Sister Colleen Gibson SSJ – St. John – St. Paul Catholic Collaborative

Sr. Colleen on CSSJ Panel to discuss Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas

Sr. Colleen on CSSJ Panel to discuss Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, <i>Magnifica humanitas</i>

From the Sisters of Saint Joseph U.S. Federation: Join us for a panel with respondents from across the CSS] community who will offer initial thoughts on Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, which is focused on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence.

Speakers include Sr. Colleen Gibson, SSJ who serves as Coordinator of Pastoral Care at St. John-St. Paul Catholic Collaborative in Wellesley, Massachusetts and Mr. Fred Robinson who is the Director of Technology for the Sisters of Saint Joseph in Brentwood, New York. The one-hour session will include Q&A from participants.

Click here for more information and to register!

“Faith Rises” – An Easter Reflection by Sr. Colleen Gibson, SSJ

Easter morning the greeting rings out: “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia!” Indeed, nearly two millennia removed, we rest in the certainty of the Resurrection.

Yet, as the sun rises on this Easter Sunday, before rattling off a string of alleluias, we might do well to remember what gripped the disciples that first Easter morning: confusion. Greeted by an empty tomb, they did not know what to believe. As John’s Gospel clearly conveys, they saw and “they did not yet understand.” Had Jesus’ body been taken, or had he risen to glory like he said he would?

A Holy Week Reflection by Sister Colleen Gibson, SSJ

By the time Lent comes to a close, we can feel worn down and ready to simply turn the page on an all-too-familiar story. Yet, to truly enter into Holy Week, we must confront the power of paradox. We must grapple with the Paschal Mystery and its ever-present invitation to us: to die and rise with and in Christ.

This is the story, not only of this holiest of weeks, but of our entire lives of faith. Opening our eyes to the world around us, we witness the betrayal; we intuit the suffering; we account for the lengths to which faith and fear can push us; and we find that Christ, our companion and our guide, is with us always… beckoning us to new life. Be it the washing of feet, the breaking of bread, the sting of suffering, or the quiet of grief: Christ is there…

“How to Be Present to Someone Grieving” a Busted Halo Podcast with Sister Colleen Gibson

On February 12, Sr. Colleen sat down with Father Dave Dwyer, CSP, host of the Busted Halo Podcast, to talk about loss, presence, and how faith and community can hold us when words fall short.

We all walk through different seasons of life, and Father Dave welcomes Sister Colleen Gibson to discuss accompanying those in times of grief. Sister Colleen belongs to the Sisters of Saint Joseph [of Philadelphia], and co-hosts the “Beyond the Habit” podcast. She currently serves as the Coordinator of Pastoral Care at St. John-St. Paul Catholic Collaborative in Wellesley, MA, where among many things she helps run a bereavement ministry called “Seasons of Hope.”

Sister Colleen first discusses her religious order. “Sisters of St Joseph are ready for any good work… “

“Steadfast Spirits in an Age of Upheaval”

A Column in Global Sisters Report – January 30, 2026 by Colleen Gibson, SSJ

A few weeks ago, I found myself in a local coffee shop with a woman I had never met before. She was interested in religious life, and through a mutual friend, I had been deemed a fitting conversation partner.

Looking at her across the table, I wondered what, if anything, might come of our conversation. She was about my age, late in her thirties and pondering if and to what God might be calling her. Gripping my mug of tea, I listened attentively as she told me about the sisters she had met in her discernment journey thus far.

She had met with several women religious already and our friend thought I might be able to offer a friendly ear free of the pressures of a more formal conversation…

Important Update from the Pastoral Care Team

Kelly Meraw, Director of Pastoral Care and Liturgy, will be away from the Collaborative on medical leave following a planned surgery from January 29 until mid-March.

During this time, please reach out to Sister Colleen Gibson SSJ, Coordinator of Pastoral Care, for all Pastoral Care concerns. Sister Colleen can be reached by email at cgibson@sjspwellesley.org or by calling either parish office.

We will, as a Collaborative community, hold Kelly in our prayers while she recovers. Please know that she will continue to hold us in hers.

Homily for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time with Sr. Colleen Gibson SSJ

On this 33rd Sunday in ordinary time, the liturgical year is nearly over. And so our readings this week direct our attention to the end times as we prepare for the peace of Christ the King next weekend and then the beginning of Advent and the new liturgical year the weekend after that… Even in the darkest of times, because of our faith, we have a light to shine. And it is at this time in our world, especially when end times seem much more prevalent than light and resolutions, that I think there’s an even greater invitation to harness the fiery hope that guides our way in fear and trial…

Watch Sr. Colleen Gibson’s Homily for All Souls Day

Who wants to think about death – their own or that of others? The temptation is to pass over talk of death in favor of new life. Yet if our faith teaches us anything, it is that the negative space of death has the ability, like negative space in art, to reveal the beauty of the bigger picture.

All Souls’ Day, coupled with All Saints’ Day, invites us right into that space. It invites us to bridge the gap between life and death. It asks us to put our faith on full display. Faith in the resurrection. Faith that in the dying and the rising of the everyday we grow closer to Christ. Faith that no matter who we lose in this life to death, they are never lost to God.

Click play to watch video…

Bridging the Gap Between Life and Death – A Reflection by Sr. Colleen Gibson, SSJ

<i>Bridging the Gap Between Life and Death</i> – A Reflection by Sr. Colleen Gibson, SSJ

The Assumption reminds us our bodies are blessings

This column by Sr. Colleen Gibson, SSJ appeared in Global Sister Report on August 15, 2025

A few weeks ago, my beloved grandmother passed away. At 93 years old, she had lived a full life. Passing the news of her death along to friends, sisters, and colleagues came with a mix of emotions.

I was sad, for sure, and yet the fact that I had her in my life for nearly four decades was a blessing not lost on me.

As a woman I work with passed on her family’s condolences, she also conveyed her teenaged daughter’s amazement. “Sister still had her grandma?!” the girl remarked with shock and awe. The same was true of condolences from my sisters in community, many of whom underscored the blessing of my grandmother’s long presence in my life…

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