Each year, close to Feast of St. Joseph on March 19, St. Augustine’s Parish in Baldwinsville honors a parishioner with the Sister Pat Geary Award. This memorial award is given to someone who personifies the values and ideals exemplified by Sister Pat, a Sister of St. Joseph who passed away in 1998 after many years of ministry at the parish. The nomination form states the award honors someone who “selflessly gives to promote and facilitate Christian services to others, the social mission of the church and honors the call to respect the dignity of all.”
The winner of this year’s award is David Babcock of Liverpool. The nomination form submitted in support of Dave stated, “Like Sister Pat, Dave opens us to an awareness of our community. He stretches from our church to other local social service organizations.” Dave is active in the parish Social Action ministry and through this ministry, he connected to the Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse (ACTS), now serving as president. He is also a Book Buddy at Seymour School, reading to elementary school students. He serves on the Board of Directors of The Spiritual Renewal Center.
Dave has organized several book groups at St. Augustine’s, promoting readings that help parishioners to understand issues of race and prejudice. A parishioner remarked, “Dave’s facilitation allowed me the opportunity to see injustices that I was not aware of.” When meeting to evaluate the nominations that were received for the award, a staff member said, “He’s always ready to pitch in if something needs to be done.”
In presenting the award to Dave, Sister Ellen Larkin, CSJ, recalled memories of Sr. Pat. She stated there is a letter at the Sisters of St. Joseph Provincial House in Latham, written by a St. Augustine’s parishioner after her death, in which the writer recalled St. Pat as reflecting on the joy of seeing a student put into practice what he has been taught. Although Dave and his wife Marge were not at St. Augustine’s during Sister Pat’s time there, Dave certainly has learned the lessons of selfless love and social activism and empowerment as preached by Sister Pat.
The St. Augustine’s community continues to congratulate Dave on this achievement and thanks him for his service both to the parish and the Syracuse community at large.
