Blessed are the Peacemakers – A Reflection by Kelly Meraw from the Build the Faith Blog

<i>Blessed are the Peacemakers</i> – A Reflection by Kelly Meraw from the <i>Build the Faith</i> Blog

We find ourselves in the early days of the Easter Season. With the grief of Holy Week still in our peripheral view, we are nevertheless invited into these fifty days of sustained – at times “persistent in spite of” – joy. Today Jesus’ voice is singing His familiar leitmotif of peace.

While never intimidated by questioning unjust systems, Jesus is Peace. The infant Jesus opens the veil between earth and heaven as the Prince of Peace. The Rabbi preaches “Peacemaking” on a crowded mountain and names those willing to do that holy work “Blessed.” The Suffering Servant promises peace amidst tribulation on the eve of His own crucifixion. In victory over death, Jesus chooses the gift of peace for His dearest friends as a defining identity and lineage of the Christian people. Even now, before Christ is sacrificed on the Eucharistic table, each and every time, we exchange peace with one another to prepare ourselves to receive the greatest gift of life…

May 9-10: Our Annual “Baby Shower” for Pregnancy Help

May 9-10: Our Annual “Baby Shower” for Pregnancy Help

On Mother’s Day Weekend our Collaborative will be hosting a “Baby Shower” to collect items for Pregnancy Help Boston, a pregnancy resource center supported through the Archdiocese of Boston, whose mission is to provide compassionate, practical, life-affirming alternatives for women facing crisis pregnancies.

Since January, dedicated parishioners have been knitting and crocheting baby items for newborns (hats, blankets, etc.) Now, all are invited to consider contributing items to our Mother’s Day Baby Shower collection! Please see below for their “Registry”…

We Are Celebrating First Holy Communion at the Family Mass!

We Are Celebrating First Holy Communion at the Family Mass!

In keeping with our Family Faith Formation model and the guidance of the Archdiocese of Boston, children now receive First Holy Communion with their families at a Sunday Mass – the same way they will receive the sacrament throughout their lives.

Last Sunday, we celebrated the sacrament with 11 children at the 9:00am Family Mass at St. Paul. 

We will have groups of First Communicants receiving the Sacrament at our 9:00am Family Masses on May 3, May 10, and May 17.

Our regular 9:00am Mass congregants are encouraged to attend these Masses and witness this important moment in the lives of these children and families!

Have You Made the Move to Online Giving?

Have You Made the Move to Online Giving?

Online giving makes donating to your parish simple and easy, regardless of where you are.

It’s convenient, flexible, and secure, and when you set up recurring giving, it provides your parish with more consistent contributions throughout the year.

There are several ways to do it:

Set Up Online Giving on Our Donate Page!

Text-to-Give From Your Phone Using ApplePay, PayPal, or a Credit/Debit Card – It’s So Easy!

Set Up Online Bill Pay with Your Bank…

April “Evening for Women”: Flowers, Faith, and Fellowship!

April “Evening for Women”: Flowers, Faith, and Fellowship!

On April 14, led by Ellie Mears and Grace Davis, more than 40 women from across the Collaborative gathered in Powers Hall to celebrate the beauty of spring and the Easter season by creating beautiful floral arrangements and growing in community with one another!

Save the date! Tuesday, May 19 will be our Evening for Women Closing Mass at St. John – all women of the Collaborative are warmly invited!

Fr. Hehir on WBUR’s “Morning Edition”

Fr. Hehir on WBUR’s “Morning Edition”

On Friday, April 24, Fr. Bryan Hehir spoke with Tiziana Dearing, host of WBUR’s Morning Edition, to discuss the war in Iran and the role of the Catholic Church in this moment.

Father J. Bryan Hehir, a top official in the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, articulated a global off-ramp from nuclear apocalypse in a 1983 letter with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. That letter, which laid out a vision of slow global disarmament over time, served as a model for policy throughout the world. Hehir joins WBUR’s Morning Edition to discuss the war in Iran and the role of the Catholic Church in this moment.

Click Here to Listen

An Update on Our 2026 Collaborative Lenten Gift

An Update on Our 2026 Collaborative Lenten Gift

The St. John-St. Paul Service Commission hopes that you all had a joyous Easter and are carrying the graces of the Resurrection into the season ahead!  To add to that joy, we want to pass along a preliminary total for our 2026 Lenten Gift collection. As of last week, St. John and St. Paul Parishes have raised nearly $25,000 for MassBay Community College Foundation in support of the Textbook Assistance Fund.

Donations still continue to come in and will be accepted through the end of April on our website at which point we will present our gift to the Foundation.   Thank you for your support for this wonderful cause and your heartfelt support of our neighbors at MassBay!    

The Celebration of First Holy Communion at Our Parishes

The Celebration of First Holy Communion at Our Parishes

Beginning this year, in keeping with our new Family Faith Formation model and the guidance of the Archdiocese of Boston, children will be receiving their First Holy Communion with their families at a Sunday Mass, the same way they will receive the sacrament throughout their lives. Groups of First Communicants will be receiving the Sacrament at our 9:00am Family Masses on April 26, May 3, May 10, and May 17. Several rows of pews in the center of the church will be reserved for the children and their families each Sunday as we celebrate this joyous occasion together as a parish family!

Our regular 9:00am Mass congregants are encouraged to attend these Family Masses and witness this important moment in the lives of these young children and families.

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