Service and Outreach – Page 2 – St. John – St. Paul Catholic Collaborative

NPH Update: Guatemala

The St. John-St. Paul Collaborative has been a part of the Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (Our Little Brothers and Sisters) family since 2017. NPH provides periodic updates that we share in the bulletin and on the website to help us stay current on their amazing work!

My name is Chris and I am a senior at BC High School. Today, I would love the opportunity to share my recent experience on a trip to NPH Guatemala, what I experienced at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (“our little brothers and sisters”) and how we all play a part.

Last November, 19 Juniors and Seniors from my school traveled to NPH Guatemala for what I thought would be a generic service trip. To my surprise, it was far more than that. Our group toured the home, lived and ate rice and beans like the pequeños, visited other parts of Guatemala such as Antigua, and helped build an ecological recreation park for the children at the home, which honors a former pequeña Yocari – who recently passed away. Most importantly, our group spent a lot of time interacting with all the Pequeños at the home and seeing all that NPH provides them day in and day out…

SVDP Fill-A-Truck Event! October 12-13 at St. Paul

Saturday, October 12: 9:00am – 5:00pm

Sunday, October 13: 9:00am – 1:00pm

St. Paul Parking Lot
(behind the church – enter from Atwood St.)

Items Needed:
Clothing: men’s, women’s, children’s, shoes
Accessories: hats, scarves, costume jewelry
Linens: bedding, towels, sheets, blankets, kitchen linens
All donations must be bagged and in good/clean condition.

Clean out your closets and help those in need – let’s fill the truck! Thank you for helping us help others.

Questions? Need pickup for your donations? Email svdp@sjspwellesley.org during the week of October 6.

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…

Saturday, September 14: Under the Stars with Build the Faith

BUILD THE FAITH is a nonprofit organization inspired by the unwavering faith exhibited by Christina Dangond Lacouture, a member of St. John the Evangelist Parish who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer on December 12, 2012, at the tender age of 6.

A primary focus of the organization is the construction of Catholic churches in economically distressed areas… They are now assisting a church community in Cameroon where Fr. Gabriel served as pastor.

Please consider supporting Build the Faith’s efforts by attending this four-course fundraising dinner on Saturday, September 14 in Weston…

St. Katharine Drexel Food Pantry Collection – This Sunday, July 21 at St. John Church

The St. Katharine Drexel Food Pantry Collection will take place as scheduled this Sunday.

As always, please double bag your donations and drop at the Glen Road entrance to the church any time before 11:00am on Sunday morning.

Thank you for your continued generous support of our Food Pantry Collections, especially during the summer months when other resources such as school-based programs are unavailable and the need is great!

NPH Summer Events on the Cape and Nantucket!

Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) is thrilled to host two fundraising events in July on Cape Cod and Nantucket, where we will welcome Dr. Edwin Vallecillo as our guest speaker. Edwin grew up in our home in Honduras with his seven siblings, and with the support of NPH and donors, became a medical doctor. He was the National Medical Director for NPH before becoming the COO of NPH International.

Please join us at our event on Nantucket on July 24 or in Brewster on July 25 – and invite family and friends! More details can be found at…

St. Francis House Clothing Drive: Thank You!

Year after year, the Collaborative has been able to support the clothing needs of St. Francis House through the abundant generosity and good will of our parishioners. This year’s clothing drive, held on the weekend of June 1- 2, was no different!

Thank you to all who helped to make this drive a success by sharing in St. Francis House’s mission to support people experiencing homelessness and poverty. Your donations truly make a difference! Special thanks also to Shilan Yeung for coordinating our Collaborative’s effort and for maintaining this important partnership with St. Francis House. See the note of gratitude from the staff and guests of St. Francis House…

Thank You from NPH!

It is with sincerest gratitude that I thank you on behalf of the 8,000 children that Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) supports both living in our home full time and in the community.

Your generous donations to the Second Collection on April 27-28 raised almost $6,500 to help ensure the most vulnerable and orphaned children don’t have to worry about food, shelter, and medical care, and are provided with resources to exit the cycle of poverty and enter a better life for generations to come. NPH could not operate without thoughtful individuals like yourselves. Thank you!

A Wonderful Update from the Rwamuhinda Family!

Many of you will remember the Rwamuhinda family, the first family our POWIR Ministry team supported from their initial arrival in this country to their new, independent lives… In March of 2020, Emile and Rosine and five of their six children landed at Logan Airport… Sadly, their eldest daughter, Peace, who was 21 at the time, had to remain at the refugee camp for several more months before finally arriving in Boston in August of 2020.

We wanted to share the wonderful news that Peace has just completed her degree in psychology at Middlesex Community College! She plans to continue with more studies in the hope of becoming a therapist for people with disabilities…