The annual Giving Tree Program starts November 11 and runs through December 3.
This year, we will have our usual gift tags with the requested items listed as well as QR codes that can be scanned to access specific Amazon Wish Lists to make giving even easier with a few clicks from your cell phone!
The scannable QR codes will be posted and the physical tags will be placed on boards (then moved to the Christmas trees) in the St. Paul Sanctuary beginning November 11 through Sunday, December 3…
The voting delegates participating in the Synod on Synodality began work on Wednesday, October 18 on the fourth Module of the Assembly, the last one dedicated to examining the contents of the Instrumentum laboris.
The fourth Module deals with the themes of Section B3 of the Instrumentum laboris, the one dedicated to participation – “Participation, governance and authority. What processes, structures and institutions in a missionary synodal Church?”
Please join your prayers to theirs in the beautiful, exciting albeit exhausting work. Pray the Holy Spirit will inspire and guide their Conversations in the Spirit.
All are invited to join the Archdiocese of Boston in celebrating 15 years of education, inspiration, and collaboration with outstanding people working to promote Catholic Social Teaching, Justice, and Peace. We will also be honoring, with deep gratitude, the contributions of Cardinal Seán O’Malley and Fr. J. Bryan Hehir for their spiritual leadership over the past 15 years. The Convocation is free and virtual.
Fr. Hehir, RCAB Secretary for Health and Social Services, will begin by explaining what he calls the “Moral Triangle” of urgent and intersecting issues in Boston today: lack of affordable housing, food insecurity, and immigration…
On Monday, October 9, the Synod’s General Rapporteur, Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, reflected on the previous week’s work on Module A of the Instrumentum Laboris, and introduced Module B.
“In the first module, we reconnected with the experience of the ‘journeying together’ of the People of God over the past two years. We worked to bring the synodal Church into sharper focus as a comprehensive vision… We gained experience in using the methodology of Conversation in the Spirit and can thus feel more at ease in a way of walking together that we will continue to practice. Above all, we have begun to weave relationships and build bonds. We have begun to move from the ‘I’ to the ‘we’.”
The sad and tragic historical truth is that the people of the Middle East have long suffered the scars and burdens of war. Even in this historical perspective, the massive military assault by Hamas on the State of Israel and its citizens stands as one of the worst moments in this long history. This act of aggression requires a clear condemnation in human, moral and legal terms. Both the purpose of the attack and its barbaric methods are devoid of moral or legal justification. There is no room for moral ambiguity on this issue. Resisting such terrorism and aggression is the moral duty of states to be carried out within moral limits…
Thank you for warmly welcoming Rita and me into the St. John-St Paul Collaborative community. It has only been a few weeks, and I see that this is a special place where God’s grace and His Holy Spirit shine. As a Deacon, I am called to serve in three key areas:
1) I proclaim and preach the Word of God (Proclaiming)
2) I help, and encourage others to help, those needing spiritual support (Service)
3) I reach out to, and inspire others to reach out to, those who are having difficulty getting by (Charity)
I will begin offering office hours to facilitate related discussions in support of Service and Charity…
Sign-up and first rehearsal will take place Sunday, October 29 from 11:15am-12:15pm in the St. John Chapel. Participation is open to all St. John and St. Paul parishioners in grades 1-8. Students in grades 9-12 are encouraged to participate as assistants – Community Service and Confirmation hours/credits are earned. Adult Family members are invited to join our Family Mass Musician Group for Christmas Eve. Attendance at rehearsals is required.
This year, the Christmas Youth Choir will participate in the 4:00pm Christmas Eve Family Mass at St. John (3:30 candlelight procession and prelude.) All rehearsals are in St. John Chapel…
The Corporal Works of Mercy are found in the teachings of Jesus and give us a model for how we should treat all others, as if they were Christ in disguise. One of the Corporal Works of Mercy – to visit the imprisoned – is at the heart of Prison Ministry programs.
In an effort re-launch our Prison Ministry work, our Collaborative Service Commission is working with a local organization, Partakers, to help recruit mentors for their College Behind Bars program. Partakers pairs mentors with incarcerated men and women earning college degrees from Tufts University, Emerson College, Boston College, and Boston University…
Prior to the opening of the Synod on Synodality, voting delegates gathered at Fraterna Domus in Sacrofano for a three day retreat in spiritual preparation for the Synod. A series of meditations were prepared for the retreat by Rev. Timothy Radcliffe, O.P., a Dominican Friar and former Master of the Order of Preachers.
In the meditation titled “Friendship”, Fr. Radcliffe shared:
Preaching the gospel is never just communicating information. It is an act of friendship…
After vendor and supply-chain delays which added months to the project timeline, the structural work on the St. Paul bell tower, including new beams to support the weight of the bell, is now 100% complete.
We have moved into the final phase of the project, which is the replacement of the bell’s electronic ringing mechanisms.
This work is scheduled to be completed within three to four months – we will keep you posted!