Category Archives: Important Announcements

Posts that need to appear on the front page of the website go in this category.

SJSP World Youth Day Video

Please watch this video slideshow about our trip to Krakow for World Youth Day.

WYD 16 from Saint Paul on Vimeo.

September 11

september_11_remember-editedIn honor of those lost, we still remember.

Our Regular Mass Schedule & Family Mass Program Resume This Weekend

Our Regular Mass Schedule resumes on Sunday, September 11 with Masses at  7:30am, 9:00am, 11:00am, and 5:00pm.

Family Mass_AltarOur Family Mass Program also returns from summer vacation. What does that mean? It means our music, readings, & homilies will be geared towards families with young children. There are also a lot of helpers – families and children bringing up the gifts to the celebrant, children helping with the collection baskets, parent lectors. If you think you or your child would enjoy helping during the Family Mass – we’d love to have your help! Please contact our Family Mass Coordinator, Chrissy Cassa.

And, yes, right after the Family Mass there is our Donut & Coffee Social Hour downstairs in Powers Hall. Please consider helping one Sunday this year. It’s easy – everything is delivered to the church you just need to set-up and clean-up. The kids love to help out! You can sign-up at:
stjohnwellesley.org/donuts

Calling All Teens! Sunday 5:00pm Mass

Contemporary MusicWe are very excited to share that starting this Sunday, September 11, the St. John Sunday 5:00pm Mass will feature contemporary music appealing to teens and young adults and their families, and will include teen participation in the various ministries of the Mass. We will be seeking additional teen volunteers in the coming months, so please stay tuned!  All are welcome!

Update on the Special Second Collection for Fr. John Amuda’s “Association of Mama Theresa”

Fr_John_Amuda_SMALast week, Fr. John Amuda left our Collaborative to return to the Central African Republic. St. John’s and St. Paul’s are grateful for his dedicated service to our parishes. During the last two weekends, Fr. John spoke at all Masses about his missionary work in the Central African Republic and the Association of Mama Theresa, a non-governmental organization he headed. Thanks to the generosity of parishioners at both parishes, over $20,000 was collected to help the important work of Fr. John and his Association. Thank you so much for your generosity. If you would like to keep in contact with Fr. John, you may e-mail him.

World Youth Day “Thank You Celebration” – Sunday, September 11th at 6:00pm in St. Paul Parish Hall

WYD_LogoThe group of young people from our collaborative who attended World Youth Day would like to invite all parishioners to attend their World Youth Day “Thank You Celebration on Sunday, September 11th from 6:00 to 8:00pm in St. Paul Parish Hall. There will be refreshments, a presentation from the pilgrims and a slideshow of the pilgrimage. Please come and hear about this life changing event for our young people. We will also be sharing some of our young people’s reflection on WYD in the bulletin starting next week.

Episcopal Ordination

On Friday, June 3 the Holy See announced that Pope Francis named Fr. Robert P. Reed and Fr. Mark O’Connell auxiliary bishops of the Archdiocese of Boston. On Wednesday, August 24, Bishops Elect Reed and O’Connell will be ordained at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Boston. As bishops, they will shepherd us and encourage a spirit of prayer, celebrate the sacred liturgy and all the sacraments for the sanctification of all people, and promote the work of peace and justice, especially for the poor and disenfranchised.

Bishop-elect Mark O’Connell pictured June 10, 2016. Photo by Gregory L. Tracy/ The Pilot

Bishop-elect Mark O’Connell pictured June 10, 2016.
Photo by Gregory L. Tracy/ The Pilot

Bishop-elect Mark O’Connell was born in Toronto, Canada of American parents, his family returned to Massachusetts when he was 12 years old. His father, Thomas who passed away in 2013, was a University Librarian first at York University in Toronto and then at Boston College. His mother, Margaret, lives at Bethany Health Care Center in Framingham. The youngest of four children and his late uncle was a Boston Priest Father David F. Delaney ’61 and his aunt is a Dominican Sister, Sr. Jean Delaney, O.P. A graduate of Dover Sherborn Regional High School ’82, he earned degrees from Boston College ’86 and Saint John Seminary ’90. Following his ordination in 1990, he served five years at Saint Barbara in Woburn and two years at Saint Mary of the Annunciation in Danvers during which time he was one of the Chaplains at Salem State. He continued his studies in Rome in Canon Law in 1997 and received his License in Canon Law (JCL) and his Doctorate in Canon Law (JCD). From 2001 to 2007 he served as Assistant to the Moderator of the Curia for Canonical Affairs. Bishop-elect O’Connell been Judicial Vicar since 2007 and is on the faculty at both Saint John Seminary and Pope St. John XXIII Seminary. The Bishop-elect is Chaplain to the Catholic Lawyers’ Guild.

