Adult Faith Enrichment – Page 11 – St. John – St. Paul Catholic Collaborative

Synod News: “Instrumentum laboris” Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Instrumentum laboris (IL)?
As the Latin word suggests, the IL is first and foremost a working tool for the participants in the work of the first session of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. In this sense, the IL does not suggest answers, but notes, articulates some insights that have emerged in the process, opens up questions and invites further study.

It is therefore also a document for the discernment of the participants in the October 2023 Assembly. In fact, unlike previous synods for which the IL was a document to be amended, improved, in order to arrive at a new document, the current IL is primarily aimed at and in support of the assembly’s methodology…

Instrumentum laboris: Vatican releases Synod working document

On June 20, the secretariat for the synod published the working document (known by its Latin title instrumentum laboris) for the first session of the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on synodality that will be held in the Vatican from October 4 to October 29, 2023. The second session will be held in October 2024.

Cardinal Grech described the working document as “the fruit of a synodal process” that started on Oct. 10, 2021, and “involved the whole church” in an exercise of listening to the people of God…

Collaborative Book Club: “How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization”

We will continue with Chapters 5-6 of How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization, by Thomas E. Woods. (Available online and at local booksellers.)

In this short book, Professor Woods provides a survey of the Church’s contribution to literary preservation, education, science, art and architecture, law, economics, charity, and morality.

NEWCOMERS WELCOME! Meetings are in person on the 2nd and 4th Thursday evenings of each month at St. Paul. To register or make inquiries, please email: bookclub@sjspwellesley.org

New Collaborative Book Club!

A new permanent book club is being formed for our Collaborative, to read and discuss a variety of books pertaining to our Catholic faith.

Meetings are in person on the 2nd and 4th Thursday evenings of each month at St. Paul.

Our first meeting is on Thursday, June 8 from 7:00-8:30pm in the St. Paul Parish Hall. We will cover Chapters 1-4 of How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization, by Thomas E. Woods…

Synod Update: Big News from the Vatican

Last month, the Vatican announced that for the first time, lay people – including women – will serve as full members of the Synod of Bishops with voting rights, as part of a broader series of changes to the rules governing these papally convened summits. Under the previous norms, a synod was defined in canon law as a gathering of members, of which “the greater part are bishops” elected by their national bishops’ conference. Other members, usually bishops or male religious, were either appointed by the pope or by their religious institutes.

Attention All Volunteers! It is Annual CORI Submission Time!

Each year in the Spring, all staff and volunteers age 18 and older (including Eucharistic ministers and lectors, choir members and musicians, members of councils and commissions, ushers and counters, other Mass volunteers, etc.) must complete an annual Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) background screening (except for Religious Education volunteers who complete their screening in the early Fall), as mandated by civil and Archdiocese of Boston authorities.

Staff and volunteers will be available after each Mass this weekend, April 29-30, to assist you in completing your annual CORI form…

Evening for Women: Closing Mass on May 9 at 6:30pm at St. John

As the 2022-2023 Evening for Women season celebrating the “Angels Among Us” comes to a close, all women of the Collaborative are warmly invited to join us as Fr. Jim Laughlin celebrates Mass at St. John the Evangelist Church on Tuesday, May 9 at 6:30pm.

Mass will be followed by a pot-luck dinner so dust off those Spring recipes! If you are unable to attend in person, the Mass will be live-streamed.

Kindly RSVP…

Adult Faith Enrichment Program: Psalm 23 – “The Good Shepherd”

This is a 4-week program to reflect intently on Psalm 23, which takes us on a journey through the valleys of despair to the peaks of comfort, peace, and hope. Life is full of challenges and how we navigate those challenges shape our journey. Whether it be life changes from personal traumas, the loss of a loved one, facing our aging, or simply a desire to deepen your relationship with God, this psalm insures God’s accompaniment and love.

We will meet on Wednesday mornings at 9:30am in the St. Paul Rectory beginning May 10 – to register…

Adult Faith Enrichment Book Study: “Building a Bridge”

Christ came to call everyone, but He had a special devotion to those on the margins. If He were walking the earth today, He would likely have a ministry joyfully dedicated to our LGBT brothers and sisters. Here at the St. John-St. Paul Collaborative, we can be His hands and feet. Join us as we embark on a four-week study of Fr. James Martin, SJ’s essential book, “Building A Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity.”

Meetings will be held on Wednesday evenings at 7:00pm in the Collaborative Boardroom at the St. John Parish Center beginning May 10 – to register please…