News and Updates – Page 47 – St. John – St. Paul Catholic Collaborative

Music Update: Goodbye Chelsea…

It is with great excitement and simultaneous sadness that we say goodbye this weekend to Chelsea Whitaker who has been with us as a collaborative musician for more than 5 years. Chelsea has been given a full-time coaching position with Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. Chelsea was a Doctoral Student at New England Conservatory of Music and after her studies joined the faculty there. Eastman is very blessed to have her, and NEC will miss her.

Being the constant professional she has always been, Chelsea connected us with an incredible student of hers currently in the Masters of Collaborative Piano program at NEC. His name is Michael Banworth and he will be joining us in the fall…

Friday, July 8: A Message from Fr. Jim!

Words cannot begin to express my profound gratitude to all of you. Your cards, letters, and expressions of support have sustained me through this most challenging period in my life! I am now deep in the work of the rehabilitation phase of my recovery. I suffered multiple fractures of my left leg and knee, requiring extensive surgery, and will not be cleared for weight bearing on that side for some time to come. Despite the frustration this brings and the patience it requires, I am encouraged by the progress I have made…

At the same time, I am acutely aware of the significant trauma caused by the accident – it has truly upended my life in every way possible. While I am very much looking forward to returning to the rectory once I am ready to continue my rehabilitation on an outpatient basis, I understand that it will still be quite some time before I will be able to resume my ministry…

POWIR Update: Seeking Legal Assistance

We are in need of legal assistance for the three young men from Afghanistan who we are helping to resettle.

We are seeking immigration attorneys who would be willing to work pro bono to represent our young men through this process.

If you are an immigration attorney willing to work with our young men and/or provide guidance to the SJSP POWIR team – or if you have any leads on attorneys or organizations that might be able to help – we would love to hear from you!

July 3: Update on the St. Paul Bell Tower Project

The scaffolding is up and the work is about to begin! As you can see in the photo, the scaffolding is set up to allow access to the main doors of the church during construction.

This is a large undertaking, and represents a significant investment in St. Paul Parish. The total cost is budgeted to be $487,200, and the Parish has been approved for a short term loan from the Archdiocese to cover up to seventy-five percent of the budget. While we are fortunate to have additional income from the leasing of the school building, we still need the assistance of the St. Paul community to fund this project and to repay the loan…

Friday, July 1: Fr. Jim Update

We are happy to report that Fr. Jim’s recovery is continuing at a slow but steady pace. That means that there is no “new” news to report – but that truly is good news! When Fr. Jim has more to share, be assured we will share it with you!

Thank you for the warm welcome you have been giving our many guest celebrants – including Bishop Robert Reed, who celebrated the 9:00am Mass at St. Paul with us…

A Video Message for Fr. Jim from NPH

The children at the NPH home in Miacatlan, Mexico sent a special video message to Fr. Jim this week, to share their love and prayers and send him some extra strength!

Synthesizing Our Collaborative Synod Journey

Thank you to the many hundreds of people who engaged in the work of the Synod by sharing their faith, hopes, and dreams for the Church. We are now the synthesis phase, preparing to share the fruits of our listening

Cardinal Seán O’Malley Statement Regarding Supreme Court Ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson

Statement from Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley:

For all of us who have spoken, written, worked, marched, and prayed to reverse Roe v. Wade, today’s Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson is deeply significant and encouraging. This decision will create the possibility of protecting human life from conception; it calls us to recognize the unique burden faced by women in pregnancy; and it challenges us as a nation to work together to build up more communities of support — and available access to them — for all women experiencing unplanned pregnancies…

Friday, June 24: Fr. Jim Update

We’d love to provide a more detailed update, but there isn’t much to report – Fr. Jim’s recovery, as anticipated, is slow but steady. When Fr. Jim has more to share be assured we will share it with you!

He has, however, asked us to let you know how incredibly grateful he is for your prayers and support – and for all the cards and notes he has received! In fact, he noted after the last delivery that he has received so many lovely cards that he might actually run out of space to display them on the walls of his room!

He also wants everyone to know how much he appreciates the time and space he’s been afforded to focus on his recovery and rehabilitation.

NPH Update

The recent campaign on behalf of our friends at NPH was a tremendous success! Our goal was $37,000 to fund education for children in the Mexico home. Thanks to our youth fundraisers, parishioners who fundraised and all of you who donated, we exceeded the goal by collecting $54,431.

John Deinhart, CEO, NPH USA and Andrea Nahigian, the new Donor Relations Director on the East Coast, recently paid us a visit to thank us in person. John says: “The St. John-St. Paul community has been a true blessing in the lives of countless children of Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos. This community truly embodies our Gospel call, ‘whatever you do for the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you do for me.’ With your help, NPH can now send 42 students to school to receive a 7th education…