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

Pope Francis has designated this year as the Year of St. Joseph. The special year began on December 8, 2020,, the 150th Anniversary of the designation by Blessed Pope Pius IX of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. To commemorate this special year, holy cards of St. Joseph are at all of the doors of the Church. Please take one for yourself and feel free to take extras to give to those you love. May St. Joseph continue to guide and protect all of us in the Church. May he be a model of goodness and service for us.

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.

Join us after Mass during the Christmas Season to enjoy a selection of Christmas Hymns and Carols sung by our Parish Choir! The choir will be singing for about 25 minutes after the 5PM Mass on Saturday, January 10th. This will be a great way to celebrate the Season! We hope to see you there

St. Christopher’s Neighborhood Holiday Lights Contest & St. Christopher’s Sleighing through Somerton Christmas Lights Weekend is sponsored by the Home and School Assn. There is a $10 donation per house to enter the contest. Homes are judged on different Categories (Traditionally Elegant, Reason for the Season, Creative Inflatables and Clark Griswold Award). There is a $10 donation per car load to participate in the drive-thru to view the homes and vote on your favorite house. There will also be other fun activities during the event. See the St. Christopher Home and School Facebook page for more information. Please contact the Home and School Association at saintchrishs1@gmail.com with any questions.

As we look forward to our celebration of the Birth of Jesus, the Christmas Season is different this year than it has been in the past. Yet, the needs of the poor are every bit as urgent as in past years. In some ways their needs are even greater – especially when parents or guardians have temporarily or permanently lost their jobs. That is why it we are asking you to prayerfully consider participating in our Secret Santa program this year. Please put your donation in the Sunday collection or put it in the mail slot at the parish office. The Secret Santa donations stay here in our parish to assist people who are having a difficult time getting ready for Christmas. Thank you for your generosity.

In addition to our usual Saturday Morning (8:30AM) and Afternoon (3:45-4:30PM) Confessions, there will be several priests joining Monsignor and Father Steve in Church on Tuesday, December 15th. We will begin sharply at 7PM and will hear confessions until the last person is taken care of. Please come as close to 7PM as you can. There will not be a formal penance service; we will simply begin hearing confessions at 7PM. What a grace to receive in preparation for Christmas!

The weekend of December 5th and 6th there will be paper ornaments on the Christmas Tree, each with a gift suggestion for the children in the Mission of St. Joan of Arc Parish and the Ladies in Dawn’s place. Please take one of the ornaments from the tree! The following weekend of December 12th and 13th, you are asked to bring your gifts to Church and place them in the baskets on the altar prior to Mass. We ask that you bring the gifts in a gift bag if possible with the ornaments taped securely to the outside of the package. The gifts are sorted for distribution to the different organizations by the ornament. If you have not been coming to Mass on a regular basis because of health reasons, but would like to participate in the Giving Tree, call Peggy at our parish office, and she will help you.

The 24” nicely decorated wreaths are $20 & the 30” by 40” grave blankets are $30 Pick ups are in Trainer hall on Monday, Nov. 30th between 6:45 and 7:45PM. Also on Saturday, Dec. 5th after the 5PM Mass and on Sunday, Dec. 6th between 8:30AM and Noon, both outside of Holy Family Hall .Due to social distancing, all orders should be preordered by e-mail to Packtroop367@aol.com by Nov.23rd. Thank you for your support!

This year our FAIR TRADE SALE will be done online. To see the many unique items available and to place an order, click on the news item title. There will be free ground shipping on December 5th & 6th on orders over $50 (excluding chocolates). Use promo code: SESNOWMAN20. As you can imagine the sales are needed more than ever as the virus has had a tremendous effect on the poor artisans around the world. Purchasing a unique gift for a loved one or for yourself will do so much good! St. Chris Christmas Blend regular and decaf ground coffee will be available in the Scrip Office during regular hours from Sunday, November 15th through Sunday, November 22nd. Proceeds will go to Catholic Relief Services currently serving in over 100 countries

The Scouts of Pack and Troop 367 are participating in the Annual Scouting for Food Drive. We are collecting canned and non-perishable boxed/bagged food items for use in the Philadelphia region. We will be placing door hanger reminders on as many doors in the parish as possible on November 14th but we will not get to every home. There will not be any bags delivered this year. We will have a collection Box in the vestibule of the Church between November 7th and 21st, if you wish to leave a donation there. A scout should return to your home on November 21st if you received a door hanger