Nuns to mark Catholic Sisters Week with gun-violence event
Gardening expert to be awarded Scott Medal at Swarthmore College
ASTON » Fifty-two weeks a year, Religious Sisters stand with the poor and immigrants, teach children, fight injustice, heal the sick, share spirituality, empower women, defend the planet, promote peace, create community, and offer hope as they live their vocation.
But for one of those week, March 8-14 this year, Catholic Sisters Week shines the spotlight on Religious Sisters and encourages a wide range of campaigns and events.
This year, during Catholic Sisters Week, on Monday, March 11, the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, in collaboration with Neumann University, Nuns Against Gun Violence, and the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, will hold an event to combat gun violence, both in-person at Our Lady of Angels Convent, 609 S. Convent Road, Aston, as well as online via Zoom. Doors will open 6:30 p.m.
Gun violence is a public health crisis.
According to the sisters, “It is also a spiritual and moral crisis. God changes hearts, but people change laws. The biblical prophets Micah and Isaiah imagine a world where God’s people beat their swords into plows and their spears into pruning hooks, building a world free of violence.”
Prominent speaker, activist, and best-selling author, Shane Claiborne, will give a presentation about his community’s work transforming hearts, laws and guns, thus turning tools of death into garden tools and other instruments of life. Claiborne is a champion for grace, which has led him to advocating for the homeless and to places like Iraq and Afghanistan
to stand against war. Now grace fuels his passion to end the death penalty and help stop gun violence.
The event begins with Claiborne’s presentation, followed by a question-and-answer period. Light refreshments will be available, before and after the presentation, with time to build relationships, network, and socialize.
Registration is required. To learn more and to register: http://tinyurl.com/2xc4vvzf/.
Schoolhouse Travel, a part of Schoolhouse Center, 600 Swarthmore Ave., Folsom, will host a trip to Atlantic City’s Tropicana Casino to see the show, “Bette, Babs and Beyond,” Monday, April 22.
The motor coach transportation will depart from the Home Depot Lot on McDade Boulevard in Folsom at 9 a.m. and return there around 6 p.m.
Cost is $99, which includes $25 back in slot play, $15 food voucher, round trip transportation and a ticket to the tribute show, which features music of Bette Midler and Barbara Streisand.
To reserve seats, or get more information, call Judi at 610405-9376 or Mary Lou at 856316-2615.
Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College to present 70th Annual Scott Medal and Award
The Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College will award the 70th Scott Medal and Award to Margaret Roach for her extensive scope of horticultural work.
The medal will be awarded to Roach at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, March 10 at the Inn at Swarthmore, 10 S. Chester Road, Swarthmore.
In 2008, Roach walked away from her corporate publishing career to devote herself to gardening.
With her 2.3-acre garden in rural New York state, her love of technology, and her unique brand of “horticultural how-to and woowoo,” she has become an inspiring and influential voice in the world of horticulture.
Marco Polo Stufano, director of horticulture emeritus at Wave Hill, describes her as “one of the country’s most followed and respected communicators of information dealing both with the art and science of gardening and concerns facing the natural world.”
The Scott Medal and Award was established in 1929 to recognize individuals who, in the opinion of the selection committee, have made outstanding national contributions to the science and art of gardening. The award of the medal, together with $20,000, is given as an acknowledgement of “… achievement of great merit and recognition of work in creating and developing a wider interest in gardening.”
The Scott Arboretum is a unique “garden of ideas” encouraging horticulture in its broadest sense through displays on the 350-plus acre campus of Swarthmore College. It offers some of the region’s most intimate, authentic, and accessible horticultural experiences. The arboretum is frequently ranked among the most beautiful campuses in the world.
For more information, visit
http://scottarboretum.org.
Roach began her career in horticulture 35 years ago as garden editor at Newsday. Her columns attracted the attention of Martha Stewart, who hired her as the first garden editor of Martha Stewart Living magazine. As her role in the company expanded, she became executive vice president/editorial director of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia’s magazines, books and internet.
In 2008, Roach walked away from her corporate publishing career to devote herself to gardening and communicating about horticulture and the natural world.
