News and Updates – St. John – St. Paul Catholic Collaborative

An Important Invitation from Fr. Jim

“The Pope is listening, and wants to hear from you… and I am also listening, and want to hear from you…”

Please come to a Listening Session!

The sessions are 90 minutes long, and provide an opportunity for every voice to be heard regarding the ways the Church can more effectively listen to all of God’s people and reach out to the marginalized among us. The Pope has created an important space for all of our voices to be genuinely heard – please don’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity.

As Fr. Jim says, these sessions will not only serve the Synod on Synodality, but will also inform our collaborative pastoral planning…

Our “Question of the Week” for May 22 – Sixth Sunday of Easter

We invite you to actively participate in our Synodal Listening Initiative by answering this week’s “Question of the Week”:

What should leadership in the Catholic Church look like?

Click here to submit your answers online.

(If you missed any previous “Questions of the Week” you can answer those as well!)

All are invited and encouraged to participate, and we urge you to share this invitation with people you know who may be disconnected from the Church – the Pope wants to hear from everyone!

Remembering the Children of NPH – Special Second Collection This Weekend

Anne Mears Shares Her Experience with NPH
I had the privilege of visiting the NPH Dominican Republic home during the Summer of 2019 when I chaperoned the high school service trip from our St. John-St. Paul Collaborative in Wellesley. I had worked with NPH in the past when the Pequeño Tour had come to play and sing during our Sunday Masses. The young people who visited from the Guatemala home during this visit were an outstanding group of young people. NPH emphasizes that they strive to make their homes as close as they can to a stable loving family atmosphere and that was more than apparent as I met the respectful, loving, caring and fun individuals who anyone could clearly see had a strong familial bond.

When I went to the NPH Dominican Republic home I saw this for myself. The children live in small group homes within the larger complex of Casa Santa Ana and are looked after by Tías (Aunties)…

Saturday, May 21: Veterans Memorial Mass at the 4:00pm Vigil at St. Paul

All military veterans and their families are cordially invited to attend a special Veterans Memorial Mass at St. Paul Church at 4:00pm on Saturday, May 21. Organized by the Wellesley Veterans’ Council, this annual event brings Wellesley veterans together as part of the annual Wellesley Wonderful Weekend. Veterans are invited (but not required!) to wear their uniforms. We will gather in the St. Paul foyer and process in with the celebrant to reserved seats down front. During the Mass we will remember those veterans from Wellesley who gave their lives for our country. We salute your service to our country and look forward to seeing you at St. Paul on May 21.

IMPORTANT! May 17 In-Person Listening Session CANCELLED – Share Your Answers Online!

We are so grateful for every voice who participated in our in-person and virtual synodal listening sessions! Given the rising Covid numbers in our communities, we have made the decision to cancel our final in-person Listening Session scheduled for Tuesday, May 17.

If you have not yet had a chance to share your thoughts in an in-person or virtual session, we strongly urge you to use our online portal to submit your answers to the questions posed at our Listening Sessions – just click the image or link below…

Our “Question of the Week” for May 15 – Fifth Sunday of Easter

We invite you to actively participate in our Synodal Listening Initiative by answering this week’s “Question of the Week”:

How can the Catholic Church more effectively celebrate diversity?

The question can be answered on the cards provided in the churches and dropped in the boxes in the lobbies, or you can click here to submit your answers online.

(If you missed any previous “Questions of the Week” you can answer those as well!)

All are invited and encouraged to participate, and we urge you to share this invitation with people you know who may be disconnected from the Church – the Pope wants to hear from everyone!

Our “Question of the Week” for May 8 Fourth Sunday of Easter

We invite you to actively participate in our Synodal Listening Initiative by answering this week’s “Question of the Week”:

How could the Catholic Church be more relevant?

The question can be answered on the cards provided in the churches and dropped in the boxes in the lobbies, or you can click here to submit your answers online.

(If you missed any previous “Questions of the Week” you can answer those as well!)

All are invited and encouraged to participate, and we urge you to share this invitation with people you know who may be disconnected from the Church – the Pope wants to hear from everyone!

Bike Collection for “The Bike Connector” – Sunday, May 15 at 1:00pm in the Saint John School Parking Lot

The Bike Connector is a non-profit, 100% volunteer-run, community-based program that provides free bikes for people in need: children who have never had a bike and adults who need transportation. They also offer “Do It Together” bike repair workshop, affordable bicycles, and hands-on educational programming.

They recently provided free bikes to the three Afghani young men we are helping to resettle through the POWIR program.

The Bike Connector only works when they have bikes. They depend on generous donors to donate outgrown or unused bikes. Their volunteer team makes necessary repairs to ensure a safe ride.

If you have an idle bike – child or adult – please consider donating it to The Bike Connector at our Bike Collection event!

Remembering the Children of NPH – Social Media Campaign and Special Second Collection May 21-22

Unlike any other moment in our lifetime, the Covid-19 pandemic upturned our lives and our understanding of the world. But unlike in the U.S., the countries where NPH Homes reside didn’t have the benefits of government subsidies, local nonprofits, or food pantries to help them survive. During that same time, NPH USA had to cancel all their in person fundraising events and postpone international trips as Covid-19 restrictions swept across the globe. NPH Homes were thereby faced with a $2M budget deficit.

NPH’s survival has come down to cutting any expense beyond meeting a child’s most basic level of needs. This meant that even the core programs, dedicated to lifting children from poverty, had to be eliminated just so they could focus on keeping the pequeños safe, fed, and loved.

The St. John-St. Paul Collaborative has been a part of the NPH family since 2017…

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