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. For more information, please contact Caroline Morgan at 215-854-7035

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

St. Christopher Parish will celebrate a Memorial Liturgy for all the faithful departed of our parish. In a particular way we will pray for the members of our community who have died in the past year. Everyone is invited to participate in this Mass and to lift up in prayer their beloved family and friends called by God to share in eternal life.

We will be collecting lightly used men’s & women’s coats, hooded sweatshirts and casual clothing. Clothes will be distributed to the homeless on and around Kensington Avenue.

October 18th at 11AM is the Archdiocesan Mass for the annual, worldwide Eucharistic celebration of World Mission Sunday, 2020, a day set aside to reflect on your baptismal call to witness and respond to Mission. Join with Archbishop Nelson Pérez at this Mass to commemorate the 110th Anniversary Year-Long Celebration of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Don’t miss this special year kick-off and the Archdiocesan-wide Mission Sunday Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter & Paul in-person or virtually at www.cathedralphila.org

Since October is the month of the Rosary, we will join together each Tuesday at 1PM in Church, to pray for an end to the Corona Virus, for an end to the social unrest, and for the upcoming election.

Please join the 2020 Public Square Rosary Crusade on Saturday, October 10, 2020, 12PM at the corner of Bustleton Ave.and Tomlinson Road. Our nation is in great need of public prayer, repentance and conversion. We ask God to save America through the Rosary of His Most Holy Mother. Contact Co-Captains Maryola and Maddy Micucci at 215-677-4714 for more information.