Adult Faith Enrichment – Page 16 – St. John – St. Paul Catholic Collaborative

March 24: Ignatian Volunteer Corps Special Event with Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ (Zoom)

Are you retired or finished raising your family? Do you want to give back, enrich your spiritual life, and build community with other mature adults?

Through IVC you can make a difference in your community while living out the values of St. Ignatius of Loyola. As a member of the IVC, you’ll have the opportunity to serve those in need one or two days a week while also participating in spiritual formation in a community of peers who share a commitment to service.

Join us for a free virtual Info Session on Monday, March 24 at 3:00pm with Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ – founder of Homeboy Industries and a passionate advocate for community transformation…

Question for the Second Week of Lent: What promise is God inviting you to listen to and believe in this week?

Question for the Second Week of Lent: <i>What promise is God inviting you to listen to and believe in this week?</i>

This week’s readings about Abraham’s covenant with God and Jesus’s Transfiguration reveal that the divide between heaven and earth is sometimes smaller than we think. God is inviting us to listen and believe.

What promise is God inviting you to listen to and believe in this week? What prevents you from believing in the promises of God?

Young Adult Ministry: “Theology at the Table” – March 22 and April 4

This Lent, Young Adults in and around the Collaborative are invited to join us for “Theology at the Table.” A unique spin on Theology on Tap, using the dining room table the SJSP Young Adult Ministry has come to love, these dinners will offer an opportunity to gather with a special guest to discuss topics and grow in faith and community.

Our guest on March 22, Kayla August, a PhD Candidate at Boston College, will share with us about her own call as a preacher and to explore and reflect on the Burning Bush moments of our own lives. Our guest on April 4 needs no introduction – our pastor, Fr. Jim!

These dinners are open to young adults aged 21 to 40. Please register for one or both of these wonderful evenings by visiting…

Thursday, March 20: Lenten Gift Lecture – “Turning Dreams into Reality with Build the Faith”

Please join us on Thursday, March 20 at 7:00pm in St. John Powers Hall for “Turning Dreams into Reality with Build the Faith.” The evening will offer a comprehensive introduction to our 2025 Lenten Gift recipient, Build the Faith, and their current project which our gift will support – the building of a church in the Archdiocese of Bamenda, Cameroon.

Monica Lacouture and Fernando Dangond will share the story of Build the Faith, which was inspired by the unwavering faith in God exhibited by their daughter, Christina Dangond Lacouture, who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer at the tender age of 6.

Fr. Gabriel and Fr. Lesley, who both served as pastor in this community before joining us here in Wellesley, will share their experiences…

Question for the First Week of Lent: In what area of your life do you most need God’s presence…

Question for the First Week of Lent: <i>In what area of your life do you most need God’s presence…</i>

This year, as a Collaborative, each week in Lent we will offer a Question of the Week which will be related to the Sunday readings. The questions will be published in the bulletin and on the website, and proposed briefly before the final blessing at every Mass during the Lenten season. This is an opportunity for our Collaborative community to be praying in companionship with one another, while simultaneously examining our individual spirituality. Consider this a collaborative-wide Lenten mini retreat!

QUESTION FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF LENT: Our Responsorial Psalm today is a petition to God – “Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble”.

In what area of your life do you most need God’s presence and when have you seen the Lord provide for you when you were in trouble? Do you consider your need for God a strength or weakness?

Bible Study: “Women in the Old Testament Part Two” – Begins March 11

As Catholics, we often stick to the familiar stories from Scripture that we hear at Mass, but what about those stories that are few and far between in our lectionary?

This Lent, join us as we explore the creativity, courage, and leadership of women in the Old Testament and come to know ourselves and God more deeply through the lens of their stories. Using the Little Rock Scripture Study guide, Women in the Old Testament, Part Two, we will explore stories of women of the Bible such as such as Judith and Esther, whose complexities and gifts broke stereotypes and continue to reveal God to us. Please come to the first session prepared to discuss Lesson 1. No prior knowledge is required – only an open heart and mind, and a willingness to meet these holy figures in prayer and community.

Online registration has now closed – if you are interested please contact…

Tuesday, March 11: “Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Perspectives on Deaconesses”

7:00-8:30pm on Zoom
Conversations about renewing the ancient order of deaconess are lively in both the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic churches today. This event will compare the two conversations, with an eye to what is shared and what is different in terms of each church’s history, ecclesiology, and the intended roles for deaconesses today.

Young Adult Ministry: Lenten Resolutions – Saturday, March 1 at 6:00pm

Young Adults, aged 21 to 40, are invited to join the SJSP Young Adult Ministry for a Lenten Resolutions program.

As we prepare our hearts for the season of Lent, we’ll enjoy a simple supper and take time for personal and communal reflection on how God is inviting us to deepen our faith and practice during this Lenten season.

To help us plan for the evening, please let us know if you plan to join us…

Evening for Women “Prayer and Pancakes” – Tuesday, March 4 at 6:00pm at St. John

On the eve of Ash Wednesday, all women of the Collaborative are invited to our monthly Evening for Women program. The evening will begin with a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration punctuated by an invitation for all gathered to share music, poems, readings, art, and anything else that may be preparing our hearts for our Lenten journey or inspiring our prayer life.

Following the Holy Hour, we’ll enjoy a “Mardi Gras” pancake dinner – pancakes provided, attendees are invited to bring a drink or side to complement the meal!

To help us plan for the evening, please let us know if you plan to join us…

Saturday, March 29, 2025: “Care for Creation” Featured at Archdiocese of Boston Social Justice Convocation

Embark on a transformative journey as we usher in the Jubilee year of Hope with a day dedicated to the urgently needed Care for Creation, as inspired by Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’. This convocation promises to be both inspiring and thought-provoking, featuring:

* Mass celebrated by Archbishop Richard Henning
* Keynote address by Andrea Vicini, S.J., Chair of the Boston College Theology Department
* An engaging moderated discussion with three diverse panelists
* Workshops on pressing issues and actions

To register…