Bishop-elect Robert Reed pictured June 10, 2016. Photo by Gregory L. Tracy/ The Pilot

Bishop-elect Robert Reed pictured June 10, 2016.
Photo by Gregory L. Tracy/ The Pilot

Bishop-elect Robert P. Reed was born in Boston, MA and is the son of the late William and Jeanne Reed and Charles Boland and the youngest of five children. Ordained to the priesthood on July 6, 1985, his first parish assignment was as parochial vicar at Immaculate Conception Parish in Malden. Other parish assignments include, Saint Catherine of Siena Parish in Norwood, Pastor of Saint Matthew Parish in Dorchester, Saint Theresa of Avila Parish in West Roxbury, All Saints Parish in Haverhill and as Pastor of Holy Ghost Parish in Whitman. He was educated at Saint John’s Preparatory School and he prepared for the priesthood at St. John’s Seminary in Brighton and the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Bishop-elect Reed also holds an advanced degree in Television Management from Boston University’s College of Communication. His work at The CatholicTV Network has included serving as Director of Educational Development, Assistant Director and President. He currently serves as Cabinet Secretary for Catholic Media in the Archdiocese of Boston and is the President/CEO of iCatholic Media, Inc. He regularly assists at Corpus Christi-St. Bernard Parish in Newton and St. Bonaventure Parish in Plymouth, MA.

Information regarding their ordination can be found at Ordination2016.com/home. The ordination will be broadcast on Comcast – Ch 268, Verizon FIOS – Ch 296, RCN – Ch 85 and Charter – Ch 101.

Facilities Update

The St. John Parish Center (the former convent) is getting cleaned and organized inside to be more purposely utilized for office space, Religious Education and other ministries for our Collaborative. Dumpsters will be onsite to facilitate the disposal of trash and old furniture.

We Welcome Ronda Dew to the Religious Education Team as Confirmation Preparation Program Coordinator!

Religious-Education-Contemporary_SMALLSt. John the Evangelist is pleased to announce that Ronda Dew is joining the Religious Education Team as Confirmation Preparation Program Coordinator. Ronda is a St. John’s parishioner, former Parish Council member, Religious Education teacher and mother of four children who were confirmed at St. John’s. She will be responsible for our grade 7-10 program including coordination of the sacrament of Confirmation. We are excited to have Ronda on board.

A Message from Fr. John Amuda, S.M.A.

Fr_John_Amuda_SMAMy name is Fr. John Amuda, SMA. I am a Nigerian. I was ordained on July 26, 2014 in Nigeria. I was posted to the Central African Republic for my first mission. Central African Republic, then, was experiencing a political/religious war which started in February, 2013 and ended in March 2016. Going to CAR, I was filled with fear and hope – fear of being killed by the rebels and hope of dying for Christ.

The war caused for many displaced, with the Church compound becoming a refugee camp. (My parish harbored about 24,000 refugees). After the coming of the Pope in November 2015, the country saw a bright light towards the end of the war. My works as a missionary in Central African Republic were: assistant pastor; teaching in the Catholic secondary school and heading an NGO named “Association of Mama Theresa”. This association is a collection of about 160 children, not more than 20 years old, who had been orphans or whose parents were murdered during the war with no means of feeding or schooling. More than 50% of these children are HIV/AIDS positive.

My work as the head of this association is to put the children in good schools, pay for their school materials, pay their hospital bills and feed them at least twice a week. This association started a long time ago, even before the coming of the war, to help children who are less privileged, not to be a victim of child abuse and to give them a sense of a bright future. However, the coming of the war and the aftermath worsened the situation, such that so many children are now left without either the father or the mother or both.

After two (2) years and I am grateful to work in St. Paul-St. John Collaborative in Wellesley. I ask you all to put me in your prayers as towards the end of August, when I shall return to Africa. Also, I ask you to pray for Central African Republic, as she strives for a true reconciliation. Pray for these children also and if you have anything to support them, we shall be much grateful. Thank you for supporting the mission. May the Almighty God bless your endeavors. Amen.

In early July, the St. John-St. Paul Collaborative welcomed Fr. John Amuda, SMA to our community for the summer. Fr. John spoke at Masses at St. John’s last weekend, and will speak  at St. Paul’s this weekend, August 13-14. A special second collection supporting his non-governmental organization (NGO), “Association of Mama Teresa”, will take place at St. John’s the weekend of August 20-21 and at St. Paul’s the weekend of August 27-28.