Category Archives: SJSP Collaborative

Welcome to Our New Director Of Finance and Operations, Jackie Welham!

Dear Friends,

It is with a mixture of sadness and gratitude that I announce that Tricia Fraser, the Director of Finance and Operations for the St. John-St. Paul Collaborative, left her position as of July 1 to pursue a new and exciting opportunity. Tricia has been named Vice President of Finance at St. John Seminary in Brighton. I am most grateful to Tricia for her tireless dedication to the collaborative over the past three years in this important strategic role. Our gratitude, thoughts and prayers go with her as she embarks upon this new adventure.

I am at the same time delighted to announce that Jackie Welham is our new Director of Finance and Operations, effective August 6. Jackie comes to us with an impressive career in accounting and finance as well as a passionate dedication to the mission of the Church. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Notre Dame and with a MBA with a concentration in Accounting from Babson College. Her initial professional position was with Coopers & Lybrand (“C&L”), where she obtained her CPA credentials. While at C&L, she specialized in utilities and in not-for-profits. She left C&L in order to take a job at one of her audit clients, Phillips Academy, and then spent eight years at Harvard University. After leaving full time employment, she consulted at various institutions, including several Harvard University departments (e.g. Financial Administration, Risk Management and Audit Services, and the Harvard School of Public Health), Simmons College, and Bethany College.

Jackie is an active participant in her home collaborative of St. Anne-St. Catherine, located in Littleton and Westford. She has served on the St. Anne Finance Council for sixteen years and on the Parish Council (first St. Anne and then the Collaborative Parish Council) for four years. She is a lector and a Eucharistic Minister, and has recently joined the Ministry of Hope. When not working, she enjoys playing tennis and spending time with her husband, Tom, and children, Elizabeth and Tommy.

We are thrilled to welcome Jackie to this key position in our collaborative. She is looking forward to getting to know the St. John and St. Paul community. Let’s extend a warm welcome to Jackie as she begins her new position!

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Jim

Where Are You on Your Faith Journey?

RCIA is the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. It the process by which adults enter full communion with our Church, through the sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist (Communion). RCIA can help you along your faith journey if:

  • You want to join the Church, and have never been baptized.
  • You have been baptized in another Christian faith tradition, but want to join the Catholic Church.
  •  You have been baptized in the Catholic Church, but never had your First Communion or Confirmation.

If any of these describes your current situation and you seek full membership in the Catholic faith family, consider joining our Collaborative RCIA program. We meet weekly throughout the school year, with culmination in the celebration of the Rites of Initiation at the Easter Vigil in spring. RCIA begins in the autumn with a no-obligation period of exploration and discernment.
If you think RCIA might be for you, contact either parish office by phone, or email rcia@sjspwellesley.org. We’d love to hear from you!

Wednesday, August 15: Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Assumption of Mary_ContemporaryMass Schedule for the Collaborative

7:00am at St. John Church
9:00am at St. Paul Church
12:00pm at St. John Church
7:00pm at St. Paul Church

Important Information About Our New Collaborative Confirmation Program

We are excited to announce that this year we will be utilizing a common curriculum – Dynamic Catholic  for both the St. John and St. Paul Grade 9 & 10 Confirmation Preparation Programs. The program will consist of six Sunday evening classes, and will begin in September. There are many changes to the schedule and requirements so it is critical that families register as soon as possible so they will receive all of the pertinent information about our new program and schedule. You may register online HERE.

For your convenience, two meetings (attend one at either location) for St. John and St. Paul parents and students are scheduled for:

Thursday, September 6: 7:30pm – 8:15pm St. Paul’s Parish Hall
Wednesday, September 12:  7:30pm – 8:15pm St. John’s Powers Hall

Additional details about the meeting and program will be sent to all families registered for the Confirmation Preparation program. Again, it is critical that 9th and 10th grade students are registered as soon as possible. We look forward to sharing more details and information in the coming weeks!

Our Collaborative Outdoor Mass – Sunday, September 30 at 11:00am

Special Collaborative Mass Schedule on the Weekend of September 29-30

Masses at St. John:
Saturday 5:oopm Vigil Mass
Sunday 7:30am Mass at St. John

Masses at St. Paul:
Saturday 4:oopm Vigil Mass
Sunday 7:30am Mass

Collaborative Outdoor Mass:
Sunday 11:00am at the Wellesley High School Football Field

Please Note: There will be no 9:00am, 11:00am, or 5:00pm Masses at either parish on Sunday, September 30.

Wednesday, June 20: Looking Forward with NPH

Anyone who is interested in working together to forward the Collaborative’s relationship with Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH, Spanish for “Our Little Brothers and Sisters”) is invited to meet on Wednesday, June 20 at 7:00pm in St. John Powers Hall. Representatives from NPH will be there and we will find out about ways in which we can help to improve the lives of some of our most needy brothers and sisters.

Monday, June 25: Collaborative Immigrant and Refugee Services Committee Meeting with Fr. Bryan Hehir

There will be an ongoing development meeting of the Collaborative Immigrant and Refugee Services Committee on Monday, June 25 at 7:00pm in Powers Hall at St. John. This group was established as a sub-committee of the individual parishes’ service committees. It was born out of the fall Collaborative Service Forum and is committed to the creation and development of service opportunities in the field of immigrant and refugee support. Fr. Bryan Hehir will be sharing his expertise regarding the global migrant and refugee crisis and ways in which our collaborative can serve in this mission field. All are welcome to attend.

If you are not able to attend, but would like to be a part of the discussion at a later date, or have questions regarding the project please contact: kelly.meraw@sjspwellesley.org

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Let’s Share God’s Word Together!

The Collaborative Faith Enrichment Team is offering a summer course on the Gospel of Mark. Our 10 sessions use the Little Rock Scripture Study program. Meetings will alternate between parish locations.

NEXT SESSION:
Monday, August 13, 7:00pm in St. John Powers Hall

Join us this summer in praying over God’s Holy Word as we study Christ’s earthly ministry. For more information or to enroll, contact scripturestudy@sjspwellesley.org

Lenten Gift Thank You from NPH USA

The greatest gift we offer our children when they enter our home is the sense of security and hope that once again they are a part of a family. A family that promises them they will never have to go back to where they have come from whether it be living on the streets, going days without food, never stepping inside a school, never seeing a doctor, never having shoes to put on their feet, or the fear of where they will end up after losing their parents. A family that provides the comfort of knowing they will always have food, shelter, clothing, healthcare, and an education. A family that loves them unconditionally and strives to instill the importance of forgiveness, strength, hard work and perseverance so that they will not live in the past but strive to change their future. This promise is evident at each and every one of our homes. There is a moment as each child settles into the home where if you watch closely, you can witness this transformation and see them smile from their eyes. It is in this moment, you know the child has found hope.

This feeling of security was significantly impacted on September 9th when the earthquake hit Mexico resulting in over 5 million dollars in damages to our NPH Mexico home that threatened the core of our programs. During a time when so many significant global disasters were occurring, our NPH home feared it would be years before being able to identify the funding to rebuild and return that sense of security back to our children while meeting their daily needs. It was in that moment, the mission of NPH came to life by the outpouring of support from our greater NPH family network of supporters, who returned that sense of hope, security, and sense of unconditional love. We cannot begin to thank the St. John – St. Paul Collaborative community enough for ensuring our children have hope. We are touched beyond words with your $20,011.00 of financial support to our NPH Mexico children. On behalf of our children, thank you from the bottom of our heart.

Monica Henry & Elizabeth Caletka
NPH USA Team