To the residents of Friends Center,
Pope Francis will visit Philadelphia at the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families in late September.
The board of directors of Friends Center has decided to close the facility during the papal visit, on Friday 9/25, Saturday 9/26, and Sunday 9/27.
The board took this action in light of the expected conditions in the neighborhood. Most if not all of Center City will be closed to vehicular traffic. Public and parochial schools will be closed that Friday, which means some of our larger organizations here will be closed, too. Only selected mass transit stops will operate, in order to shuttle as many people to and from Center City as possible.
In addition, the area around the Parkway is likely to be enclosed by a security fence. We anticipate that Friends Center will be inside the security perimeter, meaning there would be long lines and metal detectors just to get here.
You should also expect congestion Thursday 9/24 and Monday 9/28 as the perimeter is put up and taken down.
If you’d like to know more about plans for the pope’s visit, I recommend the following resources:
Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
Regards,
Chris Mohr
Executive Director