Page 21 – St. John – St. Paul Catholic Collaborative

Prayer in Honor of the Queenship of Mary

A Reflection by Sr. Colleen Gibson, Coordinator of Pastoral Care, from the August issue of Give Us This Day

Soon after graduating from college, I found myself immersed as a yearlong volunteer in a trilingual parish. Dedicated to the Visitation, the parish brought together new immigrants and well-established neighbors to worship side by side. While each language group had their own Sunday liturgies, our shared celebrations were an amalgamation of Vietnamese, Spanish, and English. At daily Mass, a simple prompt to recite the Hail Mary would bring forth a symphony of praise as tongues as varied as the faces in the pews filled the packed basement chapel…

Good Samaritan

A Reflection by Kelly Meraw, Director of Pastoral Care and Liturgy, from the Build the Faith blog

Our Catholic lectionary recently brought us to this familiar dusty spot, on a hot and dangerous stretch of road. While the story itself is familiar and its message unequivocal, we see irrefutable evidence all around us that the Christian community still struggles with the concept of Love of Neighbor.

It seems clear, doesn’t it? You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, being, strength and mind; and love your neighbor as yourself…

Friday, August 15: The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

A Holy Day of Obligation

MASS SCHEDULE

9:00am Mass at St. Paul Church

7:00pm Mass at St. John the Evangelist Church

The Assumption refers to Mary, “free from… original sin,” being assumed (taken up) into heaven, body and soul, at the end of her life. The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary celebrates this Church teaching on August 15 each year.

Prison Ministry Update

For over three decades, the Partakers College Behind Bars Mentoring Program has changed lives by matching teams of volunteer mentors with incarcerated individuals enrolled in college degree programs based in MA prisons. Partakers mentors develop transformative helping relationships with College Behind Bars students and support their mentees as they navigate the academic and personal challenges of pursuing higher education in the prison setting.

This past June EPI celebrated the graduation of several students many of whom spoke of their Partakers mentors saying they could not have done it without their support. Current students just completed their summer course work and have a 6 week break before their Fall session begins with Macroeconomics, Spanish 2 and other courses. Our SJSP mentors continue to support their students with visits and emails.

If you’ve been thinking you might be interested in mentoring, please email Chrissy Cassa (chrissy.cassa1358@gmail.com) for more information.

Young Adult Summer Events

The SJSP Young Adult community had a beautiful evening for their summer cookout last weekend following the 4:00PM Mass at St. Paul. Over a dozen young adults, age 21-40, enjoyed a night of grilled goodies and fun lawn games with the priests-in-residence at St. Paul Rectory and our pastor, Fr. Jim. Sister Colleen made sure everyone was well fed with her barbecuing talents and Fathers Gabriel and Lesley learned how to play a game new to them: cornhole!

We also discovered that Fr. Gabriel is an ace at calling his shots and the passing traffic on Washington Street took in the view of a heated match of bocce on the church’s front lawn. Between rounds of catch and paddle ball, everyone delighted in fresh watermelon and a batch of cannoli provided by participants.

Our next event – a summer outing for mini-golf and ice cream – will be later this month for all Young Adults in the Collaborative! Keep your eyes peeled for details coming soon and be sure to sign-up for Young Adult Ministry text and e-mail reminders so that you never miss an event!

With Gratitude to Dr. Elizabeth “Betty” Rock

Since 2023, St. Paul Parish has received over $95,000 from the estate of Dr. Elizabeth “Betty” Rock, a longtime St. Paul parishioner who passed away in 2022.

Dr. Rock joined the faculty at Wellesley College in 1959 and was a Professor of Chemistry there until her retirement in 1992. She was a beloved teacher to generations of students and a treasured mentor to faculty throughout the College. She was also a longtime member of the U.S. Army Science Board (ASB), one of only a handful of women who served at the time she became involved. According to an ASB spokesperson, “Her reputation and her work on the ASB leave a legacy that will never be forgotten.”

The Parish is most grateful for Dr. Rock’s kindness, and her bequest will benefit St. Paul Parish for many years to come.

Fr. Lesley

Fr. Lesley has taken a temporary three month position covering a priest’s sabbatical in New York, and will be away from the Collaborative during this time.

Please keep him in your prayers , and know that you are in his.

This Weekend, July 26-27: Special Collection for Texas Flood Relief

As you may know, devastating floods in over twenty counties in Texas have brought enormous destruction and a great loss of life. The floods have killed at least 134 people, and many homes and business have been destroyed or badly damaged. Many families have been displaced and are in need of immediate assistance. The Guadalupe River rose some 26 feet in 45 minutes and resulted in the deaths of at least 27 children and camp counselors from Camp Mystic, a girls’ summer camp. This was part of a large weather system that impacted most severely Texas as well as the southwest.

Recognizing the immediate and growing needs, Catholic Charities USA is seeking assistance for relief efforts in response to the floods, with local Catholic Charities agencies on the ground providing essential aid to those affected. In the spirit of solidarity, Archbishop Henning is asking parishes to consider a special collection to support Catholic Charities relief efforts…

Boston Deaf Apostolate: ASL/English Masses

The Archdiocese of Boston Deaf Apostolate is dedicated to empowering and supporting Deaf and Hard of Hearing faithful by providing full access to their faith especially to the Sacraments.

ASL/English Masses are celebrated at St. Jude Church in Waltham – all Masses are streamed live:

Saturday: 4:00pm Vigil

Sunday: 8:30am and 10:30am

Monday – Friday: 9:00am

Livestream: saintjudewaltham.org/streaming

New Mass For The Care of Creation

The Vatican recently announced that a new formulary of prayers and biblical readings for the Mass will be added to the Roman Missal “for the care of creation.”

In his homily, the pope called for ecological conversion while drawing from the legacy of Pope Francis and his encyclical “Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home.”

“We must pray for the conversion of many people, inside and outside of the church, who still do not recognize the urgency of caring for our common home,” Pope Leo XIV said while celebrating the new formulary of the Mass earlier this week in the gardens of the papal villa in Castel Gandolfo, the traditional summer residence of the popes some 15 miles southeast of Rome.

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