Ministering to the Catholic Community at Wellesley College

Ministering to the Catholic Community at Wellesley College

Late last spring, a group of Catholic students at Wellesley College reached out to Kelly Meraw, Director of Pastoral Care and Liturgy, asking for guidance in how they could arrange for Sunday Mass to be celebrated regularly on campus. Kelly and Sr. Colleen Gibson, our Pastoral Care Coordinator, worked with the chaplain at Wellesley College to schedule weekly Confessions and  Sunday Mass in Houghton Chapel for the students.

We are so grateful for the presence of Fr. Gabriel, our Parochial Vicar, and our Scholar Priests in Residence, Fr. Lesley and Fr. James, which makes this ministry possible.

The Wellesley College Newman Catholic  Student Organization has asked Kelly to serve as their Advisor, and she and Sr. Colleen will continue to work with this group to provide pastoral care and leadership to these young Catholic women residing in our parish…

Young Adult Ministry is underway at the Collaborative!

Young Adult Ministry is underway at the Collaborative!

Special thanks to those young adults who were able to join us for our first Meet and Greet this past Saturday. Our group of 12 (how’s that for a biblical number?!) filled the St. John’s Rectory with joy and laughter as we embarked on this new venture. The group has begun brainstorming ideas for upcoming programming and will gather again soon. Keep your eyes on the bulletin and website (and follow us on Instagram @sjspwellesley.org!) for more information.

And if you’re a young adult (between the ages of 21 and 40) interested in taking part in this new ministry, please visit  sjspwellesley.org/adult-faith-enrichment/young-adults  to sign up for our mailing list, so you never miss what’s happening –  including a new survey out this week! 

Updates from the Synod: Day 1 – Opening Mass

Updates from the Synod: Day 1 – Opening Mass

Our parishioner, Svea Fraser, is in Rome with the Discerning Deacons/CEAMA Pilgrims and will be sending us updates from their journey!

The Discerning Deacons/CEAMA Pilgrims arrived over the past two days, 55 pilgrims representing five countries and both hemispheres!  Even before we got here, we were filled with great joy when we learned about the private audience that Pope Francis held for nine women from our group, among them Casey Stanton, Sister Elizabeth Young and the women leaders from the Amazon. It was a surprising opportunity for them to speak personally and offer support for a synodal church and to pray for him. As one of the Spanish speakers relayed to me, she could feel the weight of his mission and felt his compassion and the weight of the papacy on his heart, and his knees!

September 29-29: Second Collection for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul

September 29-29: Second Collection for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul

Each year, on the weekend closest to the Feast of St. Vincent de Paul (September 27), our Collaborative Conference of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) asks for your help in funding our mission – to provide urgently needed assistance to our neighbors in need for the basic necessities of life. 

Our Second Collection this weekend supports this on-going work. Special SJSP SVdP envelopes are available in the churches, and checks may be made out  to the “SJSP Conference SVDP Society” and placed in the collection or mailed/dropped to either parish office. Gifts may also be made online at sjspwellesley.org/svdp

Please help us to help the many friends in need in our community with your generous donations.

Tuesday, October 1: Evening for Women – “Women in Sacred Music”

Tuesday, October 1: Evening for Women – “Women in Sacred Music”

All women of the Collaborative are invited to join us for our first event of the year: Women in Sacred Music

Tuesday, October 1 from 6:00 – 8:00pm at St. John the Evangelist Church (Powers Hall and Lower Chapel).

With guest speaker William Endicott – come and hear our new Collaborative Director of Music share about the significant contributions of women in sacred music.

Stay for a pot-luck supper! Bring a dish to share. Invite a friend!  To help us plan for the evening, please let us know if you’re coming…

NPH Update: Guatemala

NPH Update: Guatemala

The St. John-St. Paul Collaborative has been a part of the Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (Our Little Brothers and Sisters) family since 2017. NPH provides periodic updates that we share in the bulletin and on the website to help us stay current on their amazing work!

My name is Chris and I am a senior at BC High School. Today, I would love the opportunity to share my recent experience on a trip to NPH Guatemala, what I experienced at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (“our little brothers and sisters”) and how we all play a part.

Last November, 19 Juniors and Seniors from my school traveled to NPH Guatemala for what I thought would be a generic service trip. To my surprise, it was far more than that. Our group toured the home, lived and ate rice and beans like the pequeños, visited other parts of Guatemala such as Antigua, and helped build an ecological recreation park for the children at the home, which honors a former pequeña Yocari – who recently passed away. Most importantly, our group spent a lot of time interacting with all the Pequeños at the home and seeing all that NPH provides them day in and day out…

A Message from Fr. Jim: New Seasons and New Beginnings – Thanking Maria Wardwell

A Message from Fr. Jim: New Seasons and New Beginnings – Thanking Maria Wardwell

No matter how long we’ve been out of school, the beginning of September always feels like the start of something new, and this year is no exception. I am particularly excited this year about the launch of the choral season at the Collaborative, under the direction of William Endicott, our new Director of Music. Over the summer, William announced the debut of a new Collaborative Children’s Choir, open to children in grades 3-7 (with some flexibility, just ask!) The choir will be singing the 9:00am Family Mass each week during the school year, as well as Family Masses on Christmas Eve and Easter Sunday… 

At this time, it is important to acknowledge and thank Maria Wardwell, who has served for more than 20 years as the Director of Christmas & Easter Youth Choirs for St. John the Evangelist Parish, and in recent years for the Collaborative. Beginning as the cantor for the St. John Family Mass more than 20 years ago, she continued in that role after we moved to our Collaborative Family Mass program…

SVDP Fill-A-Truck Event! October 12-13 at St. Paul

SVDP Fill-A-Truck Event! October 12-13 at St. Paul

 Saturday, October 12: 9:00am – 5:00pm

Sunday, October 13: 9:00am – 1:00pm

St. Paul Parking Lot
(behind the church –  enter from Atwood St.)

Items Needed:
Clothing: men’s, women’s, children’s, shoes
Accessories: hats, scarves, costume jewelry
Linens: bedding, towels, sheets, blankets, kitchen linens
All donations must be bagged and in good/clean condition. 

Clean out your closets and help those in need – let’s fill the truck! Thank you for helping us help others.

Questions?  Need pickup for your donations?  Email svdp@sjspwellesley.org  during the week of October 6.

Important Informational Meeting for the Youth Ministry “Jubilee of Youth 2025” Pilgrimage

Important Informational Meeting for the Youth Ministry “Jubilee of Youth 2025” Pilgrimage

Our Youth Ministry Team is organizing a pilgrimage for students age 16 & up to the Jubilee of Youth  which will take place from July 28  – August 3, 2025 in Rome. The preliminary itinerary includes a few days in Florence and Assisi before heading to Rome for the Jubilee.  (Please Note: All dates and events are still tentative as we work with our travel agent to finalize the plans.) 

All teens (and their parents!) who are interested should plan to attend this important meeting.  Registration and commitments for the pilgrimage will happen by the beginning of October…

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