Category Archives: Important Announcements

Dear 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

The 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 1: The St. John and St. Paul Parish Councils have requested that our Collaborative be included in Phase III of the Pastoral Plan for the Archdiocese of Boston. How will the Archdiocese determine which Collaboratives are included in Phase III? When will we find out if we are in Phase III? 

The Office of Pastoral Planning, together with the Secretariat for Parish Life and Leadership and the Vicar General, will develop a list of possible Phase III Collaboratives. This list will be brought to Cardinal Sean for his final approval. Phase III Collaboratives will be announced throughout the spring and summer of 2014 and will be formally launched in June 2015.

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.