Monthly Archives: May 2013

For New Parents and Parents of Little Ones

PlaygroupLooking to meet other parents from St. John’s or make a friend for your little one? We are looking to start a new group for parents this fall. A group organized by parents where they can stop by for a play group in the Social Hall, at the park, where ever! We are open to any ideas and suggestions! Whether you’re going to have a new baby, have a newborn or preschool age kids already -we’d love to hear from you. Email Chrissy Cassa at chrissy.cassa@stjohnwellesley.org

Summer Mass Schedule Begins Sunday, June 2

Beginning Sunday, June 3 Sunday Masses will be at 7:30am, 9:00am, and 11:00am (No 5pm on Sunday)

May 26: My Faith Map

My Faith MapMy Faith Map by Pat Kelleher
My faith,  given to me by my parents, is rooted in the question Jesus asked his disciples ~ “But who do you say I am?” I have come to believe Peter’s answer, “You are the Messiah, the son of the living God.” My faith is  nourished by the Eucharist, scripture, the creeds, early & present church writers and by my brothers and sisters in Christ, companions on the journey of faith.

As we know, during this Year of Faith, there is a great emphasis on Evangelization, the act of spreading the Good News, sharing the message and life of Jesus Christ. At a recent meeting of our Parish Adult Faith Formation Commission, the group explored the idea of inviting parishioners to witness and share their experience and journey in faith. These stories, personal and different, identified or anonymous, will appear in the Sunday Bulletin, under the heading, My Faith Map. Please send your Faith Map story to Frank McConville, by e-mail: jfmcconville@comast.net or snail mail: 59 Thackeray Road, Wellesley, 02481.

May 26: Register Now for Religious Education

Religious-Education-REGISTERReligious Education registration packets for the 2013-2014 school year were mailed to all families recently. If you have not received a packet in the mail, it is available for download on the Parish website.  The deadline for registering before the late fee is assessed is MAY 31. We are always looking for teachers who are willing to teach any of the grades 1 – 10. If you are interested, please contact the Religious Education Office at 781.235.5337 (grades 1 – 6) or 781.237.0141 (grades 7 – 10).

St. John the Evangelist Capital Campaign

church_frontAs was announced last weekend, Fr. Powers and our Parish Pastoral and Finance Councils have decided to move forward with a parish-wide Planning Study to formulate a plan to address some on-going maintenance needs at our parish.  For the past year and a half, our Building and Grounds Committee has been evaluating our parish facilities and assessing deferred maintenance. They have reported that sections of the original part of the church, most notably the tower, are in need of significant repair and reconstruction. Our heating and cooling systems need updating and our parking lot needs repaving and improved lighting. These are just some of the projects that have been deferred over the years because we are unable to address them through our regular operating budget.  We are in the process of prioritizing these needs and estimating the total cost for the work. Careful consideration and thoughtful planning is required for us to move forward. This is why input from our parishioners is of the utmost importance at this time. Your opinions and suggestions will enable us to formulate a final plan that will help meet the needs of our entire parish. During the next several weeks, every parish family on our mailing list will be contacted and asked to take part in a study process to be conducted by Cornerstone Fundraising, a professional Catholic fundraising firm. Members of
the Cornerstone team will be conducting one-on-one personal interviews and focus groups with randomly selected families and individuals of the parish. A direct mail study questionnaire will be mailed to every home as well. Please make every effort to participate in the survey process so that we may complete this study with your open and honest input.  Thank you for your continued support.

Traveling? There’s an App for That!

CatholicDirectoryAppDon’t forget to include time for Mass in your travel plans.  There is a free iPhone App (coming soon for Android!) that not only tells you the Mass times, but can detect your current location, show you nearby churches, give you Mass times, address, phone number, and website of a nearby parish, connect you to a map and give directions, give readings for the day and the saint of the day, and unbelievably, play for you the Catholic TV Mass for the day or any of the days of the last few weeks! It is called The Catholic Directory, and can be found in the App Store on your iPod or iPhone. Why not give it a try?  For more information visit The Catholic Directory.  

You can also find the Mass schedules of churches throughout the world online at masstimes.org.

May 19: My Faith Map

My Faith MapMy Faith Map by Frank McConville
Miraculously, I was born a “cradle Catholic”, educated by Charity nuns and Jesuits. My faith (beliefs requiring action) has matured over 75 years. My belief in the Nature and Will of God is secure. My actions to follow the Will of God are more difficult. For me, God has revealed God’s plan and Will through creation, the prophets, scripture and ultimately becoming Incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ; demonstrating in Word and Deed, how I should live my life. A challenge I share with St. Paul, IS, given my human nature and my free will…, how do I transform and convert from my will to God’s Will in my daily life? What has helped me on my journey? My family and friends. Marrying the right person. As a young couple, joining with other couples in the Christian Family Movement and Marriage Encounter, to form a strong family commitment. Coming to know Jesus through a Cursillo. Active in the Voice of the Faithful. Teaching Religious Education. Being active in parish life. And celebrating Eucharist with the St. John’s Community for 40 years.

May 19: News from Religious Education

Religious-Education-REGISTERReligious Education registration packets for the 2013-2014 school year were mailed to all families recently. If you have not received a packet in the mail, it is available for download on the Parish website.  The deadline for registering before the late fee is assessed is MAY 31. We are always looking for teachers who are willing to teach any of the grades 1 – 10. If you are interested, please contact the Religious Education Office at 781.235.5337 (grades 1 – 6) or 781.237.0141 (grades 7 – 10).

May 19: News from the AFFC

AFFC LogoSunday, May 19 7:30 pm: 38th Social Justice Forum at Sacred Heart Understanding Islam and the Role of Women with Zilka Spahic Siljak. Professor Siljak is currently a visiting lecturer at the Harvard Divinity School, where she teaches a course entitled “Women, Spirituality and Peace”.  Free admission, open to the public.  Sponsored by the Sacred Heart Parish Justice and Peace Committee – click for more information. Sacred Heart Parish (Lower Church) 1321 Centre St., Newton Centre

Faith Maps: As we know, during this Year of Faith, there is a great emphasis on evangelization, the act of spreading the Good News, sharing the message and life of Jesus Christ.  At a recent meeting of our Parish Adult Faith Formation Commission, the group explored the idea of inviting parishioners to witness and share their experience and journey in faith. These stories, personal and different, identified or anonymous, will appear in the Sunday Bulletin, with the heading,  My Faith Map. Please send your Faith Map story to Frank McConville by e-mail or snail mail: 59 Thackeray Road, Wellesley, 02481.

Crowning of Mary – Wednesday, May 15 at 9:00am

may crowning 2Everyone is welcome 
to join us in the Church for this beautiful prayer service with the children of
Saint John School!