St. John – St. Paul Expected to be in Phase 3

SJSP Collaborative Logo_SmallDear Parishioners,
From this bulletin, The Pilot and a number of other sources, you are aware that our Archdiocese is in the midst of implementing Disciples in Mission, a comprehensive plan developed over a two year period by the Archdiocesan Planning Office working with the Archdiocesan Pastoral Planning Commission (APPC). In an effort to advance its evangelical efforts, preserve and strengthen parishes and reasonably allocate clergy and lay personnel, it calls for the development of collaboratives. Simply put, collaboratives are parishes served by one pastoral staff (i.e. sharing clergy, religious and lay staff).

StJohn.StPaul_LogoWith only a handful of exceptions due to size or unique geography, it is expected that all of the parishes in our Archdiocese will be part of a collaborative by 2019. Each year a block of parishes will be announced and, with the assistance of the Planning Office, enter into collaboratives. The second grouping or phase is set to commence June 1 of this year. For the reasons stated in the letter (a copy of which ran in our parish bulletins in recent weeks) St. John the Evangelist and St. Paul parishes have volunteered to be a part of Phase III. We have been informed by the Planning Office that they concur with our suggestion. Hence we expect to be a part of Phase III, which will begin in summer 2015. In the near future the Archdiocese will make a formal announcement, including at least some of the other Phase III collaboratives.

The St. John/St. Paul Collaborative Committee has been meeting for some time now to prepare us for this eventuality. In the months to come all of us will have opportunities to learn more about the process and what we can do to ensure its successful implementation.

Respectfully yours,

Rev. Thomas F. Powers
Pastor

Rev. Thomas S. Rafferty
Administrator

Congratulations to our Saint John School Students!

SaintJohnSchool_LogoAs the school year begins to wind down, we wish to congratulate our students who have recently received acceptances to continue their middle school studies at the following schools:
Catholic Memorial • Rivers • Dana Hall • St. Sebastian • Mount Alvernia • Ursuline • Monsignor Haddad • Xavarian •Montrose • Wellesley Middle School • Mount Alvernia • Weston Middle School • Newton Country Day
Know someone interested in learning more about Saint John School? Students and parents will be hosting donuts on June 1st after the 9:00a.m. Mass. Come learn more about our Pre-school — Grade 6 academic programs and wonderful community!

The Ascension of the Lord – Thursday, May 29

Ascension ThursdayHoly Day of Obligation
Masses celebrated at:
7:00 am
12:00 noon
5:30 pm

Summer Mass Schedule

Yellow FlowerBeginning Sunday, June 1 the Mass schedule will be as follows:
Saturdays: 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Sundays:  7:30 a.m., 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
(No Sunday 5:00 p.m. Mass in June, July & August)
Weekdays: 7:00 a.m.
Holy Days: as announced

Collaborative Question 3: Is One of the Churches in Wellesley Closing?

SJSP Collaborative Logo_SmallThe St. John and St. Paul parishes will, in the near future, be joined in a Collaborative under a plan developed by the Archdiocesan Office of Pastoral Planning. The St. John and St. Paul Parish Councils, along with Father Powers and Father Rafferty, have requested that our Collaborative be included in the upcoming Phase III of the Pastoral Plan for the Archdiocese of Boston. The Archdiocese is scheduled to announce the parishes that will be included in Phase III before the fall of 2014, and the Collaboratives for those parishes will be formally launched in mid-2015.

Following is a recently asked question and answer about the new Collaborative:

Question 3:  If St. John’s and St. Paul’s are forming a Collaborative, does this mean that one of the churches in Wellesley will be closing?

No! Both St. John’s and St. Paul’s will remain open, which is a key benefit of the new Pastoral Collaborative program. It is helpful to think of our two-parish Collaborative as an “affiliation of parishes” – not a new parish. St. John’s and St. Paul’s will each maintain its own identity – each with its own name, buildings,
canonical rights, bank accounts, books, financial assets, and financial obligations.

More Frequently Asked Questions can be found on the St. John’s web site:  ST. JOHN-ST. PAUL COLLABORATIVE NEWS  In addition, the Archdiocese regularly updates a detailed website: www.disciplesinmission.com.

We welcome your comments and feedback.  Please email your questions or comments about Parish Collaboratives to – stjohn.stpaul@gmail.com.

Thank You!

Pregnancy Help Logo_NEWTHANK YOU to all who donated to the St. John Parish Baby Shower last weekend. A great number of items were collected and given to Crisis Pregnancies through Catholic Charities.

Religious Education Registration is Due by May 31

Religious-Education-REGISTERSt. John Religious Education Registration Packets have been mailed out to all families and are due back at the parish office by May 31 before a late fee is assessed. If you did not receive a registration packet in the mail, you can download the forms and information here: Religious Education

Two Exciting AFFC Lectures!

