A brave whistleblower contacted the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Office of Child and Youth Protection on July 29, 2026. They alerted the Archdiocese that the Redeemer Valley Farm allowed a registered sex offender to volunteer at the farm for the past few years, until late 2025.
Along with the ministry at the farm, the Sisters of the Redeemer also host a Vacation Bible Camp and there were concerns that the registered sex offender was still volunteering at the Province Center where the children, ages 3 years to 12 years of age, would be attending the camp in a few weeks. The camp that is promoted in local parish Sunday bulletins to diocesan children.
Diocesan children also attend educational programs at the Redeemer Valley Farm through partnerships with their parish schools. Archdiocesan high school students have performed days of service at the Redeemer Valley Farm through their Archdiocesan high schools. Sister Ana Dura is mentioned in a local news article in her ministry of having children come from local Catholic schools to learn about planting seeds and healthy eating and staying active. This ministry is considered apostolic work within a diocese. The Sisters of the Redeemer are a religious order, not diocesan, and their farm and facility are owned by the Sisters. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia classifies them a a non diocesan entity. However, their apostolic work involves the diocesan children.
In response to all of the information given, pertaining to the ties between the Archdiocese and the Redeemer Valley Farm, the response to the whistleblower from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Office of Child and Youth Protection was that the Redeemer Valley Farm was not a diocesan entity. Diocesan children and students were literally recruited to the farm through promotions in the parish bulletins. They were brought to the farm by their schools. Instead of focusing on the protection of their diocesan children, they focused on the technicality that the Redeemer Valley Farm was not a diocesan entity.
Under Canon Law 678 it states: In organizing the works of the apostolate of the religious, diocesan bishops and religious superiors must proceed through mutual consultation.”
Canon 680: Says that there is to be ordered cooperation and coordination among religious institutes, secular clergy, and their apostolic activities “under the direction of the diocesan bishop.”
How can a diocese have their students participate in local religious order programs without the religious orders following the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Safe Environment policies? The Archdiocese claims they have no control over the Sisters of the Redeemer/ Redeemer Valley Farm’s apostolic work because it is not a diocesan entity. Canon Law would say otherwise. What the Archdiocese does have control over is the parishes and Archdiocesan high schools. Archbishop Perez had a duty to alert the parishes and schools that two of the Sisters of the Redeemer had allowed a registered sex offender to volunteer at the Redeemer Valley Farm. A decision that defies the basis of child protection in the Archdiocese.
What could Archbishop Perez have done? He could have issued a diocesan statement informing all parish schools and Archdiocesan high schools that he was advising against future partnerships between the schools and the Redeemer Valley Farm. In the statement he could have advised pastors of all parishes to no longer post the Sisters of the Redeemer children’s programs or events in their parish bulletins.
He could have issued the statement to alert the parents. Parents do not ever factor into the equation when the Archdiocese makes decisions. We have seen this time and time again.
Archbishop Perez could have had policy in place that if a religious order does not follow the Archdiocese of Philadelphia Safe Environment policies, then they do not have access to our diocesan children. Simple and uncomplicated. If they have not implemented the diocesan Safe Environment policies they do not get partnerships with parish or diocesan schools or promotions of their programs through parish or diocesan communication. But he did not.
Did they alert the parish and Archdiocesan schools in July 2026? No. They usually just leave the parishes and school to deal with the fall out.
In the Diocese of Fort Worth this situation would have never happened because they have a preventative policy in place concerning the protection of their diocesan children:
“Safety Standards, including Safe Environment requirements, apply to all Parish/School hosted or sponsored events, whether on or off Parish/School property and regardless of when the event is held. Only programs and events specifically approved by the parish and diocese may be promoted to minors in diocesan parish and school programs. Adults may not invite or publish invitations from outside organizations or programs except for those specifically approved by the parish administration and the Office of Evangelization & Catechesis.“
The diocese of La Crosse states “all non- diocesan religious communities and schools who are permitted to provide services to children in the Diocese La Crosse by the Diocesan Bishop shall, as a condition of providing such services initially and annually certify to the diocese that it has a Safe Environment program in place and implemented substantially similar to that of the diocese of La Crosse.“
There are many dioceses with similar policy. They don’t wash their hands of the diocesan children claiming no responsibility in regards to outside programs and apostolic works. The Redeemer Valley Farm’s apostolic work includes hosting educational programs for children and they recruit diocesan children to attend these programs through direct outreach to the diocesan schools and promote their programs in local parish bulletins. Can’t be more clear that the Archdiocese of Philadelphia bears responsibility for their safety.
When the whistleblower did not receive assistance from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Office of Child and Youth Protection in July 2026, they then filed a report with ChildLine. Abington police investigated and determined that the registered sex offender had not violated his federal parole by volunteering at the Redeemer Valley Farm or Province Center.
The Sisters made a choice to have the registered sex offender at their facilities. It was their choice. An absolutely bizarre and jarring letter sent to local pastors by Sister Ellen Marvel this week detailed their decision as “an act of faith, which tells us that all people deserve a chance at redemption.” It mentions nothing about children deserving learning environments free of federal parolees. She gave a date of February 2026 as the end date of the registered sex offender at Redeemer Valley Farm. No organization or religious order that made such an egregious decision should ever again be allowed to have any access to our children in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
And where is Archbishop Perez? He is too busy getting ready to announce the $250 million dollar Archdiocese of Philadelphia capital campaign that will kick off in late fall. Much too busy to have had preventative policy in place. Too busy to deal with the fallout that will land on the shoulders of the principals and pastors who were left in the dark. Too busy to focus on the safety of your children. When the contribution envelopes for the capital campaign hit your mailbox, maybe just send it back stating that you will not be donating to a diocesan entity. Withholding donations to the diocese gets the attention that your child’s safety does not.
