Due to impending inclement weather, Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (CSS) has announced the cancellation of the outdoor portion of its 65th Annual Archbishop’s Benefit for Children Christmas Party that was originally scheduled to take place Thursday, December 17th at Saint Edmond’s Home for Children in Delaware County. For more information, please see here.
Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez will greet 44 residents of Saint Edmond’s Home for Children (Delaware County) and distribute gifts to mark the 65th Annual Archbishop’s Benefit for Children. The residents will be greeted in small groups and in a staggered fashion. Saint Edmond’s is part of the Intellectual Disabilities Division of Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (CSS).
Traditionally, CSS hosts this annual Christmas party for several hundred children and youth who represent thousands of in-need and at risk young people and their families across the Greater Philadelphia region who benefit annually from community-based and residential programs offered by CSS. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s celebration will take place in a modified fashion outside with due respect for and adherence to guidelines set forth by governmental health agencies.
Thursday, December 17, 2020
2:00 p.m.
Saint Edmond’s Home for Children (Outside Main Entrance)
320 South Roberts Road
Rosemont, PA 19010
Children and invited guests will enjoy a live Nativity scene featuring local college students; student carolers from Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School (Delaware County); a performance by singer and CSS employee Kamal Bostic-Smith; a snow machine, and other festivities.
The celebration will be broadcast via Facebook Live on Archbishop Pérez’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ArchbishopPerez as well as the CSS Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/cssphiladelphia. Those across the five-county Archdiocese of Philadelphia interested in participating in this joyous occasion are asked to join virtually.
Background on Saint Edmond’s Home for Children:
Saint Edmond’s Home for Children, located in Rosemont (Delaware County), was founded by Archbishop Edmond Prendergast in 1916 to meet the needs of children afflicted by polio. First located at 44th Street and Haverford Avenue in Philadelphia, the home was administered by the Sisters of Bon Secours and was the first Catholic home of its kind in America. Over 100 years later, Saint Edmond’s Home for Children is a residential home for children and young adults with severe and profound intellectual and physical disabilities. The facility’s primary role is to provide an exceptional range of services and compassionate, quality care for medically fragile children ages birth to 21 years old.
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Editor’s Note: The Archbishop’s Benefit for Children (ABC) is a year-round fundraising effort that provides necessary support to help ensure the vitality of CSS’ youth programs for children and families of all faiths throughout the five-county metropolitan area comprising the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. These programs provide help and create hope for thousands of children each year, including children with disabilities, at-risk children, and children of immigrant families. All children in need are served regardless of background and faith. For more information or to make a donation in support of the Archbishop’s Christmas Benefit for Children, please visit https://archbishopsbenefitforchildren.org/.
Catholic Social Services (CSS) of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia offers community-based and residential programs and services to support men, women and children in need as an expression of the charitable works of our local Church throughout the Greater Philadelphia area. To learn more about CSS programs that serve a wide variety of human needs, please visit https://cssphiladelphia.org/.