Service and Outreach – Page 5 – St. John – St. Paul Catholic Collaborative

“Welcoming the Stranger” – A Message from Cardinal O’Malley

Cardinal Seán wrote to pastors and the parishes of the Archdiocese regarding a growing humanitarian and societal crisis that is building in the Commonwealth and Archdiocese of Boston. The issue involves the fate of immigrants arriving daily in Massachusetts and in need of basic shelter and compassionate care. The Cardinal’s letter is posted in it’s entirety below, and all parishioners are encouraged to take time to read it.

In the coming weeks, the Collaborative, with the help of our Collaborative Service Commission, will make every effort to respond generously and effectively to answer the call to “welcome the stranger” and give aid to our immigrant sisters and brothers. Stay tuned for details!

St. John Christmas Wish – Help Make Wishes Come True!

New this year – Christmas Wish has gone digital! Caring for our brothers and sisters means caring for the home we share, so we have eliminated the environmental and economic impact of a large paper mailing.

The Christmas Wish Program has been one of the highlights of our holiday outreach since 1993. This Christmas, we hope to grant the special wishes for more than 400 children based upon the caring generosity of our parish community. Each child is provided with a new outfit of clothing and a special Christmas Wish gift they have requested…

St. Paul Giving Tree – Coming November 11!

The annual Giving Tree Program starts November 11 and runs through December 3.

This year, we will have our usual gift tags with the requested items listed as well as QR codes that can be scanned to access specific Amazon Wish Lists to make giving even easier with a few clicks from your cell phone!

The scannable QR codes will be posted and the physical tags will be placed on boards (then moved to the Christmas trees) in the St. Paul Sanctuary beginning November 11 through Sunday, December 3…

Service: “College Behind Bars” Mentoring Program

The Corporal Works of Mercy are found in the teachings of Jesus and give us a model for how we should treat all others, as if they were Christ in disguise. One of the Corporal Works of Mercy – to visit the imprisoned – is at the heart of Prison Ministry programs.

In an effort re-launch our Prison Ministry work, our Collaborative Service Commission is working with a local organization, Partakers, to help recruit mentors for their College Behind Bars program. Partakers pairs mentors with incarcerated men and women earning college degrees from Tufts University, Emerson College, Boston College, and Boston University…

St. Vincent de Paul Celebration and Second Collection

Join us this Sunday, October 1, to celebrate the Society of St. Vincent de Paul!

Community Walk from St. Paul to St. John Immediately following the St. Paul 11:00am Mass, join us for the 2.4 mile walk from St. Paul Church to St. John Church along Washington St.

Celebration and BBQ Lunch at St. John The festivities begin at the conclusion of the St. John 12:00pm Mass with the arrival of the walkers from St. Paul who will join us for a BBQ, games, raffle and more in the Saint John School parking lot. You do not need to participate in the Walk to come to the BBQ – all are welcome!

POWIR Ministry Request

Our Afghan refugee friends are seeking a reliable used vehicle to commute to and from their full time jobs! If you or someone you know may have a reasonably priced used vehicle (or, even better, a reliable car to donate!) please contact our Director of Pastoral Care, Kelly Meraw at: kelly.meraw@sjspwellesley.org

October 1: SJSP St. Vincent de Paul Celebration and Collection

Each year, on the weekend closest to the Feast of St.Vincent de Paul, our Collaborative’s St. Vincent de Paul Society asks for your help in raising funds for our mission of providing urgently needed assistance to our neighbors for the basic necessities of life. This year, on the weekend of September 30-October 1, our Collaborative will take up a second collection at all Masses to seek your renewed assistance for the Society. Last year, you responded magnificently, and since then we have collected about $25,000.

As a result of your generosity, we have been able to help 37 different individuals and families…

NPH Sponsorship Drive Update

Thank you for all for your help last weekend in the Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) sponsorship drive. With your help, we have 15 new children that are being sponsored through St. John/ St. Paul. Our goal as a parish was to have 24 children sponsored, so there is still time if you are interested! Please visit https://nphusa.org/godparent/ or reach out to NPH Donor Relations Director Andrea Nahigian at 617-206-4943 or anahigian@nphusa.org.

My family and I have supported NPH since its introduction by Father Jim to the St. John-St. Paul Parish Collaborative in 2017…

Our Collaborative Outdoor Mass is this Sunday, September 17 at 10:30am on the Lawn at St. Paul

Please join us as we gather together as a community on the expansive lawn in front of St. Paul Church to celebrate our first Collaborative Outdoor Mass since 2019. Parishioners are invited to bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating. A section of chairs will be set up and available for those who require them due to mobility issues. We ask all others to please bring their own lawn chairs/blankets for seating. After Mass, please join us in the parking lot behind the church for fellowship, food, and fun!

We will have a reduced Mass schedule on…

Welcome Sister Colleen!

I am so happy to introduce you to Sister Colleen Gibson, SSJ, the new Coordinator of Pastoral Care for our Collaborative. Sister Colleen, whose primary office will be at the St. Paul Rectory Offices, will work in partnership with Kelly Meraw, our Director of Pastoral Care, on adult faith formation programs, service and outreach initiatives, and coordinating sacramental liturgies and services across the Collaborative. Below is a brief introduction – please join me in welcoming Sister Colleen to our Collaborative!

Sister Colleen Gibson, SSJ is a Sister of Saint Joseph from Philadelphia and recent graduate of the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry. An award-winning writer, her work appears regularly in Give Us This Day and the National Catholic Reporter…