“Welcoming the Stranger” – A Message from Cardinal O’Malley

“Welcoming the Stranger” – A Message from Cardinal O’Malley

Cardinal Seán wrote to pastors and the parishes of the Archdiocese regarding a growing humanitarian and societal crisis that is building in the Commonwealth and Archdiocese of Boston. The issue involves the fate of immigrants arriving daily in Massachusetts and in need of basic shelter and compassionate care.  The Cardinal’s letter is posted in it’s entirety below, and all parishioners are encouraged to take time to read it.

In the coming weeks, the Collaborative, with the help of our Collaborative Service Commission, will make every effort to respond generously and effectively to answer the call to “welcome the stranger” and give aid to our immigrant sisters and brothers.  Stay tuned for details!

October 8: Deacon Good News

October 8: Deacon Good News

Thank you for warmly welcoming Rita and me into the St. John-St Paul Collaborative community. It has only been a few weeks, and I see that this is a special place where God’s grace and His Holy Spirit shine.  As a Deacon, I am called to serve in three key areas:

1) I proclaim and preach the Word of God (Proclaiming)
2) I help, and encourage others to help, those needing spiritual support (Service)
3) I reach out to, and inspire others to reach out to, those who are having difficulty getting by (Charity)

I will begin offering office hours to facilitate related discussions in support of Service and Charity…

Service: “College Behind Bars” Mentoring Program

Service: “College Behind Bars” Mentoring Program

The Corporal Works of Mercy are found in the teachings of Jesus and give us a model for how we should treat all others, as if they were Christ in disguise. One of the Corporal Works of Mercy – to visit the imprisoned  – is at the heart of Prison Ministry programs.

In an effort re-launch our Prison Ministry work, our Collaborative Service Commission is working with a local organization, Partakers, to help recruit  mentors for their College Behind Bars program.  Partakers  pairs mentors with incarcerated men and women earning college degrees from Tufts University, Emerson College, Boston College, and Boston University… 

Our Collaborative Outdoor Mass is this Sunday, September 17 at 10:30am on the Lawn at St. Paul

Our Collaborative Outdoor Mass is this Sunday, September 17 at 10:30am on the Lawn at St. Paul

Please join us as we gather together as a community on the expansive lawn in front of St. Paul Church to celebrate our first Collaborative Outdoor Mass since 2019. Parishioners are invited to bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating. A section of chairs will be set up and available for those who require them due to mobility issues. We ask all others to please bring their own lawn chairs/blankets for seating. After Mass, please join us in the parking lot behind the church for fellowship, food, and fun! 

We will have a reduced Mass schedule on…

Welcome Sister Colleen!

Welcome Sister Colleen!

I am so happy to introduce you to Sister Colleen Gibson, SSJ, the new Coordinator of Pastoral Care for our Collaborative. Sister Colleen, whose primary office will be at the St. Paul Rectory Offices, will work in partnership with Kelly Meraw, our Director of Pastoral Care, on adult faith formation programs, service and outreach initiatives, and coordinating sacramental liturgies and services across the Collaborative. Below is a brief introduction – please join me in welcoming Sister Colleen to our Collaborative!

Sister Colleen Gibson, SSJ is a Sister of Saint Joseph from Philadelphia and recent graduate of the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry. An award-winning writer, her work appears regularly in Give Us This Day and the National Catholic Reporter…

Sunday, September 17 at 10:30am: Our Collaborative Outdoor Mass on the Lawn at St. Paul Church

Sunday, September 17 at 10:30am: Our Collaborative Outdoor Mass on the Lawn at St. Paul Church

Please join us on Sunday, September 17 for our first post-Covid Collaborative Outdoor Mass and fellowship event!  Putting to use everything we learned (and all the equipment we aquired!) celebrating outdoor Masses during Covid, we will gather as a Collaborative community on the expansive lawn in front of St. Paul Church for Mass – recreating what Fr. Jim calls “our own Tanglewood East!”  After Mass we’ll come together in the parking lot behind the church for fellowship, food, and fun!

Welcome Deacon Rick!

Welcome Deacon Rick!

I am thrilled to let you know that we will be welcoming a new deacon to our St. John-St. Paul Collaborative community! 

Rick Vatcher will be ordained a Permanent Deacon on September 9, and will be joining our Collaborative pastoral staff in a part-time capacity after that.

Below is a brief introduction – I know you will join me in welcoming him to the Collaborative!

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