(Rescheduled from January – please note the new start time is 7:00pm) The Adult Faith Formation Commission is delighted to announce that Jeff Bloechl, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Boston College specializing in contemporary philosophy, philosophy of religion, and Christian philosophy, will speak on the Catholic philosopher Charles Taylor. As Father Michael Gallagher comments in his work Faith Maps:
“In 1960 when Charles Taylor was a graduate student at Oxford, he published an article entitled “Clericalism”, critical of the marginal role given to lay people in the Catholic Church. This showed, he argued, a defensive Church isolated from modern culture… His critique is now directed against a different form of academic clericalism, whereby philosophers, sociologists, and historians find it normal to ignore the spiritual dimensions of life. Such intellectuals, he holds, have not only forgotten the answers to the great questions of life, they have forgotten the questions.”
Connecting to the legacy of the Church’s great intervening event, Vatican Council II, Professor Bloechl, who recently returned from a seminar with Professor Taylor, has described him as “… a true Vatican II thinker, in the best sense.” Please join us for what promises to be a thoughtful and exciting evening!
St. John the Evangelist Parish, Social Hall, 7:00pm
Sunday, January 27, 7:30pm: Defending Childhood with Thea James, MD. Dr. James is a member of the U.S. Attorney General’s Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence and director of Boston Medical Center’s Violence Intervention Advocacy Program. At Sacred Heart Parish, 1321 Centre St., Newton, MA.
We would like to thank everyone who helped make this Christmas Season so very blessed for everyone:
Please join us this Tuesday, January 22, at 6:00 pm in the downstairs chapel, as we join in prayer with thousands of others in the Archdiocese of Boston’s Holy Hour for Life. The Holy Hour for Life will unite the Archdiocese of Boston in prayer, asking forgiveness on behalf of all people for sins against the dignity of the human person, committed through acts of abortion and many other offenses against human life. All are welcome. Information sheets are available at our church entrances, or call Deacon Tom Smith at (781) 235-6442.
Please contact our Business Office if you would like to receive a tax statement for your 2012 donations made to St. John the Evangelist. Please call (781) 235-0045 or e-mail 
In November, we received a 
This weekend the altar is covered with a unique quilt that was created by the Religious Education Grade 2 students in celebration of their First Reconciliation. Each child created a personal square of artwork, and the pieces were woven together to produce this truly meaningful expression of their sacramental experience.
The Christmas Wish 2012 Committee would like to thank each one of you who generously donated time, contributions, shopping efforts, coordination of parish family needs, data entry, attending meetings, bundling packages, matching gifts to families, and many tireless efforts to make Christmas special for over 300 children in our community. We worked with 118 families and 312 children in St. Patrick’s in Brockton, St. Patrick’s in Lowell, St. Katharine Drexel in Roxbury, Julie’s Family Learning Program in South Boston, and St. John the Evangelist in Wellesley to provide gifts of clothing, toys, special gift wishes,and even food cards to make the holiday special for so many.
Over 220 St. John families helped with this effort by family sponsorship, shopping, financial donations, program co-ordination, religious ed community service, and gift delivery. We extend a special thanks to McCabe Movers for their donation of the truck for gift delivery again this year. We thank Bill Logan and Steve DuFour and his son for volunteering to deliver the gifts to Lowell and Roxbury. (Check out the 
For the last few months, our Staff has been discussing the development of a new role on the Parish Staff, that of a Family Mass Coordinator. There are many ministries such as Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Collectors, Hospitality, etc., that serve to create the Family Mass each Sunday. Although there are numerous volunteers who assume responsibility for these ministries, we have found it increasingly necessary to have an overall Coordinator of the ministries and assure communication and planning with our Religious Education and Music departments. We are very happy to announce that Christine (Chrissy) Cassa will assume this new role of Family Mass Coordinator, thus taking a position on our Parish Staff. We know you will all warmly welcome her!
