| September 25, 2009 | Vol 11. No. 3 |
Sister Patricia Brady Celebrates Jubilee
Sister Patricia Brady, SSMN, director of service-learning, is congratulated on her 50-year anniversary by (l-r), Rev. John P. Bucki, SJ, director of campus ministry; Nicki M. Calabrese, PhD, associate professor of education, and Scott A. Chadwick, PhD, vice president for academic affairs.
This afternoon, members of the Canisius community gathered in the Grupp Fireside Lounge for a Jubilee reception for Sister Patricia Brady, SSMN, director of service-learning. Sister Pat celebrates 50 years as a Sister of St. Mary of Namur this year.
Scott A. Chadwick, PhD, vice president for academic affairs, served as the master of ceremonies for the reception. “Whenever you’re in the presence of Sister Pat, it feels as if you are in the presence of goodness,” said Chadwick, who added that Canisius is blessed to have Sister Pat for “her attention to issues of social justice, her focus on socially disadvantaged and poor people, and her quiet zeal with which she shows us how to walk a path for others and for the greater good.”
But, Sister Pat says it is she who is blessed.
“One of my biggest blessings has been all of the people that I have the opportunity to meet in the many countries where I have lived as well as with the international projects that I have been involved in at Canisius,” says Sister Pat. “Instead of just names, countries become the faces of the people you meet. My life as a Sister of St. Mary has put me in touch with the world in a way I never would have expected 50 years ago.”
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| Sister Pat is presented with a gift on behalf of the Canisius community by Scott A. Chadwick, PhD, vice president for academic affairs |
“I loved their simplicity, their spirit of joy and how they interacted with one another,” she recalls. “I thought that this was the kind of person I would like to be. It really was God calling me to that way of life.”
During Sister Pat’s tenure at Canisius, she successfully led the charge to sew service-learning into the academic fabric of the college.
In 2003, Canisius instituted a formal service-learning program and appointed Sister Pat director. In her six years in the role, she has enlisted 53 professors, from various disciplines, who integrate service-learning into at a total of 69 of classes.
“I love the spirit of generosity that I find in so many of our students and their outlook of hope in a world that has so much need,” adds Sister Pat.
Prior to Canisius, she served as a missionary for 18 years in the Congo, Rwanda, Cameroon and Brazil where she dedicated herself to the education of young women, directed choirs, led youth groups and worked for the advancement of women’s status.
Sister Pat, who speaks four foreign languages (Spanish, French, Portuguese and Kikongo, a dialect from the Congo) started the Project Mexico service trip offered by the Office of Campus Ministry and has led or participated in nearly every volunteer experience at Canisius, including Alternative Spring Break, Vive LaCasa, Habitat for Humanity and Adopt a Grandparent.
“Sister Pat’s good work at Canisius is a continuation of her life’s work: 50 years in service to others, throughout the world,” said Chadwick. “Everyday, she with her community, have and continue to make significant positive differences in the lives of others.”
Sister Pat talks with Barbara Irwin, PhD, professor/chair, Communication Studies and director of the Canisius College Video Institute.
Sister Pat is a 2005 recipient of the Dr. I Joan Lorch Award, presented annually by the Women’s Studies Program at Canisius, recognizes individuals at the college who have made a significant contribution to women on the campus. In addition, Sister Pat is a member of the Canisius College Di Gamma Honor Society, which recognizes those who have contributed exemplary service to the college.
“As I reflect on the last 50 years as a Sister of St. Mary of Namur, I would just like my life to have been a life given to God and others,” says Sister Pat. “I hope as Sisters of St. Mary, we can find ways to help women today to see what a valuable, wonderful and enriching life this is. That would be a real grace.”
The celebration included background music which featured selections from “A Gift to Be Simple,” a CD recorded by the Sisters of St. Mary in 2004. Also, a PowerPoint presentation of Sister Pat with photos from three years old to the present was shown. Click here to view the PowerPoint slideshow.