After two amazing days in Fatima we packed it up this morning and traveled to Lisbon with a big crowd from the Archdiocese of Boston. The city is starting to fill up! We noticed the crowds growing as the afternoon
This morning we headed back to the Santuario de Fatima for Mass celebrated with Cardinal Sean and concelebrated by priests, bishops, and cardinals from around the world. We had to get there early to stake out our spot, so our pilgrims spent some time writing postcards of gratitude to all our generous sponsors. Carrying our prayers for them to the sacred altar.
The more than 900 pilgrims from throughout the Archdiocese of Boston were so proud to have our Archbishop celebrating Mass this morning. Hearing the Gospel read in 6 languages was incredible!
We arrived in Lisbon at around 5:30am this morning, and by about 8:00am we had met up with our travel coordinators for the Archdiocese of Boston and boarded our bus, heading to Santarém and Fatima.
Our first stop was in Santarém, site of an ongoing Eucharistic miracle which occurred in the 13th century… The Eucharistic Miracle is at times exposed for pilgrims who request it, and we were unbelievably blessed today to each have the powerful experience of a private viewing of the “Sacred Particle” – a tangible reminder of Christ’s true presence in the Eucharist.
Following that amazing experience we were truly filled with the Holy Spirit, as evidenced by our walk through the narrow streets…
And we’re off!
We gathered at St. Paul Church this morning to celebrate a beautiful “Sending Forth” Mass with Fr. Jim, Fr. Gabriel…
Welcome to our blog! Our pilgrims are busy finishing their preparations for our departure on Friday, July 28 – stay tuned for updates!
With the arrival of Fr. Gabriel, we are overjoyed to be able to resume our Friday 9:00am Masses at St. Paul Church!
Effective Friday, July 28 the weekday Mass schedule at the Collaborative will be:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday:
9:00am St. Paul Church
Tuesday and Thursday:
7:00am St. John Church
After more than a year of planning, preparation, and hard work, our pilgrims depart this Friday, July 28! We are so grateful for your generous financial and spiritual support!
Please continue to pray for us as we embark on this journey, and know that we will be praying for you!
Sponsors, check your mail in the coming weeks for a postcard from your pilgrim(s)!
We hope you will follow our journey online – we will be posting daily updates and photos on our WYD 2023 blog…
I am thrilled to let you know that we will be welcoming a new priest to our St. John-St. Paul Collaborative community this week! Fr. Gabriel Afumbom Tokoh, a priest from the Archdiocese of Bamenda, Cameroon, Africa, is currently in a Master’s Program in Leadership and Administration at Boston College. He has been living at a parish in Salem for the past year and commuting to B.C. for his studies, so his joining us in Wellesley will be a true blessing for our parishes and for Fr. Gabriel! He will be living at the St. Paul rectory and will be celebrating Masses, funerals, and sacraments with us for the next two years as he completes his studies.
Below is a brief introduction from Fr. Gabriel – I know you will join me in welcoming him and making him feel at home here at the Collaborative and in Wellesley!
FutureChurch Celebration of Mary Magdalene: “Rethinking Women’s Participation – Stories of Synodality Then and Now”
Thursday, July 20 from 7:00 – 8:30pm on Zoom
Jesus himself practiced synodality and sought to teach it to his disciples – both women and men – through example: teaching through parables; seeking out those on the periphery, whose voices had been ignored or silenced; placing each person he encountered on his path at the center of his ministry.
Perhaps the greatest ‘miss’ in the history of Synodality was when the other Apostles dismissed the witness of Mary Magdalene, who was commissioned by Jesus to “go and tell” the good news.
We are overjoyed and grateful to tell you that our 2023 Collaborative Lenten Gift raised $37,678.60 for City of Goodness in Ukraine!
Earlier this week, Fr. Jim, Kelly Meraw, and Stephen Ridge from our Collaborative Service Commission presented our gift to Fr. Yaroslav Nalysnyk, pastor of Christ the King Ukrainian Catholic Church in Jamaica Plain, and members of the board of Ukraine Forward, Inc., the U.S.-based non-profit that will disperse the funds to City of Goodness… We will continue to keep you updated with news from City of Goodness – check out their Instagram (instagram.com/misto.dobra) for frequent updates and photos of this incredible place! Thanks again to all who contributed so generously!