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

A Message from Our Friends at NPH

As we begin 2026, I’d like to share a story of hope and resilience from one of our NPH homes.

The NPH home in the Dominican Republic is a place of love and stability for more than 600 children and adults. Among its many programs is one especially close to our hearts: providing a safe home, therapies, and lifelong care for more than 31 individuals with severe disabilities and special needs—19 of whom will be lovingly supported by NPH for the rest of their lives.

Today, I want to introduce you to one of these children: a little boy named Kervens, whose life has been transformed thanks to the generosity of supporters like you…

Winter Walk Postponed to Sunday, March 22!

From the organizers: “Due to external factors directly associated with the impact of the recent record snowstorm and sustained frigid temperatures, the Winter Walk event cannot be set up on Boston Common this month, and has been rescheduled to March 22, 2026.”

If you already registered, registrations and donations for “Capuchin Mobile Ministries” will carry over to the new date.

Stay tuned for more information about plans for Sunday, March 22!

An Update on the Progress at St. John Paul II Church in the Archdiocese of Bamenda, Cameroon

Last year’s Lenten Gift campaign supported BUILD THE FAITH’s project to construct a church for the St. John Paul II community in the Archdiocese of Bamenda, Cameroon where Fr. Gabriel and Fr. Lesley both served as pastor. This thriving, faith filled community was celebrating the sacraments in a converted chicken coop that only held about half the congregation.

Our gift is helping BUILD THE FAITH turn the dream of a proper church where the community could worship together into a reality! Please see this post from last spring for an important recap of this amazing project – and check out the amazing progress pictures below!

We’re Joining Capuchin Mobile Ministries for “Winter Walk 2026” on Sunday, February 8!

Please consider joining us on the Capuchin Mobile Ministries Winter Walk Team to help raise awareness and vital funds for those experiencing homelessness. All are welcome – individuals, families, adults, kids – even dogs! It’s a great opportunity to join together in service with other members of our SJSP community! While those who are able to fundraise or make a personal donation for Capuchin Mobile Ministries are encouraged to do so, it not required to participate in the walk…

A group from the Collaborative is taking the Green Line in to Boston from the Riverside T Station in Newton…

Do You Love to Knit/Crochet? Help Make Baby Items for our Mother’s Day “Baby Shower” for Pregnancy Help Boston!

We will host our Annual Mother’s Day “Baby Shower” on May 9-10, 2026 to collect much needed items for the clients of Pregnancy Help Boston, a pregnancy resource center supported through the Archdiocese of Boston that provides compassionate, practical, life-affirming alternatives for women facing crisis pregnancies.

We also provided handmade baby items like hats and blankets for newborns, and the staff at Pregnancy Help have remarked on the quality of the knitted items – many women who come to Pregnancy Help are alone, so having such a unique and special item for their baby, knitted with love in magnificent colors, is a very special gift!

It’s time to get knitting! We’re asking folks who love to knit/crochet to participate in this ministry once again…

24th Annual “Spirit of Sharing” Gift Collection for Saint Patrick Parish, Lawrence

Begun in our St. John – St. Paul Collaborative, Spirit of Sharing is a Christmas gift program that has brightened the Christmas season for thousands of young boys and girls living at risk for hunger in Lawrence, Massachusetts. When Rev. Paul O’Brien, uncle of three St. John’s School alumni, began serving as pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Lawrence, he discovered that many parents worked three jobs yet could not afford to provide Christmas presents to their sons and daughters.

Spirit of Sharing was founded to share our community’s time and treasure with members of this faithful, family-oriented, and financially impoverished community just about thirty miles away. With the help of many teen and adult volunteers, we collect donations from our area and then, on the Saturday before Christmas, categorize and display them, greet the parents, and assist them in selecting gifts for their children. We invite you to donate gifts for children and/or volunteer (adults and teens 14+) at the event on Saturday, December 20…

Saturday, December 13: SVdP Advent Prayer Service – The Faces and Graces of the Poor

Saturday, December 13: SVdP Advent Prayer Service – <i>The Faces and Graces of the Poor</i>

9:00am in the St. John Chapel

Before members of SVdP embark on bringing our gifts to the homebound, we will reflect on the Gospel of Luke 6:20-26, the Beatitudes – Who are the poor in our community? Does suffering offer us an invitation? Led by Laurie Jacob and Julia Collins.

We welcome all members of SJSP Collaborative to join us.

Thank You From Our SJSP Conference of St. Vincent de Paul

As we enter the Christmas season, the SJSP St. Vincent DePaul Conference wishes to thank the parishioners of the St John- St. Paul Collaborative for their generous support of our efforts. We raised over $23,000 through the Special Second Collection in September at the Outdoor Mass, and our SVDP Fill-a-Truck drive filled the truck for the SVDP thrift stores.

Our fundraising is on-going throughout the year. Donations can be made online on our SVdP page through the parish online giving sites as well as in the SVDP donation boxes at the entrances of the churches. These funds allow us to continue to support those in need in our neighborhoods as well as the overall Boston Diocese.

Each year at Christmastime, we visit parishioners who are home bound, and this year the visits will take place on Saturday, December 13. If anyone desires a visit, please contact either parish office…

December 6-7: Special Second Collection for Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) Guatemala

December 6-7: Special Second Collection for <i>Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos</i> (NPH) Guatemala

We are deeply grateful for the longstanding support this community has shown to Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) and the thousands of vulnerable children we serve throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Your generosity has brought safety, stability, and hope to so many young lives.

This weekend, December 6-7, there will be a second collection at both St. John and St. Paul Churches to support the mission and programs of NPH Guatemala.

Saribel García, who grew up at NPH Guatemala, will be speaking at all Masses that weekend. Saribel will share her story of growing up at NPH and how it transformed the course of her life. Her testimony is a powerful reminder of the impact this community makes through its support.

TO SUPPORT THE COLLECTION FOR NPH GUATEMALA: CASH/CHECKS may be placed in the Second Collection at all Masses on the weekend of December 6-7…

Holy Family Hospital of Bethlehem Update

Since 2023, when we supported Holy Family Hospital through a special Advent Second Collection, new challenges in health care delivery have emerged. Pilgrimages and tourism, the backbone of Bethlehem’s economy, have vanished. Consequently, more than 90% of families have been left unsalaried… This escalation in hunger and poverty has brought new nutritional and health challenges for expectant mothers and children. Holy Family Hospital is committed to helping ensure their well-being. At great risk and sacrifice, medical staff continue to commute through checkpoints to and from the Hospital and venture out into the desert to care for these vulnerable families. As the Season of Advent approaches, Holy Family Hospital humbly requests your prayers and generosity. Through such support, you offer hope to this courageous and resilient community…