Telling the Story – Part 1: Introducing Ukraine Forward and City of Goodness

Telling the Story – Part 1: Introducing Ukraine Forward and City of Goodness

Day after day, we have watched and read about the horrific conditions that have beset Ukraine as a result of the Russian invasion. Millions of people have died or fled their homes as refugees. Families have been torn apart and many individuals who have survived are struggling with serious injuries and terrible living conditions.

To find out how best to help, we contacted the pastor of Christ the King Ukrainian Catholic Church in Jamaica Plain, Fr. Yaroslav Nalysnyk. He recommended and vouched for Ukraine Forward, an initiative of the Ukrainian Educational Foundation of Boston…

Myron Kravchuk, a Christ the King parishioner and founder of Ukraine Forward, met with the Service Commission to discuss their history, mission, and current projects. One new project is with City of Goodness, a social service center for women and children. With the onset of the war, it has become a shelter for women and children from across Ukraine…

Second Week of Lent: The Third Word – “Woman, here is your son. Here is your mother.”

Second Week of Lent: The Third Word – “Woman, here is your son. Here is your mother.”

Of all of the phrases uttered by our dying Lord, there are none so tender as these spoken to his mother and to his beloved disciple. This gesture seemed so important to Jesus that it seemed as if it had loomed as the last piece of unfinished business of his earthly life.

Some questions to bring to prayer this week include: 

How might this scene help you to care for the people whom you love in your life?

Do you feel free to ask others for help? Are there certain circumstances or certain people that make it easier or more difficult to ask?

How does this gospel scene impress you as an adult child? How does it touch you as a parent? Watch the news, read the paper, and recognize the faces of other parents who suffer because of their children’s suffering. Pray for them.
 

Reconciliation Service for Confirmation Candidates – This Friday, March 3 at 6pm at St. John

Reconciliation Service for Confirmation Candidates – This Friday, March 3 at 6pm at St. John

Are you being confirmed this year? Has it been a while since your last confession? Are you a little nervous about it but really want to receive the sacrament? Please join your fellow students in a private service at St. John’s Chapel on Friday March 3rd at 6PM. 

Not sure if you’ll be ready to receive the sacrament on Friday? That’s OK – please come anyway, and encourage your friends to come too! There will be no pressure, just an open invitation to experience God’s love and mercy.

There will be music, a brief reading from scripture, a short reflection, and a walk through an examination of conscience.  The Youth Ministry team will walk you through all the steps to leaving a little lighter and filled with God’s mercy…

IMPORTANT! OFFICES CLOSED and EVENING CONFESSIONS CANCELLED on Tuesday, February 28

IMPORTANT! OFFICES CLOSED and EVENING CONFESSIONS CANCELLED on Tuesday, February 28

Due to the forecast for snow and  ice and hazardous travel, all Collaborative Offices will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, February 28.

In addition, the 7:00pm Confessions at St. Paul on Tuesday evening are cancelled.  

Confessions have been rescheduled to Wednesday, March 1 at 7:00pm at St. Paul.

As always, these decisions are made with the safety of our parishioners, staff, and clergy always at the forefront of our minds. Please stay safe!

March 4-5: 2023 Catholic Appeal Launch

March 4-5: 2023 Catholic Appeal Launch

This weekend, March 4-5, the 2023 Catholic Appeal will officially launch here in our parishes and across the Archdiocese. One of the most meaningful ways that we witness the presence of Christ and deepen the impact of our Church’s ministries is by supporting the Catholic Appeal.

As your pastor, I invite you to prayerfully consider extending your generosity to this year’s appeal. Many of you have already done so and I am deeply grateful. When our parishes reach their goals, a portion of the additional funds received will be returned to us for use in our parishes.

To make a gift online…

Announcing Our 2023 Collaborative Lenten Gift: City of Goodness in Ukraine

Announcing Our 2023 Collaborative Lenten Gift: City of Goodness in Ukraine

City of Goodness is a social service and support center that was originally established to care for women and children fleeing domestic violence. With the onset of the war, City of Goodness has become a shelter for women with children, families (with their pets!) and elderly people from all over Ukraine. They settle them, feed them, provide medical treatment, and try to make this time a little less traumatic for the little ones. They have also taken in evacuees from three orphanages from the South of Ukraine – children from birth to 7 years – and are constructing additional buildings (with bomb shelters) so they can accommodate another two hundred evacuee children.

Our gift will help with construction costs and the constant need for food, medicine, hygiene items, pillows, baby food and formula, and clothing…

First Week of Lent: The Second Word – “Father forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”

First Week of Lent: The Second Word – “Father forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”

Can you recall a hurt that has taken hold of you, one that you can’t seem to let go? Have you noticed how it can drain your energy and attention? How it can turn you into the sort of person that you really don’t want to be? As you mediate on the words of Jesus this week, consider how he invites you to follow his example.

Here are some thoughts and questions for your consideration during this week:

Imagine this gospel scene. Speak to Jesus about his forgiveness for those who have hurt him.

How does this prayer of Jesus influence the way in which Jesus dies?

A Lenten Message from Fr. Jim

A Lenten Message from Fr. Jim

Last June 2, when I came to consciousness on the pavement after having been hit by a car at high velocity, I truly saw my life flash before me. Somehow, in that moment of shock, pain, and disorientation, I knew that Jesus was with me. Over the next many months of hospitalization and rehabilitation, I had a lot of time to reflect on my experience. I could easily have died on that pavement and yet God spared my life. I have a renewed sense that I am here on this earth for a purpose. And I firmly believe that this is true not only for me but for each one of us. You are in this world for a purpose, one which only you can fulfill. God loves you profoundly and has called you… in your family, your profession, your relationships… to bring His light into the world. I see the fruits of your call every day…

Instead of Giving Something Up For Lent, Consider Give Something Back

Instead of Giving Something Up For Lent, Consider Give Something Back

Make a real difference this Lenten Season by helping families struggling to pay bills and put food on the table.

This Ash Wednesday, a special collection will be taken up in every parish across the Archdiocese of Boston in support of Catholic Charities Boston. Catholic Charities helps thousands of families across Eastern Massachusetts, providing food, shelter, utilities assistance, childcare and youth programming, refugee and immigrant services, and adult education with a mission of moving people toward self-sufficiency.

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