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…
In a letter addressed to bishops and eparchs from all over the world, Cardinal Mario Grech, General Secretary of the Synod, invites the faithful from around the world to prayerfully participate in the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops that opens in the Vatican this Wednesday, October 4.
The Cardinal reminds everyone that the Synodal Assembly is above all an event of prayer and listening that involves not only the members of the Assembly, but every baptized person. All of us are called to unite in prayer and invocation of the Holy Spirit to guide us in discerning what the Lord is asking of the Church today…
By tradition, the Church dedicates each month of the year to a certain devotion. October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary, the best known of all Catholic devotions. Join members of our Collaborative Staff and the Adult Faith Enrichment (AFE) team (and some special guests!) as they pray the rosary on Instagram at 8:00am every weekday morning in October.
We look forward to growing our relationship with the Blessed Mother this month as she intercedes for us to her son and Our Lord Jesus Christ…
All parishioners are invited to participate in a Bible study using the book: Texts Less Traveled: Exploring Hebrews, the Catholic Epistles, and Revelation by Thomas D. Stegman, SJ (Paulist Press).
We will discus the Catholic Epistles: James; 1 and 2 Peter (Jude); and 1, 2, and 3 John. The last session will be an introduction to the Book of Revelation.
We shall meet in the St. Paul Parish Hall at 10:00am on the following Wednesdays: October 4, 11, 18, 25, November 1
For more information or to sign up please email: biblestudy@sjspwellesley.org
All women of the Collaborative are invited to our opening “Evening for Women” program on Tuesday, October 3 at 6:30pm at St. John the Evangelist Parish. Our featured speaker will be our very own Sister Colleen Gibson, SSJ, who will explore the topic “Wandering in Wonder: Finding Ourselves and God along the Way” as she invites us into the story of her own faith journey as a means of discovering the ways God calls each of us to be and become exactly who we’re meant to be.
After our program in the Lower Chapel (more info coming soon!) we will gather in Powers Hall for a potluck dinner – please bring a dish or beverage to share! Invite a friend or neighbor to come along! To help us plan for the evening, please RSVP…
If you have experienced the death of a loved one and are looking for meaning and consolation, we invite you to join our Fall Seasons of Hope group. Seasons of Hope is a Christ-centered group where we will be able to share and learn from each other as we walk together in faith on our unique journey of grief.
The group will be facilitated by Kelly Meraw, Sr. Colleen Gibson SSJ, and Anne Mears, and we look forward to welcoming you with great love. There will be 6 sessions on Mondays from 5:00-6:30pm at St. John the Evangelist Church (Powers Hall) beginning on Monday, October 9…
Please join us as we gather together as a community on the expansive lawn in front of St. Paul Church to celebrate our first Collaborative Outdoor Mass since 2019. Parishioners are invited to bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating. A section of chairs will be set up and available for those who require them due to mobility issues. We ask all others to please bring their own lawn chairs/blankets for seating. After Mass, please join us in the parking lot behind the church for fellowship, food, and fun!
We will have a reduced Mass schedule on…
The SJSP Book Club will meet Thursday, September 14 at 7:00pm in the St. Paul Rectory to begin a study of Women of Hope: Doctors of the Church by Terry Polakovic. The book covers Saints Teresa of Ávila, Catherine of
October 2023 will begin a process of communal discernment in a month-long Vatican assembly of Bishops, Cardinals, Priests, Consecrated, and Lay People representing the experiences of the whole People of God at the Synod on Synodality. Throughout this two year process, their guiding document will be the Instrumentum Laboris, a document which was compiled from the sharing of millions of Catholics worldwide participating in the Continental Stage of the Synod… For the first time in history, women (more than 50!) will be voting delegates of the Synod. A significant area of focus for the Synod will be the equal baptismal dignity of Women in the Church…
I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is also a minister (diakonos) of the church at Cenchreae,
that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the holy ones,
and help her in whatever she may need from you, for she has been a benefactor to many and to me as well.
-Romans 16:1,2