American Diplomat to Afghanistan Visits CM

West Roxbury, Mass.— American Diplomat Mr. Patrick Geraghty '82 returned to Catholic Memorial School on Friday morning where he talked to Mr. Vincent Bradley's freshman history class about his life as a public servant.

Mr. Geraghty, a CM alumnus, currently serves as a Deputy Spokesperson at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. He served as a U.S. Navy Officer during a 24-year military career that culminated in him earning the rank of commander.

Mr. Geraghty’s talk gave students the chance to meet a CM alumnus who Mr. Bradley sees as an ideal role model.

“Personally, I was struck by the easy and effortless rapport between a graduate from the early 1980s, and our current freshmen,” said Mr. Bradley, the CM History Department Chair.

“They share the CM experience.  As a successful public servant with a long and distinguished career, Mr. Geraghty offered insights and advice to students who were eager to learn from another member of the CM Brotherhood."

Prior to his appointment in Kabul in July of 2019, Mr. Geraghty took on previous assignments in Norway and Mexico from the Department of State. He also served at the U.S. Embassy in Reykjavik, Iceland for three years as the U.S. European Command Liaison to the Republic of Ireland.

Mr. Bradley invited Mr. Geraghty speak through the U.S. Department of State’s Hometown Diplomat Program. The program, which claims to “put a hometown face on foreign policy,” provided Mr. Bradley with an alumni speaker who works for the Department of State and one who best fits into CM’s “Character Matters” initiative.

In accordance with the Character Matters initiative, Mr. Geraghty’s talk adds to a growing number of programming events meant to provide students with ideal role-models.

The Character Matters initiative began with the summer all-school-read of Tom Rinaldi’s book The Red Bandanna this past June. Rinaldi’s book chronicles the last day of the life of Welles Crowther, “The Man in the Red Bandanna,” who sacrificed his life rescuing others in the South Tower of the World Trade Center on 9/11.

Dr. Peter Folan, the President of CM, encouraged students to think about how to best serve others in the likeness of Mr. Crowther when he invited Mrs. Nancy Crowther to speak to the student body in September.

When Mr. Geraghty spoke to Mr. Bradley’s class, he provided context to the events of 9/11 and to the United States’ response in the War on Terror. One student in Mr. Bradley’s class, freshman Will Masferrer of Milton, recognized a connection between the lives of Mr. Crowther and Mr. Geraghty.

“He reminds me so much of Welles Crowther,” said Will.

“Both he and Mr. Geraghty and Welles were both willing to sacrifice their lives for the protection of others, most of them strangers, because they felt a completion of some force, whether it be a set of morals or God. They both show what it means to be a man for others.”

Mr. Bradley applauded Mr. Geraghty for his ability to reinforce this idea of service to his students.

“I think [Mr. Geraghty’s] discussion led students to understand The Red Bandana and Mrs. Crowther's talk in a deeper and more sophisticated way,” said Mr. Bradley.

Mr. Bradly also believes that Mr. Geraghty provides his students with a unique insight into the tense negotiations of foreign diplomats and the every-day dangers experienced in Afghanistan.

“This shows just how far [Mr. Geraghty] is willing to go to protect the country and family he loves,” said Will, in awe of his work.

“His dedication to his job as an American diplomat, working over 80 hours a week to keep our embassies stable and running, is really remarkable.”