July 31: St. Paul Church Bell Tower Financial Update  

July 31: St. Paul Church Bell Tower Financial Update  

The work on the bell tower is now well underway!

As of July 20, a total of $63,750 has been received toward the total budgeted amount of $487, 200 – a great start!

To donate now please visit the St. Paul Bell Tower Fund Giving Page

Donations may also be made using the reply envelope that was mailed to all registered St. Paul parishioners.

Additional envelopes are also available in the back of both churches.

Thank you!

Want to Learn More About the Catholic Faith?

Want to Learn More About the Catholic Faith?

Have you been worshiping with us, but never officially taken the step to become Catholic?

Have you been away from the Church, and have now returned, but want to know more?

Have you been a Catholic all your life, but haven’t celebrated all the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist)?

Have you joined us from a different faith background and would like to find out more about the Catholic Church?

We’d love to hear from you!

Fr. Jim Update – A Big Step Forward!

Fr. Jim Update – A Big Step Forward!

We are happy to let you know that after 7 long weeks, Fr. Jim has been cleared to continue his recovery and rehabilitation on an outpatient basis at the rectory.

As you can imagine, it is a great relief for Fr. Jim to finally be back home. It will still be quite some time before he will be able to resume his ministry, but this is a big step forward in his recovery.

Fr. Jim wanted us to share, again, how grateful he is for your prayers and support, and how much he appreciates the time and space you have given him to focus on his recovery.

We are sure that many of you will want to know how you can help Fr. Jim now. He asks only for your continued prayers, which have sustained him through this incredibly difficult time, and your patience as he transitions to this new phase of his recovery.

Please be assured that when Fr. Jim has more to share, we will share it with you!

July 24: St. Paul Church Bell Tower Financial Update  

July 24: St. Paul Church Bell Tower Financial Update  

The work on the bell tower is now well underway!

As of July 20, a total of $63,750 has been received toward the total budgeted amount of $487, 200 – a great start!

To donate now please visit the St. Paul Bell Tower Fund Giving Page

Donations may also be made using the reply envelope that was mailed to all registered St. Paul parishioners.

Additional envelopes are also available in the back of both churches…

Pope Francis in Canada: July 24 – 29  

Pope Francis in Canada: July 24 – 29  

From the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops:

Pope Francis will make a pastoral visit to Canada from July 24 to 29, 2022.

The Pope’s visit will provide a unique opportunity for him, once again, to listen and dialogue with Indigenous Peoples, to express his heartfelt closeness and to address the impact of colonization and the participation of the Catholic Church in the operation of residential schools throughout Canada.

The papal visit will also provide an opportunity for the shepherd of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics to connect with the Catholic community in Canada…

July 17: St. Paul Bell Tower Project in the News!

July 17: St. Paul Bell Tower Project in the News!

The St. Paul Bell Tower project was featured this week on The Swellesley Report!  The post, St. Paul Church in Wellesley to bring back the ring of historic bell talks about the project and features some great photos and interesting history!  The photos below were taken during the their visit to St. Paul last week, and we wanted to share them with you along with a bit of the bell’s history.

The bell was donated to the church in 1926 by Salvatore DeFazio and family. According to St. Paul parishioner Tory DeFazio, Salvatore’s grandson, Salvatore promised the pastor that he would donate a bell soon after the church opened in 1916. Pastor Edward Welch held him to it. “It took my grandfather about ten years to raise the money, but he did it,” said DeFazio…

Music Update: Goodbye Chelsea…

Music Update: Goodbye Chelsea…

It is with great excitement and simultaneous sadness that we say goodbye this weekend to Chelsea Whitaker who has been with us as a collaborative musician for more than 5 years. Chelsea has been given a full-time coaching position with Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY.  Chelsea was a Doctoral Student at New England Conservatory of Music and after her studies joined the faculty there. Eastman is very blessed to have her, and NEC will miss her. 

Being the constant professional she has always been, Chelsea connected us with an incredible student of hers currently in the Masters of Collaborative Piano program at NEC. His name is Michael Banworth and he will be joining us in the fall…

Friday, July 8: A Message from Fr. Jim!

Friday, July 8: A Message from Fr. Jim!

Words cannot begin to express my profound gratitude to all of you. Your cards, letters, and expressions of support have sustained me through this most challenging period in my life! I am now deep in the work of the rehabilitation phase of my recovery. I suffered multiple fractures of my left leg and knee, requiring extensive surgery, and will not be cleared for weight bearing on that side for some time to come. Despite the frustration this brings and the patience it requires, I am encouraged by the progress I have made…

At the same time, I am acutely aware of the significant trauma caused by the accident – it has truly upended my life in every way possible. While I am very much looking forward to returning to the rectory once I am ready to continue my rehabilitation on an outpatient basis, I understand that it will still be quite some time before I will be able to resume my ministry…

POWIR Update: Seeking Legal Assistance

POWIR Update: Seeking Legal Assistance

We are in need of legal assistance for the three young men from Afghanistan who we are helping to resettle. 

We are seeking immigration attorneys who would be willing to work pro bono to represent our young men through this process.

If you are an immigration attorney willing to work with our young men and/or provide guidance to the SJSP POWIR team – or if you have any leads on attorneys or organizations that might be able to help –  we would love to hear from you!

July 3: Update on the St. Paul Bell Tower Project

July 3: Update on the St. Paul Bell Tower Project

The scaffolding is up and the work is about to begin! As you can see in the photo, the scaffolding is set up to allow access to the main doors of the church during construction. 

This is a large undertaking, and represents a significant investment in St. Paul Parish. The total cost is budgeted to be $487,200, and the Parish has been approved for a short term loan from the Archdiocese to cover up to seventy-five percent of the budget. While we are fortunate to have additional income from the leasing of the school building, we still need the assistance of the St. Paul community to fund this project and to repay the loan…