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…
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!
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!
As you know, our parishes collect non-perishable food items for local food pantries – the Wellesley Food Pantry at St. Paul and the St. Katharine Drexel Food Pantry at St. John. What you may not know is that food pantries face their greatest need in the summer. Why? Families with children who receive free/reduced-cost breakfast and lunch have to find a way to replace those meals during the summer break – so they turn to food pantries for help. At the same time, food pantry donations drop as folks who regularly support the pantries go away.
We have already seen a significant drop in both parish food pantry collections since Memorial Day…
The St. John-St. Paul Collaborative has been a part of the Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (Our Little Brothers and Sisters) family since 2017. You can learn more about the history of our partnership with NPH on our NPH: Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos page.
NPH will be providing periodic updates that we will share in the bulletin and on the website to help us stay current on their amazing work!
Dear Parishioners,
The mission of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) – meaning ‘our little brothers and sisters’ – is to transform the lives of vulnerable children in nine countries in Latin America and the Caribbean… I want to share a recent story of a young boy Modesto, who joined the home in Mexico in 2015, because his family lacked resources to take care of him…
Last weekend’s collection for St. Francis House was a huge success, exceeding expectations as always – both garages were overflowing with donations! It was a great response to the collection – in fact, it required two trips to transport two full
As you know, our 2023 Collaborative Lenten Gift raised awareness and funds for City of Goodness in Ukraine. City of Goodness was a social service and support center that, with the onset of the war, has become a shelter for women with children, and families (and their pets!) from all over Ukraine.
We are thrilled and grateful to let you know that our Collaborative has raised over $37,000 for City of Goodness! Our gift will help with construction costs and the constant need for food, medicine, hygiene items, pillows, baby food and formula, and clothing. We are currently working with Ukraine Forward, the U.S.-based non-proft that will disperse the funds to City of Goodness, and we will keep you updated! Thanks again to all who contributed so generously!
Put your gently used clothing to good use to support men and women in need! St. Francis House serves approximately 50 clothing appointments per day (M-F), providing 250 full sets of clothing per week to their guests! Donations may be dropped off in the St. John Garage (behind the church) OR the St. Paul Garage (behind the rectory) between 9:00am – 5:00pm. Please box or bag everything – no hangers.
Please note that over 80% of St. Francis House’ guests are men, so it has been our tradition to have a men’s-focused clothing drive, but women’s clothing is also accepted. Children’s clothing is not accepted…
Each year in the Spring, all staff and volunteers age 18 and older (including Eucharistic ministers and lectors, choir members and musicians, members of councils and commissions, ushers and counters, other Mass volunteers, etc.) must complete an annual Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) background screening (except for Religious Education volunteers who complete their screening in the early Fall), as mandated by civil and Archdiocese of Boston authorities.
Staff and volunteers will be available after each Mass this weekend, April 29-30, to assist you in completing your annual CORI form…
Throughout Lent, the Service Commission shared the story of City of Goodness with you. We’ve told you how, on February 24, 2022, people all around Ukraine woke up to air raid sirens and bomb explosions and their lives changed forever. We told you how, in response, City of Goodness has transformed from a social service and support center into a shelter for Ukrainians fleeing war and violence.
This is our opportunity as a Collaborative to show Christ-like love for our neighbors in distress, and for each of us to answer Lent’s clarion call to love extravagantly. On behalf of the Collaborative Service Commission, we ask that you be as generous as your means will allow.
Checks can be made payable to your parish, with “2023 Lenten Gift” noted in the memo, and can be placed in the special second collection this weekend of mailed/dropped at either parish office. You may also contribute online by scanning the QR code on the posters in both churches or by visiting the Collaborative Lenten Gift page on our website.