Sister Mary Geraldine Tobia

Sister Mary Geraldine Tobia (died April 25, 2000 Manhattan) was a social worker who served as co-director of the Center for Family Life in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. She lived at the center. When she was 59, Tobia died of cancer at Mount Sinai Hospital (Manhattan).^[1]

Biography

She was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey. Her undergraduate degree was from Fordham University in 1967 and she earned two master's degrees from Columbia. The first was in 1976 from Teachers College, Columbia University and in 1995 from Columbia University School of Social Work.^[1]

Career

Tobia founded the Center for Family Life in 1978 with Sister Mary Paul Janchill.^[1] The agency was the cover story in Time (magazine) on December 30, 1985.^[2]

Honors and awards

In 1978, she received the Ecumenical woman of the Year award from the Brooklyn Division of the Council of Churches of the City of New York.^[1]

Tobia was inducted into the Columbia University School of Social Work Hall of Fame.^[3]

References

1. Pace, Eric (April 27, 2000). "Sister Mary Geraldine Tobia, 59, Leader of Family Agency". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
2. Katinas, Paula (January 27, 2021). "Center for Family Life Still Thriving — Four Decades Later". The Tablet. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
3. CSSW HALL OF FAME and PIONEER INDUCTEES