Adult Faith Enrichment – Page 4 – St. John – St. Paul Catholic Collaborative

Young Adult Ministry is underway at the Collaborative!

Special thanks to those young adults who were able to join us for our first Meet and Greet this past Saturday. Our group of 12 (how’s that for a biblical number?!) filled the St. John’s Rectory with joy and laughter as we embarked on this new venture. The group has begun brainstorming ideas for upcoming programming and will gather again soon. Keep your eyes on the bulletin and website (and follow us on Instagram @sjspwellesley.org!) for more information.

And if you’re a young adult (between the ages of 21 and 40) interested in taking part in this new ministry, please visit sjspwellesley.org/adult-faith-enrichment/young-adults to sign up for our mailing list, so you never miss what’s happening – including a new survey out this week!

Updates from the Synod: Day 1 – Opening Mass

Our parishioner, Svea Fraser, is in Rome with the Discerning Deacons/CEAMA Pilgrims and will be sending us updates from their journey!

The Discerning Deacons/CEAMA Pilgrims arrived over the past two days, 55 pilgrims representing five countries and both hemispheres! Even before we got here, we were filled with great joy when we learned about the private audience that Pope Francis held for nine women from our group, among them Casey Stanton, Sister Elizabeth Young and the women leaders from the Amazon. It was a surprising opportunity for them to speak personally and offer support for a synodal church and to pray for him. As one of the Spanish speakers relayed to me, she could feel the weight of his mission and felt his compassion and the weight of the papacy on his heart, and his knees!

Tuesday, October 1: Evening for Women – “Women in Sacred Music”

All women of the Collaborative are invited to join us for our first event of the year: Women in Sacred Music

Tuesday, October 1 from 6:00 – 8:00pm at St. John the Evangelist Church (Powers Hall and Lower Chapel).

With guest speaker William Endicott – come and hear our new Collaborative Director of Music share about the significant contributions of women in sacred music.

Stay for a pot-luck supper! Bring a dish to share. Invite a friend! To help us plan for the evening, please let us know if you’re coming…

Young Adult Ministry Meet & Greet: Saturday, September 28 following the 5pm Mass

Young Adult Ministry <i>Meet & Greet</i>: Saturday, September 28 following the 5pm Mass

Young Adults in their 20s and 30s are invited to join our new young adult ministry for a meet & greet over dinner on Saturday, September 28 in the St. John Rectory following the 5PM Mass at St. John.

Come for an informal chance to meet other young adults, share a meal, and talk about what you’re looking for in this new ministry in the Collaborative. Even if you can’t make the 5PM Mass, feel free to join us at the Rectory (the house behind the church) around 6PM. All are welcome!

Please let us know below if you are coming by…

Our Collaborative Outdoor Mass

Please join us on Sunday, September 22 at 10:30am on the St. Paul Lawn for our annual Collaborative Outdoor Mass and fellowship event!

NEW THIS YEAR! Our SJSP Society of St. Vincent de Paul chapter is sponsoring a cookout after Mass, providing hotdogs, hamburgers, and veggie burgers for all! Please plan to bring a side dish/salad to share if you are able!

So that as many members of our community as possible can join together for this special liturgy and fellowship event, there will be a reduced Mass schedule at the parishes on the weekend of September 21-22…

Bible Study: Women in the Old Testament – Begins October 8

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 fall, 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. Journeying with women such as Sarah, Deborah, and Ruth, this study will explore Israel’s beginnings, captivity and freedom, and tribal period from the perspective of the earliest women of salvation history.

No prior knowledge is required – only an open heart and mind, and a willingness to meet these holy figures in prayer and community…

Collaborative Book Club: “The Everlasting Man” by G.K. Chesterton – Begins September 26

Our first meeting of the new season will be Thursday, September 26, at 7:00pm in the St. Paul office building. Our book will be G.K. Chesterton’s The Everlasting Man.

Considered by many to be Chesterton’s greatest masterpiece of all his writings, this is his whole view of world history as informed by the Incarnation. Beginning with the origin of man and the various religious attitudes throughout history, Chesterton shows how the fulfillment of all of man’s desires takes place in the person of Christ and in Christ’s Church.

For the first meeting, we will discuss Part One, Chapters 1-4.

This Thursday, September 12: Wellesley Interfaith Lay Dialogue Event: “Synodality: A Language of Listening”

This Thursday, September 12: <i>Wellesley Interfaith Lay Dialogue</i> Event: “Synodality: A Language of Listening”

In late April, Temple Beth Elohim hosted a beautiful night of Shabbat services and interfaith sharing. Members of faith communities throughout the Wellesley community were invited to worship together and hear reflections from representative clergy. From that beautiful event the idea for an interfaith lay ministry arose. Members of various congregations met together and formed the Wellesley Interfaith Lay Dialogue – WILD – whose aim is to explore opportunities for lay conversation and collaboration.

Our first event, facilitated by Kelly Meraw, will be held on Thursday, September 12 at 7:00pm at Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley. The topic of the evening’s dialogue will be “Synodality: A Language of Listening”…

Seasons of Hope: Fall 2024 – Begins September 23

If you have experienced the death of a loved one and are searching for meaning and consolation, we invite you to join our 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.

Fall Session Begins September 23. We will gather from 5:00pm – 6:30pm at St. John the Evangelist Church in Powers Hall (lower level of the church) on the following dates: September 23, September 30, October 7, October 14, October 21, and October 28.

Registration is required: for more information and to register please visit…

Fall Bible Study: Isaiah Part Two – Begins September 18

You are invited to join a 6-session Little Rock study of the second part of the prophet Isaiah, chapters 40 to 66. (Part 1 is not required as a prerequisite.)

Dates: September 18, 25; October 2, 9, 16, 23

Time: Wednesdays at 9:30 am

Place: St Paul Parish Hall

Following the oracles of destruction that dominate the earlier portion of the book of Isaiah, Part Two of our study covers Isaiah 40–66, emphasizing the majesty of God and the divine plan for Israel’s restoration…