republican presidential candidate Sunday.

“There has never been as much positive attention to the church, thanks to the wonderful campaign of Mitt Romney and his family,” said J.W. “Bill” Marriott, chairman of hotel chain Marriott International Inc. and a member of a prominent Mormon family said at church in Wolfeboro, N.H., Sunday. “Today we see the church coming out of obscurity.”

Mr. Romney took the day off from campaigning and attended church in Wolfeboro, where he and his wife own a lake house. As part of the service, a handful of parishioners offered testimony about their faith, according to the media pool report. Many of the testimonies had nothing to do with Mr. Romney – such as a man who thanked fellow congregants for coming to visit his cat and another who spoke about finding his faith after his mother died.

But a handful thanked Mr. Romney for bringing their religion to the forefront. Mr. Marriott described the favorable news coverage as “a great tribute to Mitt and Ann and their family for living such an exemplary life.”

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The Romney and Marriott families have strong ties. Mr. Romney, whose first name is actually Willard, was named after Mr. Marriott’s father and Marriott founder J. Willard Marriott. Mr. Romney also served on the board of Marriott International. Meanwhile, the Marriott family has been a generous supporter of his presidential campaign, donating both to the campaign and funneling millions to the super PAC supporting Mr. Romney.

“I think he’s a marvelous ambassador of who we are,” said a member of the Archibald family, another prominent Mormon family. The speaker wasn’t identified in the pool report.

Mr. Romney spoke about his faith openly in his 2008 presidential bid, including delivering a speech on Mormonism. But after he failed to secure the nomination that year, he and his campaign advisers opted for a streamlined 2012 message on the economy.

As a result, Mr. Romney rarely spoke about his religion, except to occasionally share stories about his time as a lay pastor. Recently he and his campaign switched gears again, emphasizing his community service and ties to the church at the Republican National Convention. A handful of Mormon church members spoke about the impact Mr. Romney had had on their lives and how he came to their aid in difficult times.

“They just represented us so well,” Mr. Archibald said at church on Sunday. “It is marvelous to see the church work in the lives of people and how it really changes their hearts.”