Representatives from all Wellesley churches (including our own Fr. Jim!) are participating in this Community Reading of “What to a slave is the 4th of July” on Sunday, February 1 at 2:00pm at the Wellesley Hills Congregational Church.
All are invited!
An important message from Fr. Jim to the St. John community, offering a reflection as he enters his tenth year as our pastor and sharing details about the parish’s financial health.
Fr. Jim offers a glimpse of the Holy Spirit’s work of renewal in our parish, and invites us to consider how each of us is being called to support this work in real and tangible ways.
Thank you for taking the time to watch the video, carefully read the St. John Annual Financial Report and Annual Appeal that was recently mailed to all registered parishioners, and to consider the Spirit’s invitation to renewal at this time in your own life and the life of our parish.
An important message from Fr. Jim to the St. Paul community, offering a reflection as he enters his tenth year as our pastor and sharing details about the parish’s financial health.
Fr. Jim offers a glimpse of the Holy Spirit’s work of renewal in our parish, and invites us to consider how each of us is being called to support this work in real and tangible ways.
Thank you for taking the time to watch the video, carefully read the St. Paul Annual Financial Report and Annual Appeal that was recently mailed to all registered parishioners, and to consider the Spirit’s invitation to renewal at this time in your own life and the life of our parish.
Fr. Jim continues to recover well from his recent surgery, and he is very encouraged by the progress he’s making in physical therapy.
The timeline for his return to ministry will be guided by his medical team, and we will let you know once a plan is in place.
Fr. Jim is so grateful for your continued prayers, love, and support, and he looks forward to returning in the next few weeks.
As many of you know, in the spring of 2022 I sustained life-threatening injuries when I was struck by a vehicle as a pedestrian. I am now writing to let you know about a new development from my accident – the gift that keeps on giving!
As a direct result of the injuries I suffered, I need a total hip replacement, which is scheduled for this week. Due to the prior trauma, there are some additional complications associated with the procedure and recovery, but my surgeon assures me that it will greatly improve my quality of life. I’ve been told that my recovery from surgery will require several weeks, and my return to ministry at the Collaborative will be based on the progression of my rehabilitation and my doctor’s advice…
Forty years later, I still remember the darkness. It was all-pervasive in that December of 1984 in Leningrad, U.S.S.R. Aside from a short period of dawn in the late morning, day and night were the same. Dark and bitterly cold. Living through that winter gave me a new appreciation for the light I had so often taken for granted. I think of that darkness as I imagine Jesus as the Light, which Isaiah foretold: a light of power and searing warmth that transforms the darkest, coldest night into brilliant, glorious day. Jesus is the light that shines in darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
Jesus’s light also illumines dark places that had been hidden…
Our Pastor, Fr. Jim, and Kelly Meraw, our Director of Pastoral Care and Liturgy, have both spoken at recent School Committee meetings to explain the centrality of Good Friday in Christian belief and worship. We are grateful to all who have taken the time to share their thoughts with the School Committee, both during public comment and via email…
Thank you for recognizing that while we are speaking on behalf of our own Catholic Christian community, we are also in solidarity with the other faith/cultural communities involved in this discussion. In particular, we want to thank our high school students and the students from other faith/cultural traditions who spoke so eloquently about their own personal faith journeys and practices…
As we explained in last week’s bulletin, the WPS Academic Calendar Task Force has presented a recommended option to the School Committee that retains Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Lunar New Year as holidays. It also adds either Eid Al-Fitr or Eid Al-Adha (depending on the year) and removes Good Friday and Diwali as holidays.
Kelly Meraw, our Director of Pastoral Care and Liturgy, spoke at the School Committee meeting on October 29.
Fr. Jim Laughlin, our pastor, hopes to speak at the meeting on November 12.
All are encouraged to share comments with the School Committee via email at: School_Committee@wellesleyps.org or during the public comment…
My dear friends in Christ,
Leper. That is all we know of him. Deemed ritually impure, he was banished from society. He had lost everything: his family, his community… even his name. Leper. This classification became his identity. That is, until he encountered Jesus. Perhaps Jesus could help him. He was desperate. It was worth a shot. He knelt down before him and said, “If you wish, you can make me clean.”
Jesus’ response is astonishing, beginning with the compassion which motivated his actions. Our translation “moved with pity” doesn’t begin to capture the power of the Greek verb σπλαγχνίζομαι (splanchnizomai). Jesus was moved from the depths of his being…
From the Easter joy that was felt around our Sacred Fire at the Vigil on Saturday evening to the very last blessing on Sunday, the SJSP family rejoiced in the resurrection of Our Lord!
Here are some scenes from Holy Week and Easter at the St. John-St. Paul Collaborative –