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

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…

Thank You from Capuchin Mobile Ministries!

The Capuchin Franciscans of the Province of St. Mary wish to thank everyone at the St. John -St. Paul Collaborative for their generosity to Capuchin Mobile Ministries in their Lenten Gift of over $33,000.

With grateful hearts, we received the parish gift at the end of April. We also received contacts for potential volunteers who will 1) accompany the friar chaplains on our outreach trips and 2) make sandwiches for the outreach trips. May God richly bless you for your support. We want you to know that your assistance has already borne fruit! Your gift has enabled us to assign more friars to the chaplaincy team…

Thank You for Supporting Pregnancy Help Boston!

A very big thank you to all parishioners for your generous response to our “Baby Shower” for Pregnancy Help Boston last month. You donated enough diapers, bottles, pacifiers, baby wash, lotion, Desitin, newborn outfits, bibs, and hooded towels to fill 2 (!) large SUVs to the brim (and then some!). The staff at Pregnancy Help was overwhelmed at the amount of donations — and so very thankful for your generosity.

A special thanks for the hand-knitted items…

Praying for Peace this Mother’s Day – A Message from Holy Family Hospital in Bethlehem

This Mother’s Day, the staff of Holy Family Hospital of Bethlehem, the beneficiary of our Collaborative’s Advent Gift collection last December, asks for your prayers for peace and strength. Many thanks to Fr. Jim and to our parishioners for your generosity during that collection, which raised over $29,000 – representing the 3rd largest second-collection in the U.S. for Holy Family Hospital last year…

Since Advent, anxiety and hunger among Bethlehem’s expectant mothers have continued to skyrocket, jeopardizing their and their children’s health. The ongoing absence of pilgrims and tourists has meant soaring unemployment, poverty, and lack of food. Anxiety over family insecurity has been exacerbated by increased roadblocks during the day, challenges or preclusion of nighttime travel, and thundering of military might in distant skies…