We are re-starting a bereavement group at St. Christopher Parish. It will be led by Katie Rotondo, LMFT, a trained professional in the mental health field. The group will be a safe and non-judgmental environment for the purpose of supporting each other through the grieving process. All forms of grief are welcome (i.e., death of loved ones, infertility, job loss). The first meeting of this group will be September 13th at 6:30PM in the Parish Office.

Each Catholic Bishop in Pennsylvania will reinstate the obligation to attend Mass in person on Sundays and Holy Days beginning on Sunday, August 15, 2021, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Join Deacon Henry and Fr. Steve for a summer faith formation series in honor of the Year of St. Joseph. We will meet for 4 Thursday evenings beginning July 8th at 7:00PM in Holy Family Hall. Each session will last no more than an hour and will feature various reflections and devotional prayers to St. Joseph. There is no need to commit, simply come when you are able to. Refreshments will be served each evening. We will also offer a streaming option each evening on the Parish website (Event & News tab) as well as on the Parish Facebook page for those who cannot attend in person.

On the thirteenth of June we will honor Mrs. Mary Tremper as she retires as principal of our school. Mrs. Tremper has served with distinction, first as vice-principal of our school and later as principal. Following the 12 noon Mass on June 13th, will have a reception for Mrs. Tremper in Holy Family Hall. Mrs. Tremper’s daughter Elizabeth and her family will be present as well. You are all invited to the Mass and reception. I will have more to say about this in next week’s bulletin. We will miss Mrs. Tremper very much, and we are fortunate that Mrs. JoAnne Osborn, one of our current sixth grade teachers, will succeed her.

Father’s Day envelopes are available at the doors of the Church. We invite you to inscribe the names of your living and deceased fathers, grandfathers, godfathers, and any other special men in your lives that you would like to remember. The envelopes will be placed on the altar on Father’s Day and will remain there until the end of June. While it is customary to place a financial donation in the envelopes, it is not necessary to do so. We just want to remember the special men in your lives. If you would like to have a card for your living Dads, they are available in the priests’ sacristy in Church and at our parish office.

St Christopher's will have a young deacon with us through the summer and the next school year. His name is Deacon Henry Graebe. It is a great experience that the seminary gives to young men by assigning them to parishes. Deacon Henry will preach, baptize, and conduct funeral services at funeral homes and at cemeteries. Please join us in welcoming Deacon Henry to our parish family.

The Home & School Association provides tuition assistance through the script program, to a current St. Chris family in need. When purchasing your script, please let them know you would like your money to go to the “Sister Phyllis Tuition Assistance” account.

Calling all cooks! More meals and soups are needed for the AFF freezer. When bringing new meals, please put them in the back of the freezer & bring older meals to the front. Please write #87 on your order food sheet. Any questions, please call Fran Andre 215-322-4333. Thank You for all of the meals that have been donated

May During May, we take the time to remember our mothers, – both living and deceased. At the doors of the Church are Mother’s Day envelopes on which we ask you to inscribe the names of your Mothers and those women in your life who have shared maternal qualities with you. The large envelopes containing a card are for living Mothers to whom you will actually send the card. The smaller blueish envelopes are for you to put the names of your Mothers and special women in your life. They are for deceased Mothers and women or for your living Mothers if you don’t need a card. We will place on the altar all of those whose names we have on Mother’s Day and on the remaining days in the month of May. While it is customary to enclose a financial donation in these envelopes, it is not necessary for you to do so. We just want to remember your Mothers and special women at the Masses on Mother’s Day and beyond.

St. Christopher School will be having a “Raffle Event” this month. Although we can not gather the way we have in years past, we will have fantastic baskets and items to be raffled off! We will have all baskets on display and sell tickets in Holy Family Hall after masses 4/24 & 4/25. The winners will be picked on Facebook live on Friday, April 30th

St. Christopher Parish Schola will provide the liturgical music for this year's Annual Archdiocesan Mass Honoring the Gifts of Persons with Disabilities, The Deaf Community, Family, Friends and Caregivers. Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez will be the principal celebrant and homilist, There will be an outside reception following the Mass. All are Welcome. To RSVP go to www.opdarchphilly.org, email opd@archphila.org or call the Office for Persons with Disabilities at 215-587-3530 with the number attending.

