As you know, Massachusetts is bracing for a snowstorm that could bring more than 20 inches to some communities, with blizzard conditions expected in much of Eastern Massachusetts.
In making decisions about the Mass schedule this weekend, we must prioritize the safety of our parishioners, staff and clergy…
It is with my most sincere thanks, that after more than 5 years of shepherding our Collaborative Pastoral Council into existence and providing guidance, Leah Cinelli, Jon Bonsall, Ed Ryan and Jerry Kehoe have concluded their service to the Collaborative Pastoral Council. I am most grateful for their service to our Collaborative.
Please join me in welcoming the following parishioners to the CPC effective in January 2022. Each will serve a 3-year term beginning in September 2022.
Russ Morton, Odessa Sanchez and Dorene Christie will join Carolyn Anderson, Mary Mullen, and Rose Mary Donahue as representatives from St. John.
Katie Hamel, Julie Byrne and Michael Mastrianni will join Doug Smith, Donna Norwood and Eugenia Kennedy in representing St. Paul.
Our POWIR team is pleased to announce that our new residents have arrived. Three wonderful young adult men are now settled in the apartment. Two of them speak English very well and were in the midst of university studies in Afghanistan. They would like to resume these studies once their English skills reach that level. They are polite, enthusiastic, grateful, and very engaging young men. They play soccer and volleyball and are very interested in American culture.
The team is looking for people who could take them on outings such as bowling, sightseeing in Boston, hiking, or other entertainment. They will need to learn things such as how to ride the subway. If you are interested in helping out and meeting these new, very engaging young men, please contact Mary Campion.
Interested in learning more about the global Synodal Journey? The General Secretariat for the Synod of Bishops offers a periodic newsletter with news from around the world with initiatives and celebrations related to the synodal process. The most recent newsletter gives
With the current forecast calling for heavy snow and hazardous travel throughout the day, and with the safety of our parishioners and staff always at the forefront of our decisions, the 9:00am Mass at St. Paul and the 1:00pm Adoration at St. John on Friday, January 7 are cancelled.
The Collaborative Offices will also be closed, and staff will be working remotely. Messages and emails will be returned as soon as possible.
This Saturday, January 1, is the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. Mass for the Solemnity will be celebrated at 9:00am at St. Paul Church.
The Mass will also be streamed live on our website (and a recording of the Mass will be available on our Previously Streamed Liturgies and Events page after that.)
Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! (Phil 4:4). As I write these words, we have just celebrated the Third Sunday of Advent, know as Gaudete Sunday. The rose vestments and candle on the Advent wreath remind us that the Lord is near. And therefore, there is always cause for rejoicing. As I write I am also cognizant of the fact the for the second year, as we celebrate Christmas, the global pandemic continues to upend our lives on so many levels. People are weary. So many are suffering terribly. Injustices continue to be unveiled. And in our ever increasingly polarized society, the proverbial “peace on earth” declared by the angels seems elusive. Given all of this, how do we rejoice?
7:30am Mass at St. John Church
9:00am Family Mass at St. Paul Church
11:00am Mass at St. Paul Church
12:00pm Mass at St. John Church
There will be no Vigil Masses on the evening of December 25 for Sunday, December 26.
There will be no Sunday 5pm Youth Mass on Sunday, December 26 – we will see you at the next Sunday 5pm Youth Mass at St. John on Sunday, January 2!
In the light of spiking numbers of new COVID cases and the likely increase in those numbers in the upcoming holiday season, Cardinal Seán O’Malley has mandated the wearing of masks when attending public Masses, including weddings and funerals, throughout the Archdiocese of Boston, beginning next Saturday, December 18.
Masks will be required, regardless of vaccination status, beginning next weekend, December 18-19.
The St. John-St. Paul Collaborative is dedicated to both the prayerful and practical support of those experiencing loss. In the coming months, we will be hosting two special retreats.
In December, we will host “Blessed Are Those Who Mourn”, a half-day retreat offering Christ-centered consolation in the midst of grief.
In February, we will be hosting a one-day retreat with The Emmaus Ministry, which was founded to serve the unique spiritual needs of grieving parents…