Important Announcements – Page 15 – St. John – St. Paul Catholic Collaborative

August 22: A Message from Fr. Jim!

I hope that you are enjoying these last beautiful weeks of summer! It seems hard to believe that it has now been twelve weeks since the accident that upended my life – and by extension, life here at the Collaborative. I am progressing well in my physical therapy, and am so happy to be back in my home environment. I am now able to walk short distances with a forearm crutch – a big step forward from wheelchairs and walkers! As I continue to get stronger you may see me walking about the property or around town as part of my therapy and healing process. After so many weeks confined to hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and then the rectory, I am still getting used to being able to go outside – but I am thoroughly enjoying it!

The other part of my recovery is working through the invisible effects that impact anyone who has been through a traumatic, life-threatening accident…

Save the Date! Celebrating the Feast Day of St. Vincent de Paul

The SJSP St. Vincent de Paul Conference will be celebrating Saint Vincent de Paul’s Feast Day the weekend of September 24-25, 2022. Please follow notices here on the website and in the bulletin over the next several weeks to learn more about his life, the work we do guided by his vision of service to God through service to the poor in our community, and the details about our celebrations of our community.

On Sunday, September 25, we will culminate the festivities with a “community walk.” All parishioners are invited to join us as we walk from St. Paul Church to St. John the Evangelist Church after the 11:00am Mass at St. Paul.

Following the walk, we will welcome all parishioners back for the fall season with a barbecue lunch in the Saint John School parking lot after the 12:00pm Mass at St. John.

STAY TUNED – MORE DETAILS TO COME!

Attention Current (and Future!) Eucharistic Ministers and Lectors

We are pleased to announce an exciting development in the way we organize the ministries of the Mass – a return to parish volunteers coordinating the schedules (the norm before the many disruptions caused by the pandemic!) Dorene Christie will be coordinating the schedule of Eucharistic Ministers and Lectors for St. John, and Anne Cremonini and Leah Cinelli will be scheduling for St. Paul. You will be getting an email from them shortly since September – and the new schedule – are just around the corner!

On behalf of you, the parishioners, we thank our new coordinators for their service and look forward to lots of active participation in our vibrant liturgies! Mary Campion (mary.campion@sjspwellesley.org) will continue to be the staff liaison so if you would like to be part of ministry at Mass, please contact Mary, Dorene, Anne or Leah…

Fr. Jim Update – A Big Step Forward!

We are happy to let you know that after 7 long weeks, Fr. Jim has been cleared to continue his recovery and rehabilitation on an outpatient basis at the rectory.

As you can imagine, it is a great relief for Fr. Jim to finally be back home. It will still be quite some time before he will be able to resume his ministry, but this is a big step forward in his recovery.

Fr. Jim wanted us to share, again, how grateful he is for your prayers and support, and how much he appreciates the time and space you have given him to focus on his recovery.

We are sure that many of you will want to know how you can help Fr. Jim now. He asks only for your continued prayers, which have sustained him through this incredibly difficult time, and your patience as he transitions to this new phase of his recovery.

Please be assured that when Fr. Jim has more to share, we will share it with you!

Music Update: Goodbye Chelsea…

It is with great excitement and simultaneous sadness that we say goodbye this weekend to Chelsea Whitaker who has been with us as a collaborative musician for more than 5 years. Chelsea has been given a full-time coaching position with Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. Chelsea was a Doctoral Student at New England Conservatory of Music and after her studies joined the faculty there. Eastman is very blessed to have her, and NEC will miss her.

Being the constant professional she has always been, Chelsea connected us with an incredible student of hers currently in the Masters of Collaborative Piano program at NEC. His name is Michael Banworth and he will be joining us in the fall…

Friday, July 8: A Message from Fr. Jim!

Words cannot begin to express my profound gratitude to all of you. Your cards, letters, and expressions of support have sustained me through this most challenging period in my life! I am now deep in the work of the rehabilitation phase of my recovery. I suffered multiple fractures of my left leg and knee, requiring extensive surgery, and will not be cleared for weight bearing on that side for some time to come. Despite the frustration this brings and the patience it requires, I am encouraged by the progress I have made…

At the same time, I am acutely aware of the significant trauma caused by the accident – it has truly upended my life in every way possible. While I am very much looking forward to returning to the rectory once I am ready to continue my rehabilitation on an outpatient basis, I understand that it will still be quite some time before I will be able to resume my ministry…

July 3: Update on the St. Paul Bell Tower Project

The scaffolding is up and the work is about to begin! As you can see in the photo, the scaffolding is set up to allow access to the main doors of the church during construction.

This is a large undertaking, and represents a significant investment in St. Paul Parish. The total cost is budgeted to be $487,200, and the Parish has been approved for a short term loan from the Archdiocese to cover up to seventy-five percent of the budget. While we are fortunate to have additional income from the leasing of the school building, we still need the assistance of the St. Paul community to fund this project and to repay the loan…

Friday, July 1: Fr. Jim Update

We are happy to report that Fr. Jim’s recovery is continuing at a slow but steady pace. That means that there is no “new” news to report – but that truly is good news! When Fr. Jim has more to share, be assured we will share it with you!

Thank you for the warm welcome you have been giving our many guest celebrants – including Bishop Robert Reed, who celebrated the 9:00am Mass at St. Paul with us…

Friday, June 24: Fr. Jim Update

We’d love to provide a more detailed update, but there isn’t much to report – Fr. Jim’s recovery, as anticipated, is slow but steady. When Fr. Jim has more to share be assured we will share it with you!

He has, however, asked us to let you know how incredibly grateful he is for your prayers and support – and for all the cards and notes he has received! In fact, he noted after the last delivery that he has received so many lovely cards that he might actually run out of space to display them on the walls of his room!

He also wants everyone to know how much he appreciates the time and space he’s been afforded to focus on his recovery and rehabilitation.

Adoration Will Pause for the Summer Months

Our current schedule for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament (Mondays at 1:00pm at St. Paul Church and Fridays at 1:00pm at St. John Church) will continue through the month of June. Adoration at both churches will pause for the summer and resume in the fall.

There will be no Adoration at either church during the months of July and August.

Our final Adoration in June will take place Monday, June 27 at 1:00pm at St. Paul Church.