40 Days for Life is an internationally coordinated 40-day campaign that aims to end abortion locally through prayer and fasting, community outreach, and a peaceful all-day vigil in front of abortion businesses. You can help protect mothers and children by joining this worldwide mobilization!

Man Up Philly 2021 invites the men of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to the 13th Annual Men’s Spirituality Conference. The Man Up Philly volunteer team has made the decision to change the format to a Virtual Event due to the COVID-19 status. The virtual conference will be available via a webcast and tickets will be available for a reduced cost of $10. We invite all men to join us for an inspiring day of faith and fellowship. Become the man God is calling you to be. Rediscover the power and meaning of your faith! For more information and to register visit MANUPPHILLY.COM

The 2021 Catholic Charities Appeal is officially underway! When you support the Appeal, it means that a special needs student has access to a quality Catholic education designed to meet his or her individual needs. It means that through Nutritional Development Services, the hungry are nourished through one of the many food pantries across the region. It means that families across the Archdiocese are provided with core social services, including much needed baby items like diapers and formula, pregnancy and parenting classes, family strengthening programs, emergency rent, and utility assistance. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic so many families and individuals need our support now more than ever. When you support the Catholic Charities Appeal, you shine a light of hope. You feed the hungry, aid the poor, and bring joy to those most in need. To learn more about the 2021 Catholic Charities Appeal, please visit: www.catholiccharitiesappeal.org

February 3rd is the day of the traditional blessing of throats. This year we are going to do a general blessing after all of the Masses this weekend, January 30-31. Like almost everything else, the pandemic has changed the usual way we do things. We will give the same blessing on February 3rd, the actual feast day of St. Blaise.

Diving into the beauty of the Faith has never been easier: at home, on the go, or from any internet connected device. Discover thousands of books, audio talks, movies, documentaries, and studies. There is something for every member of the family to help them grow closer to Christ and His Church. To sign up, go to www.formed.org and select St Christopher's. It's that easy.

Are you looking to be more involved in your faith and making it a part of your life, why don’t you consider coming to That Man Is You. That Man is You meets on Wednesday evenings at 7PM in the Parish Office. Any questions, email deacongene@stchrisparish.org

Please join us at the Philadelphia March for Life, Saturday, January 23, 2021 sponsored by the Archdiocesan Office for Life and Family, the Pro-Life Union of Greater Philadelphia and many other organizations. The event will include a 9AM Mass at the Cathedral celebrated by Archbishop Nelson Perez, followed by a march to the Philadelphia Women’s Center at 777 Appletree Street and a closing rally at Independence Mall from 12 to 1PM. This commemorates the 47th anniversary of Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling that has resulted in over 60 million deaths, thousands of injured women and 500,000 deaths in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Facemasks and social distancing are required at all times, and there is free and paid parking at the Cathedral and paid parking in the vicinity of Independence Mall. See prolifeunion.org for details.

Saint Christopher Youth Ministry Father Steve is beginning to meet with a group of 8th to 12th graders from our Parish to socialize, pray together, and to discover more about their faith. We meet each Sunday at 11:00AM in the Parish Meeting Room. Just show up and give it a try! There is no commitment needed. We will also team up with St. Albert's Parish Youth Ministry program for monthly social and spiritual events. Please visit our "Youth Ministry" page on the Parish Website (www.stchrisparish.org) for more information on these and other events for our parish youth, and to register for the program.

A ministry within the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Care Management Services links senior citizens and their loved ones with a wide variety of resources in order to help our seniors address the many challenges they face such as legal issues, emotional and physical health, transportation and housekeeping. Services are free and confidential. Lisa Shousky, our Geriatric Care Manager, can meet with you at your home or at the Parish Office. Please call Lisa at 267-251-7766 or 215- 673-5177 ext. 36 for more information.