Roach inspires a vast audience through a remarkable mix of media. Her website awaytogarden. com, reflects her love of plants and has garnered extensive national praise. For 13 years, she has hosted an award-winning public radio show and podcast in which she interviews experts to promote a greater love of gardens and nature.
Her column, “In the Garden,” is published weekly throughout each growing season in The New York Times. She teaches a popular online series called “The Virtual Garden Club” with Ken Druse. And, she has authored three books: “And I Shall Have Some Peace There” (2011), “The Backyard Parables” (2013), and “A Way to Garden” (1998, updated in 2019).
According to a press release from Scott Arboretum, Roach embraces gardening as a life practice and a window into larger questions of existence, spirituality and science.
She describes her garden as her constant and ever-inspiring companion. Her unique perspectives resonate deeply with readers across the country, including “Eat, Pray, Love” author Liz Gilbert, who has called her writing “a blessing.”
She is well known for her ability to make complex subjects — such as biodiversity, sustainability, and climate change — more accessible to a wide audience. Yet, her writing is also a go-to resource for seasoned professionals. Darrel Morrison, professor and dean emeritus at the College of Environment and Design at the University of Georgia and recipient of the 2021 Scott Medal, says, “Her writing is genuinely informative; it is also inspiring and entertaining.”
In 2018, Margaret received the George Robert White Medal of Honor from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society for her contributions to excellence in horticulture for the public good, and in 2023 was honored by Wave Hill,
Reserve a seat on trip to see ‘Bette, Babs and Beyond’ at Tropicana
the public garden in New York City.
For details about in-person and virtual viewing options of Margaret Roach receiving the Scott Medal, visit http://scottarboretum. org.
Ss. Simon and Jude Parish, 8 Cavanaugh Court, West Chester, will host a concert and musical workshop given by internationally acclaimed singer, songwriter and storyteller Steve Angrisano.
The concert will be held in the church at 7 p.m. Friday, March 8 and the workshop will be held in the Meehan Center, 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 9. Admission to the concert is $10 and the workshop also costs $10.
Everyone is welcome to the inspiring family friendly evening of humor, story and song, and to a music workshop with one of the most in-demand Catholic presenters in the United States.
Angrisano has been featured at 10 World Youth Days, emceed three National Catholic Youth Conferences and countless other events. He helps participants connect the Gospels to their everyday lives in a simple and inspirational way. Without knowing it, many people may have sung some of Angrisano’s music from the Breaking Bread missal or Spirit and Song Hymnal. All are welcome.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit: http://simonandjude.org/ parish-life or contact Greg Ciminera at gciminera@ simonandjude.org or 610696-3624.
Community Action Agency of Delaware County, Inc. (CAADC) is now accepting applications for the Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Program. This program is free if the family is determined eligible.
In the program, qualifying families who have a child age 5 or under may qualify for new windows and other repairs to help remediate lead paint hazards. Income eligibility guidelines apply as well.
Once an application is received, CAADC staff meets with the applicant to explain the program in detail and discuss the hazard of lead-based paint in the home.
Next, a lead audit is performed by a licensed firm.
A report is prepared, showing where lead paint exists in the home.
CAADC then prepares a Scope of Work assessment, detailing the steps that will be taken to remove or reduce the lead to acceptable levels. This may include replacing doors and windows, installing new drywall, replacing trim and moldings, and more.
When the renovations are complete, another lead audit is performed to be sure that all lead has been removed or reduced to acceptable levels. A copy of the final report, along with educational materials relating to lead hazards, is then given to the family.
For more information or to receive an application, call 610-833-4453. The program is funded by the Delaware County Office of Housing and Community Development and Lawrence County Community Action Partnership.
The Community Action Agency of Delaware County Inc. has been serving Delaware County residents since 1979. The nonprofit provides services aimed at encouraging self-sufficiency for low-income individuals. For more information, visit http://www.caadc.org.
Internationally acclaimed singersongwriter to hold concert, workshop in W. Chester
Community Action Agency accepts applications for lead paint control program