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Recognizing and Honoring Sister Mary Scullion, R.S.M. as the Grand Marshal of the 248th Annual Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
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WHEREAS, Sister Mary Scullion, R.S.M. is a Philadelphia-based American Roman Catholic religious sister and activist, named by "Time" as one of the "100 Most Influential People in the World" in 2009, alongside Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey; and
WHEREAS, Sister Mary Scullion’s commitment to the service of others began with her education at Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls, a Jesuit education from St. Joseph’s University, and a Masters in Social Work from Temple University; and
WHEREAS, Scullion joined the Sisters of Mercy and began working on behalf of the homeless in 1976. She has been involved in service work and advocacy for homeless and mentally ill persons since 1978. She was a co-founder in 1985 of Woman of Hope, which provides permanent residences and support services for homeless mentally ill women; and
WHEREAS, In 1988, Sister Mary founded the Outreach Coordination Center, the nation's first program that coordinated city, private, and public agencies to assist people living on the streets with special needs in finding housing and shelter in a more systematic way. The following year, she and her associate, Joan Dawson McConnon, co-founded Project H.O.M.E., a nationally recognized organization that provides supportive housing, employment, education and health care to enable chronically homeless and low-income persons to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty under the motto “None of us are home, until all of us are home”; and
WHEREAS, Project H.O.M.E. has grown from an emergency winter shelter to 802 units of affordable and supportive housing for persons who have experienced homelessness and low-income persons at-risk of homelessness in the City of Philadelphia; there are an additional 30 units under construction, 42 units in predevelopment and 170 units in the pipeline. Project H.O.M.E.’s goal is to complete 1,000 total units of affordable housing in the near future; and
WHEREAS, Under Sister Mary’s leadership Project H.O.M.E. established the Hub of Hope, which for six winters had served as a walk-in engagement center located in the concourses of Suburban Station. Since 2012, the Hub has had over 36,000 visits and facilitated 1,429 placements into shelter, treatment programs, and housing around the City. Now, through a partnership between SEPTA, the City of Philadelphia, and Project HOME, the Hub of Hope has expanded into a permanent location in Suburban Station to offer year-round services; and
WHEREAS, Sister Mary Scullion has been recognized locally and nationally for her dedication to the service of the less fortunate and has received numerous awards and honorary doctorates for her leadership including: the 1992 Philadelphia Award, a 2002 Eisenhower Fellowship, the 2002 Ford Foundation's prestigious "Leadership for a Changing World Award", and the 2011 Laetare Medal from The University of Notre Dame, which is the highest award given to an American Catholic; and
WHEREAS, Sister Mary’s dedication to Philadelphia includes serving as a Trustee at Saint Joseph's University and a tenure on the City of Philadelphia's Board of Ethics; and
WHEREAS, Sister Mary Scullion’s unwavering devotion to service is rooted in the guiding principles of the Religious Sisters of Mercy, which was founded in 1831 in Dublin, Ireland by Catherine McAuley; and
WHEREAS, The theme of the 2018 Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade is “St. Patrick, Bless Those Who Respond to the Call Of The Needy”; and
WHEREAS, Joining Sister Mary Scullion as the Grand Marshal, the Ring of Honor members for the 2018 St. Patrick’s Day parade include Hon. Bobby Henon, Hon. Brian O’Neill, Sr. Kathleen Klarich, R.S.M., Eileen Conboy Barrilli, Siobhán Lyons, Rev. James Callahan, Sean Trainor, William Heeney Sr., Joseph Ashdale, Wayne Miller, Monsignor Paul Kennedy, Sr. Maureen McGarrity, Tom Regan, Clair McManus Fulginitti, Mike Roman, Jack Gill, and Joseph Driscoll; and
WHEREAS, The 2018 Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade would not be possible without the continued support and dedication of the Mayo Association, the Donegal Society, the Derry Society, the Tyrone Society, the Cavan Society, the Galway Society, the Irish Society, the Second Street Irish Society, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, the Irish Memorial, the Brehon Law Society, the Irish Network of Philadelphia, The Irish Edition, the Gray’s Ferry Irish Society, the Philadelphia Emerald Society, the Cairdeas Irish Brigade, the St. Patrick’s Day Observance Association, and all the individual chapters of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians throughout Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Does hereby recognize and honor Sister Mary Scullion, R.S.M. as the Grand Marshal of the 248th Annual Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Sister Mary Scullion, R.S.M. as evidence of the sincere respect and admiration of this legislative body.
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