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

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…

September 9-10: Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) Sponsorship Drive

The St. John-St. Paul Collaborative has been a part of the NPH family since 2017, and our Collaborative families currently sponsor more than 100 children in NPH homes. On the weekend of September 9-10, representatives from NPH, as well as members of our parishes who are currently sponsoring children, will be present at all Masses to talk about the sponsorship program and to encourage those who are able to sponsor a child…

Welcome Deacon Rick!

I am thrilled to let you know that we will be welcoming a new deacon to our St. John-St. Paul Collaborative community!

Rick Vatcher will be ordained a Permanent Deacon on September 9, and will be joining our Collaborative pastoral staff in a part-time capacity after that.

Below is a brief introduction – I know you will join me in welcoming him to the Collaborative!

Presenting Our 2023 Collaborative Lenten Gift for City of Goodness in Ukraine

We are overjoyed and grateful to tell you that our 2023 Collaborative Lenten Gift raised $37,678.60 for City of Goodness in Ukraine!

Earlier this week, Fr. Jim, Kelly Meraw, and Stephen Ridge from our Collaborative Service Commission presented our gift to Fr. Yaroslav Nalysnyk, pastor of Christ the King Ukrainian Catholic Church in Jamaica Plain, and members of the board of Ukraine Forward, Inc., the U.S.-based non-profit that will disperse the funds to City of Goodness… We will continue to keep you updated with news from City of Goodness – check out their Instagram (instagram.com/misto.dobra) for frequent updates and photos of this incredible place! Thanks again to all who contributed so generously!