Monday, January 20: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Monday, January 20: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

As Pope Francis writes, “Dr. King’s dream of harmony and equality for all people, attained through nonviolent and peaceful means, remains ever timely. ‘Each one of us is called to be an artisan of peace, by uniting and not dividing, by extinguishing hatred and not holding on to it, by opening paths of dialogue’ (Fratelli Tutti, 284). In this way we will be able to see ourselves, not as ‘others’, but as neighbors, in the truth of our shared dignity as children of Almighty God. Only by striving daily to put this vision into practice can we work together to create a community built upon justice and fraternal love.”

Please Note: The St. John-St. Paul Collaborative Offices will be closed on Monday, January 15th in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Christmas Wish and Giving Tree All Wrapped Up!

Christmas Wish and Giving Tree All Wrapped Up!

Thank you to all who purchased gifts and gave so generously to the Giving Tree! We are so grateful for your support, which make a real difference in the lives of others each year at Christmas time. And thank you to the Religious Ed students and families who helped move and sort the gifts in the Parish Hall so they would be ready for pick up!

Through the overwhelming kindness and generosity of our parish, Christmas Wish was able to provide gifts and outfits to more than 345 children from 116 families in Brockton, Lowell, Roxbury, and Wellesley. We also raised enough donations for each family to get a $200 grocery gift card. And in addition we were able to donate another 336 $25 grocery gift cards to Julie’s Family Learning Program in South Boston…

A Message from our friends at NPH

A Message from our friends at NPH

This Christmas season, 9,000 children and adults that receive services from Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH) have you to thank and pray for! You have continuously provided them with essentials to live, and tools to survive.

I recently read a story about a young man who grew up at NPH Peru. At 7 months old, Adalberto was abandoned by his mother and his father wasn’t in the picture. He first lived with his maternal aunt and grandmother, but they did not have adequate resources to care for him. He would usually be found sleeping on the street using a cardboard box as a bed and a newspaper as a blanket. In 2004, Adalberto was the first child to join the home at NPH Peru when it opened…

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light…” A Christmas Message from Fr. Jim

<i>“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light…”</i> A Christmas Message from Fr. Jim

Forty years later, I still remember the darkness. It was all-pervasive in that December of 1984 in Leningrad, U.S.S.R.  Aside from a short period of dawn in the late morning, day and night were the same. Dark and bitterly cold. Living through that winter gave me a new appreciation for the light I had so often taken for granted. I think of that darkness as I imagine Jesus as the Light, which Isaiah foretold: a light of power and searing warmth that transforms the darkest, coldest night into brilliant, glorious day. Jesus is the light that shines in darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)

Jesus’s light also illumines dark places that had been hidden…

Come Sing in the Collaborative Children’s Choir on Christmas Eve!

Come Sing in the Collaborative Children’s Choir on Christmas Eve!

Children in grades 3-7 are invited to join the Collaborative Children’s Choir to sing at the 4:00pm Mass at St. Paul Church on Christmas Eve.  We will be holding a special rehearsal on Saturday, December 21 at 9:30am at St. Paul Church.

But why wait – start singing at the Family Mass now!

The Collaborative Children’s Choir sings the 9:00am Family Mass weekly…

Update on the Wellesley Public Schools Academic Calendar

Update on the Wellesley Public Schools Academic Calendar

At their meeting on Tuesday, December 10, the School Committee voted in favor of the Academic Calendar Model called “Rotating Model 3: 3 Static and 1 Rotating for Maximum of 4 Holidays.” 

This model represents a compromise that attempts to balance inclusivity with academic continuity and length of the school year.

Beginning with the 2025-2026 academic year, WPS will observe three “static” holidays: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Good Friday (school will always be closed when these holidays fall on a school day…

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