By Tom Maguire
Associate editor
Waves of love hit the “pillar,” who redirected them back at his parish.
The 38th annual House of Providence Awards turned into the house of whooping-it-up Sept. 27 at the Oncenter, where MC Dan Cummings called Father Fred Daley a “pillar of the Syracuse faith community for so many years.”
It was obvious that a contingent from his parish, All Saints in Syracuse, was among the big crowd at the Oncenter where Father Daley received the Bishop’s Award.
Observing the enthusiasm in the crowd, presenter Bishop Douglas J. Lucia said to Father Daley, “You must really preach.”
Asked about that, Father Daley said, “I could do little by myself but, the whole parish community coming together, miracles continue to happen. And we just little by little, joining with other people, we just try to follow the Gospel of feed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger. And then challenge those systems that are the root causes of such injustice in our world.”
The House of Providence Awards ceremony is the largest fundraiser for Catholic Charities, which serves nearly 13,000 individuals and families in more than 40 programs. CC Executive Director Michael F. Melara has been there for 21 of the agency’s 100 years. In a CC video, he says the organization depends on dedicated staff and volunteers who address suffering, give comfort and help people relieve their burdens. Sample beneficiaries are chronically homeless people, people who are out of food, parents who struggle to care for their kids, and elderly people who need transportation. And this past year, CC has served over 500 Ukrainian refugees.
Also honored Sept. 27 for all they have done for the community were Al-amin Muhammad, with the Humanitarian Service Award, and David de Silva (posthumously), with the President’s Award.
Aiding the most vulnerable
The Bishop’s Award honors those who actively serve people in the Diocese of Syracuse. Bishop Lucia called Father Daley a “leading light who carries the light of Christ within the diocese.”
The evening’s notes say Father Daley, ordained in 1974, “has committed his ministry to building community upon the values of diversity, inclusivity and justice. To that end, All Saints Parish supports many local organizations that serve Syracuse’s most vulnerable, including the Eastside Food Pantry and the Assumption Church Pantry. Fr. Fred also led All Saints Parish through the process of becoming a ‘sanctuary parish,’ and this commitment includes providing support and working with other Interfaith Sanctuary Coalition congregations. All Saints has welcomed nearly 200 Congolese refugees to the parish family, and supports a variety of international initiatives that serve refugees. … Fr. Fred’s vision and inspired leadership toward a community built on love, inclusivity and justice makes Syracuse a better place.”
Bishop Lucia was a seminary student when he got to know Father Daley, and he said Father Fred hasn’t changed. “That is certainly a compliment to him,” the Bishop said. “Because through his committed ministry, to build a community, he’s sought to build community upon the values of diversity, inclusivity and justice. And under his leadership All Saints parish has embraced the value of hospitality, in the same spirit as Catholic Charities.” Of the Congolese refugees, the Bishop said, “You need to hear them sing on Sunday.”
Father Daley credited his “amazing pastoral team that does amazing things, and an amazing parish community.” In 2018, he said, a group from his parish “went to the Rio Grande to see the horrors of what migrants are going through. The sign of hope in that terrible situation was amazing Catholic Charities programs on the frontlines of the Rio Grande, welcoming these broken sisters and brothers.”
And this past June, he went to San Diego where immigrants and refugees come across. “And we had a tour,” he said. It was Catholic Charities, he said, who had the largest and most effective shelters welcoming the people as soon as they crossed the border.
‘Y’all agree?’
Improving the human condition is also an aspect of the Humanitarian Service Award won by Al-amin Muhammad. The award also honors individuals who live a life of service, both personally and professionally.
The program notes say Al-amin is the founder and executive director of We Rise Above the Streets Recovery Outreach, which “provides food, clothing and resources for the homeless and underrepresented. Al-amin is uniquely qualified to serve and represent the poor and marginalized, having spent 10 years experiencing homelessness himself, and falling into a life of gang activity and substance abuse. Inspired to turn his life around, he graduated from Emory College in Atlanta, Ga., and became an addiction counselor and life coach.
“In 2014, he founded We Rise Above the Streets and began to serve people experiencing homelessness in Atlanta, before moving to Syracuse in 2015. He organizes Sandwich Saturday each week, and along with hundreds of volunteers, has served more than 10,000 sack lunches to individuals experiencing homelessness and food-insecure households over the past eight years, as well as clothing, shoes and hygiene products. Al-amin partners with various organizations to mentor at-risk youth and to share his story.”
Al-amin talked of his time in Chicago. He said he was shot twice, and he remembers being homeless, sleeping under bridges and being counted out. He was sick and tired of being treated like trash. And now he wants to “bring all humanity together, to spread kindness, to show people that love wins” and overpowers hate. “Y’all agree?” he said.
His message to the audience, he said, was “simple: Be kind to one another. Be kind to one another.”
He always had it right
Another honoree known for practicing kindness was David de Silva, who died on Jan. 1, 2022. The President’s Award honors individuals who show vision and leadership as they immeasurably enhance the Diocese, Catholic Charities and the community through their voluntary contributions.
De Silva was an auditor for Catholic Charities of Onondaga County for over 30 years. “Sometimes I wonder, frankly, whether David spent his nights and weekends reading the Internal Revenue Code and … the standards of accounting but, he just always” had it right, said CC Board of Directors President Julian B. Modesti.
A Le Moyne College graduate, de Silva developed a specialty in nonprofit accounting at Dermody, Burke & Brown, CPSs, LLC. Accepting the award for her late husband, Lisa de Silva said he lived a life of service to his clients, his profession and his community. “Although every client was important, there was a special place in David’s heart for Catholic Charities,” she said.
Bible words regarding King David resonate with Lisa, who cited Acts 13:36: “Now David, after he had served the will of God in his lifetime, fell asleep.” Her own David, she said, “would be deeply humbled and honored by this tremendous recognition.”
