Third Week of Lent: The Fourth Word – “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Third Week of Lent: The Fourth Word – “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Seeing the suffering Jesus and hearing how he prayed helps us to pray our way through our own sufferings. We realize again that he really entered into our human living and took on our heartaches and our pain.

Some questions to bring to prayer this week include: 

As you imagine this gospel scene, can you enter into conversation with Jesus about his suffering? 

Do you have your own experiences of feeling abandoned by God? How did/does it feel? How did/do you relate to God in those situations?

Pray for those who feel abandoned: spouses and children who have been deserted, the mentally ill and homeless who are uncared for, those who cling to ideals when others have folded to pressure.

Pray in gratitude for your faith- although it may seem weak at times- and for the faith of the community that sustains you in the midst of suffering…

Telling the Story – Part 2: Ukraine One Year Later

Telling the Story – Part 2: Ukraine One Year Later

It has now been just over a year since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The Russian Army expected quick victory, but instead were met with fierce resistance from the Ukrainian Army and Ukraine’s many citizen militias. Russia has received widespread international condemnation, with the United Nations General Assembly condemning the invasion and demanding a full withdrawal of Russian forces. 

The invasion has caused tens of thousands of deaths on both sides and instigated Europe’s largest refugee crisis since World War II, turning more than 8 million Ukrainians into refugees, with another 8 million people displaced inside Ukraine. Many Ukrainian men face mandatory conscription and many more, including teenagers, have opted voluntarily to join the resistance. This means that most refugees are women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

City of Goodness was originally established as a social service agency and shelter for women and children fleeing domestic violence situations. With the onset of war their mission has expanded…

St. Patrick’s Day Dinner – Saturday, March 18 from 5:00-8:30pm at St. Paul Parish Hall

St. Patrick’s Day Dinner – Saturday, March 18 from 5:00-8:30pm at St. Paul Parish Hall

Join Us for Dinner, Drinks, Music, Coffee and Dessert!

Adult Options: Corned Beef Sandwich, Turkey Sandwich, Vegetarian Sandwich
Children: Cheese Pizza

Attention Bakers! Please bring a dessert to share!

Tickets are $20 for Adults and $10 for Children (family with children maximum $50)

Please make your reservations by March 15 to help with planning – thank you!

Please reserve online NOW! Click this link:  sjspwellesley.org/st-patricks-dinner

Collaborative Staff Update

Collaborative Staff Update

We are thrilled to announce that Angela DeProspo has joined our Collaborative Staff in the newly created position of Volunteer and Liturgical Life Coordinator.

Angela and her husband Tony have been parishioners at the Collaborative for the 16 years they have lived in Wellesley. Their daughter Mia graduated from Saint John School last year and is also active in the church. While Mia attended SJS, Angela served as the Faith Enrichment and Community Service PTO liaison, and she continues to train and coordinate altar servers for the Collaborative. Angela grew up in Wisconsin and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After receiving her Master of Education degree from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, she taught high school English at Boston Collegiate Charter School in Dorchester. In addition to her new responsibilities at the Collaborative…

Telling the Story – Part 1: Introducing Ukraine Forward and City of Goodness

Telling the Story – Part 1: Introducing Ukraine Forward and City of Goodness

Day after day, we have watched and read about the horrific conditions that have beset Ukraine as a result of the Russian invasion. Millions of people have died or fled their homes as refugees. Families have been torn apart and many individuals who have survived are struggling with serious injuries and terrible living conditions.

To find out how best to help, we contacted the pastor of Christ the King Ukrainian Catholic Church in Jamaica Plain, Fr. Yaroslav Nalysnyk. He recommended and vouched for Ukraine Forward, an initiative of the Ukrainian Educational Foundation of Boston…

Myron Kravchuk, a Christ the King parishioner and founder of Ukraine Forward, met with the Service Commission to discuss their history, mission, and current projects. One new project is with City of Goodness, a social service center for women and children. With the onset of the war, it has become a shelter for women and children from across Ukraine…

Second Week of Lent: The Third Word – “Woman, here is your son. Here is your mother.”

Second Week of Lent: The Third Word – “Woman, here is your son. Here is your mother.”

Of all of the phrases uttered by our dying Lord, there are none so tender as these spoken to his mother and to his beloved disciple. This gesture seemed so important to Jesus that it seemed as if it had loomed as the last piece of unfinished business of his earthly life.

Some questions to bring to prayer this week include: 

How might this scene help you to care for the people whom you love in your life?

Do you feel free to ask others for help? Are there certain circumstances or certain people that make it easier or more difficult to ask?

How does this gospel scene impress you as an adult child? How does it touch you as a parent? Watch the news, read the paper, and recognize the faces of other parents who suffer because of their children’s suffering. Pray for them.
 

Reconciliation Service for Confirmation Candidates – This Friday, March 3 at 6pm at St. John

Reconciliation Service for Confirmation Candidates – This Friday, March 3 at 6pm at St. John

Are you being confirmed this year? Has it been a while since your last confession? Are you a little nervous about it but really want to receive the sacrament? Please join your fellow students in a private service at St. John’s Chapel on Friday March 3rd at 6PM. 

Not sure if you’ll be ready to receive the sacrament on Friday? That’s OK – please come anyway, and encourage your friends to come too! There will be no pressure, just an open invitation to experience God’s love and mercy.

There will be music, a brief reading from scripture, a short reflection, and a walk through an examination of conscience.  The Youth Ministry team will walk you through all the steps to leaving a little lighter and filled with God’s mercy…

IMPORTANT! OFFICES CLOSED and EVENING CONFESSIONS CANCELLED on Tuesday, February 28

IMPORTANT! OFFICES CLOSED and EVENING CONFESSIONS CANCELLED on Tuesday, February 28

Due to the forecast for snow and  ice and hazardous travel, all Collaborative Offices will be closed tomorrow, Tuesday, February 28.

In addition, the 7:00pm Confessions at St. Paul on Tuesday evening are cancelled.  

Confessions have been rescheduled to Wednesday, March 1 at 7:00pm at St. Paul.

As always, these decisions are made with the safety of our parishioners, staff, and clergy always at the forefront of our minds. Please stay safe!

March 4-5: 2023 Catholic Appeal Launch

March 4-5: 2023 Catholic Appeal Launch

This weekend, March 4-5, the 2023 Catholic Appeal will officially launch here in our parishes and across the Archdiocese. One of the most meaningful ways that we witness the presence of Christ and deepen the impact of our Church’s ministries is by supporting the Catholic Appeal.

As your pastor, I invite you to prayerfully consider extending your generosity to this year’s appeal. Many of you have already done so and I am deeply grateful. When our parishes reach their goals, a portion of the additional funds received will be returned to us for use in our parishes.

To make a gift online…

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