Service and Outreach – Page 4 – St. John – St. Paul Catholic Collaborative

October 11-12: St. Vincent de Paul Fill-A-Truck Event at St. John!

Saturday, October 11: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday, October 12: 9:00am – 1:30pm

St. John the Evangelist Church Parking Lot

Items Needed:
Clothing: men’s, women’s, children’s, shoes
Accessories: handbags, costume jewelry
Linens: towels, sheets, blankets, comforters
Donations must be bagged and in good/clean condition.
NEW THIS YEAR! Books: hardcover and paperback (NO magazines, please!) Please bring books in boxes.

Questions? Can’t make the dates? We can pick up your donations – email svdp@sjspwellesley.org

September Update from NPH

Across Latin America and the Caribbean, where NPH homes are located, women face some of the highest rates of gender inequality and violence in the world. Female unemployment in the region is significantly higher than that of men (9.1% vs. 6.3%), and up to 40% of women have experienced violence in their lifetime.

At NPH, our program “Chicas Poderosas”, which means “Powerful Girls” in Spanish, empowers groups of young women to understand gender inequality, advocate for themselves, and take action to create a more just future…

Our Collaborative Outdoor Mass

Please join us on Sunday, September 28 at 10:30am on the St. Paul Lawn for our annual Collaborative Outdoor Mass and fellowship event! This will be our third time celebrating Mass on the expansive lawn in front of St. Paul Church, recreating what Fr. Jim calls “our own Tanglewood East!”

Our SJSP Society of St. Vincent de Paul chapter is once again 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 27-28…

October 11-12: St. Vincent de Paul Fill-A-Truck Event at St. John!

Saturday, October 11: 9:00am – 5:00pm
Sunday, October 12: 9:00am – 1:30pm

St. John the Evangelist Church Parking Lot

Prison Ministry: Partakers Zoom Info Session on August 28 at 7:00pm

Our last info session had several interested SJSP parishioners and we are very close to having a full team assigned to a new student next month!

If you’ve been thinking about mentoring, please register for the Zoom session

Email Chrissy Cassa (chrissy.cassa1358@gmail.com) with questions or for more information.

Prison Ministry Update

For over three decades, the Partakers College Behind Bars Mentoring Program has changed lives by matching teams of volunteer mentors with incarcerated individuals enrolled in college degree programs based in MA prisons. Partakers mentors develop transformative helping relationships with College Behind Bars students and support their mentees as they navigate the academic and personal challenges of pursuing higher education in the prison setting.

This past June EPI celebrated the graduation of several students many of whom spoke of their Partakers mentors saying they could not have done it without their support. Current students just completed their summer course work and have a 6 week break before their Fall session begins with Macroeconomics, Spanish 2 and other courses. Our SJSP mentors continue to support their students with visits and emails.

If you’ve been thinking you might be interested in mentoring, please email Chrissy Cassa (chrissy.cassa1358@gmail.com) for more information.

Adult Clothing Drive for St. Francis House: June 21-22

The clothing program at St. Francis house is the only free clothing distributor for adults experiencing homelessness and poverty in the greater Boston area. Every spring our Collaborative supports this program as a collective force. Your generosity is greatly appreciated by the thousands of people who rely on St. Francis House during their most challenging times.

Items may be dropped off between the hours of 9:00am – 5:00pm at both the St. John and St. Paul garages on the weekend of June 21-22.

Items we Need!

Two categories of adult clothing are needed. All should be gently used (or new), clean, and in good condition, please…

An Update from Our Friends at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH)

Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) supports over 9,000 vulnerable children and adults annually in nine countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Not only do we provide support to the children that live with us, but we also support children and families living in the community through our community outreach programs.

In Guatemala, 55% of the population lives in poverty with over 68% of the country’s child population living in poverty. This number jumps even higher for the country’s indigenous population, with 80% of indigenous group members living in poverty.

In 2022 in the city of Chimaltenango, NPH opened the Father William Wasson Family Center to better support the indigenous children and families, many of single parents, living in the community…

A BIG Thank You from Pregnancy Help Boston!

Our annual Mother’s Day Baby Shower was once again a rousing success! On the weekend of May 10-11, our Collaborative community showed up in a big way and showered the mothers of Pregnancy Help Boston with an abundance of blessings to help as they nurture the gift of life. The overflowing pack-n-plays in each church’s foyer was a visual reminder of our community’s abundant generosity…

A special thanks for the hand-knitted items – many of the women who come to Pregnancy Help are alone, so to have such a unique and special item for their baby, knitted with love in magnificent colors, is a very special gift!

Turning Dreams into Reality: An Important Update on Our Collaborative Lenten Gift

We have been the grateful recipients of the outstanding Pastoral Ministry of Fathers Gabriel, Lesley and James… The mission of building a church in their local community in Cameroon was a tangible way to make a difference in the lives of the growing population of Catholic Christians.

And BUILD THE FAITH has a special connection with our Collaborative, as it was inspired by the unwavering faith in God exhibited by Christina Dangond Lacouture, a young girl from our parish who was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer at the tender age of 6…

It also inspired us to set an unprecedented goal of $100,000 for our gift…