Our 2015 Parish Lenten Gift: St. Francis House – A House of Grace
For many years, in preparing for Lent, St. John Parish has chosen to reach out as a community to one particular place of suffering. This year our choice brings us to the streets of Boston, to a place in the heart of this downtown city – St. Francis House, offering shelter and rehabilitation for the poor and homeless, rebuilding lives for 30 years. We, as a parish community, are going to step into this extraordinary ministry to become a special part of it through our support.
Throughout Lent, our Service Commission will tell you more about this House of Grace, and about our opportunity now to reach out and become a blessing through our parish-wide Special Collection on March 21-22. Please look for weekly installments in the bulletin and here on the website (see below.)
Small yet strong in the love of God, like St. Francis of Assisi,
all of us, as Christians, are called to watch over and protect the fragile world in which we live, and all its peoples.Pope Francis
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This week’s entry appears first; scroll down for older entries.
You did it again! This time our Parish Lenten Gift was for St. Francis House. Through our parish-wide collection you became a blessing in the amount of $21,578. How wonderful to so generously share in this extraordinary ministry. Thank you to one and all for your response!For more information on St. Francis House and our Gift, please visit our 2015 Parish Lenten Gift page: St. Francis House - A House of Grace ... Read More
This is the weekend to share in the extraordinary ministry of St. Francis House through our Lenten Gift! Our Gift brings the Gospel alive - “…for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me…” (Matthew 25:34-40) Once again, this is our opportunity, as individuals and as a community to respond to the need before us and ease the suffering of the homeless. Over the years, we have tried to direct our Lenten Gift to an immediate, urgent situation, and ... Read More
When you walk by a building, have you ever wondered what could be inside, behind the closed doors? When I was a teenager walking past Boylston Street to get to the Park Street T-stop, I often passed the entrance of St. Francis House, and I was always curious what happens inside. All I saw was a line of people outside waiting, but what are they waiting for? As a Service Commission member, I had the benefit of visiting St. Francis House this January. I was amazed at how much happens inside the 10 story building. As you probably know by ... Read More
In 1984, the Franciscans opened St. Francis House in the heart of downtown Boston, just east of the Boston Common, on Boylston Street. It started as a simple bread line yet 30 years later it is the largest day shelter in the Commonwealth. Today it supports over 800 poor and homeless women and men each day, every day. During its 30-year history it has pioneered unique ways of supporting the homeless and along the way it received national recognition for its efforts. The 1990s marked a period of tremendous growth for St. Francis House In 1990 the Social Security Administration ... Read More
A few weeks ago several members of our Service Commission, including 3 high schoolers visited St. Francis House for an extensive meeting and tour with Executive Director and Director of Development. They were “blown away by the size and scope of this amazing day shelter.” Here are just some of their thoughts: Reflecting back on my visit to St. Francis House, I believe that, for me, the experience of seeing, first hand, the prominent issues of poverty and homelessness in our own area as well as what people are doing in order to solve, in whatever way they can, these ... Read More
Donations can be made at all Masses during our Special Collection.
Please make checks payable to "St. John Parish"; we will total funds received from all sources and send one check to St. Francis House. Donations may also be left at the Parish Office during business hours.
TO DONATE ONLINE
Click this link to go to our ParishPay page and choose 2015 Lenten Gift under Secondary Collections. You do not need to be a regular user of ParishPay – anyone can make a one-time donation using a credit card - just go to our ParishPay page and click "Start Giving".
For many years, in preparing for Lent, St. John Parish has chosen to reach out as a community to one particular place of suffering. This year our choice brings us to the streets of Boston, to a place in the heart of this downtown city – St. Francis House, offering shelter and rehabilitation for the poor and homeless, rebuilding lives for 30 years. We, as a parish community, are going to step into this extraordinary ministry to become a special part of it through our support.