AFFC LogoThursday, May 22, 7:00 p.m., Social Hall
Lecture by Professor Catherine Corneille
Newton College Alumnae Chair of Western Culture Chair of the Theology Department at Boston College

The French Benedictine monk Henri Le Saux (1910-1973) is without a doubt one of the great pioneers of the Hindu-Christian spiritual dialogue. Not only did he delve deep into uncharted spiritual territories, but he also inspired many who followed in his footsteps, from the spiritual master Bede Griffiths, to the famous theologian Raimon Panikkar. In this talk, Professor Corneille will reflect on the ways in which Le Saux’s journal and other writings have inspired her personally, and continue to be relevant for interreligious dialogue in general and Hindu-Christian dialogue in particular.

Monday, June 9, 7:00 p.m., Social Hall
Lecture by Fr. Alejandro Bertolini, Ph.D.
Professor and Consultant at several Universities and schools of lay formation and ecclesiastic movements.

The Argentine Theology of the People: Some Clues to Understanding Pope Francis’s Thought
While a Theology of the People shares a perspective with Liberation Theology, they not the same, with each relying on a distinct and different set of clues for their interpretations of texts and word. “Theology of the People” is best understood as simply, “Latinoamerican Theology.”  Fr. Alejandro is himself an Argentine and therefore will give us that unique perspective on Pope Francis.

Collaborative News – A Letter from the Pastors

StJohn.StPaul_LogoDear Parishioners,

Two years ago Cardinal Sean announced a new plan for the Archdiocese entitled Disciples in Mission. In this plan, a cluster of parishes would enter into a Collaborative. Each parish would retain its individual identity and yet would work together with the other parish(es) under the leadership of one Pastor. Therefore, under this new Archdiocesan plan, there would be one Pastor for St. John and St. Paul. Implementation of this Archdiocesan plan would take place in a series of phases during the coming few years.

Presently two phases have been implemented and a third phase is tentatively scheduled for 2015. After discussion with the advisory boards of both parishes, we feel it would be appropriate to inform the Archdiocese that St. John and St. Paul would be open to inclusion in phase three. It is Cardinal Sean who decides which Collaboratives would be included in each phase and also what
the timetable would be for that phase.

We feel this is an opportune time for our parishes to be included since Fr. Powers will be reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75 in 2015, and setting our sights on phase three will help the parishes to focus on what must be done to prepare for this change. It is our conviction that when our parishes enter into this new relationship, the mission of each parish will be strengthened and the community will be better served.

May this Easter Season be a blessing to all the members of our parishes.

Fr. Thomas F. Powers, Pastor       Fr. Thomas Rafferty, Administrator

Collaborative Questions: What Can We Do Now to Prepare?

SJSP Collaborative Logo_SmallThe St. John and St. Paul parishes will, in the near future, be joined in a Collaborative under a plan developed by the Archdiocesan Office of Pastoral Planning. The St. John and St. Paul Parish Councils, along with Father Powers and Father Rafferty, have requested that our Collaborative be included in the upcoming Phase III of the Pastoral Plan for the Archdiocese of Boston. The Archdiocese is scheduled to announce the parishes that will be included in Phase III before the fall of 2014, and the Collaboratives for those parishes will be formally launched in mid-2015.

Following is a recently asked question and answer about the new Collaborative:

QUESTION 2: What can the St. John and St. Paul communities do now to prepare for the formal launch of the Collaborative? 

Preparations are already underway. Over a year ago, an Inter-Parish Committee comprised of parishioners from St. John and St. Paul was formed. This group has been meeting monthly to plan for the upcoming Collaborative, and is in communication with the Office of Pastoral Planning in the Archdiocese. Information regarding the Collaborative gets printed in both parishes’ weekly bulletins, and is always available on both websites under a Collaborative News tab. Members of the St. John’s and the St. Paul’s Parish Councils have attended and actively participated in one another’s Parish Council meetings. Additionally, many St. John’s and St. Paul’s parishioners have increasingly enjoyed the array of social, educational, and religious events at one another’s churches. Going forward, we will continue to provide up-to-date information on the
Collaborative in the bulletins and on the web sites as it becomes available. Additionally, we will host open meetings to provide timely, accurate information when our Collaborative is formally announced.

More Frequently Asked Questions can be found on the St. John’s web site – click ST. JOHN-ST. PAUL COLLABORATIVE NEWS under “Quick Links.”  In addition, the Archdiocese regularly updates a detailed website: www.disciplesinmission.com.

We welcome your comments and feedback.  Please email your questions or comments about Parish Collaboratives to – stjohn.stpaul@gmail.com.