Adult Faith Enrichment – Page 29 – St. John – St. Paul Catholic Collaborative

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…

Evening for Women with Dr. Jaime Waters: “The Women Surrounding Jesus at His Crucifixion, Death and Resurrection” – Tuesday, April 11 at 6:00pm

TThe Women’s Night Planning Committee is excited to announce that Dr. Jaime Waters will be our speaker on Tuesday, April 11! Dr. Waters is an Associate Professor of the Old Testament at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry with a particular interest in women in Scripture. In this Easter Season, Dr. Waters’ presentation will focus on The Women Surrounding Jesus at His Crucifixion, Death and Resurrection.

Please join us in the St. John Chapel (lower level of the church) for Dr. Waters’ presentation at 6:00pm, followed by supper in Powers Hall. Dinner will be provided – please bring a dessert to share! Please RSVP at https://sjspwellesley.org/evening-for-women/

Dr. Waters’ presentation will be streamed live on our website for those who cannot attend in person…

Sixth Week of Lent (Holy Week): The Seventh Word – “It is finished.”

Of all the seven last words, the words, “It is finished” sound more like words of self-reflection than any others. They are not like the interactive words spoken to Mary and John; neither are they like the reconciling words spoken to the repentant thief; nor, it seems, are they like the words of anguish and committal addressed to the Father. Instead, these words seem to be those of a man who, at the point of dying, looks back at his living to see it as a unified whole. He has come to do the will of the One who sent him. Here are some thoughts and questions for your consideration this week:

Can you look back on your life and see a pattern? Can you see how God’s will has been at work in it?