Bryan Place
In Memoriam

This past week, Catholic Charities of Onondaga County lost a wonderful board member, and an even better friend, with the untimely passing of Bryan Place. Bryan began volunteering at Catholic Charities in 2002 and joined our Board of Directors in 2004. During his tenure, he played an instrumental role in our development and finance efforts. But Bryan’s primary concern was always for the incredibly vulnerable people served by Catholic Charities, and he was constantly looking for ways to get involved. He always reminded us that the true heroes are the frontline staff who dedicate themselves to the hard work of improving the lives of those in the greatest need.

While Bryan was a recognized expert in his profession, his true calling was to serve others. You only needed to spend a few minutes with Bryan to understand both his enthusiasm and passion for the things he cared most about: his faith, his family, his work, and his community. We all mourn the loss of our friend and colleague, and we pray for his family at this difficult time. But we are also reminded through Bryan Place’s example of what it means to be a committed volunteer, a caring community member, and a good person.

The ancient Greeks defined happiness as “the full use of your powers along lines of excellence.” I think Bryan would have liked this definition; he certainly lived his life that way

Michael F. Melara
Executive Director
Catholic Charities of Onondaga County