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THE WEEKLY MISSIVE
January 30, 2026
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¿Qué hacemos a partir de ahora?
Dear Friends,
I received an email earlier today from the (newly re-elected) Paulist President, Fr. René Constanza, that shared that he signed a "sign-on letter" (see the link below) inviting Roman Catholic clergy, religious and lay leadership to add their names.
As you may know, in the wake of the deeply troubling events and tragic loss of life in Minneapolis over the past three weeks, many of our cardinals, bishops and church leaders have spoken out to ask for reform of the way ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and CBP (US Customs and Border Protection) are carrying out their duties. Over the past several months, Pope Leo XIV has also expressed his deep concern about how immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers are being treated in the USA.
The public letter urges Congress to uphold human dignity, protect family unity, and act with moral responsibility in immigration and enforcement policy. Concretely, it is urging legislators not to vote for additional DHS funding unless changes are made in policy to uphold these values. As I write this on Thursday afternoon I just learned that Democratic senators rejected the DHS funding bill following the shooting death of Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minnesota’s largest city.
We continue to pray in solidarity with and for immigrants - those living in the greater Boston area, in Minneapolis, and elsewhere.
Fr. Rick, on behalf of the Paulist Center Staff
Alvaro, Barbara, Deb, Dorothy, Gus, Liz, Norm, Fr. Rick, Rob, Sal, Susan, and Timmy
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- 1st Holy Communion
- FREP
- FREP Community Service Project
- Young Adults Faith Sharing
- Worship Matters
- Tax donation letters
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- Brains & Blessings Trivia Night
- Prayers for Jane O'Connor
- Annual Paulist Appeal
- Catholic Social Teachings
- CORI forms
- Stewardship/Community Gift
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First Holy Communion 2026 at the Paulist Center
The Rite of Enrollment for First Communion will take place this Sun, Feb 1 at the 10am Mass.
Our First Holy Communion preparation classes will begin this Sun, Feb 1 from 11:15am - 12:30pm in the auditorium.
This is a meeting for both parents and children looking to celebrate the Sacrament of First Holy Communion at the 10am Mass on Sun, May 18 at the Paulist Center.
Please see the bulletin for further information.
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Family Religious Education Program (FREP)
All FREP classes resume this Sun, Feb 1 after the 10am Mass in their usual locations.
- Kindergarten - 1st grade: 6th Fl, Rm 17
- Grades 2 - 3: 2nd Fl Seminar Rm
- Grades 4 - 6: 6th Fl, Rm 22
- Jr & Sr High Youth Group: Mosaic 2-5 pm, off-site
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Brains & Blessings Trivia Night
at the Paulist Center!
Join us for a fun evening of friendly competition at
Brains & Blessings Trivia Night on Friday, February 6th at 7:00 p.m. in the auditorium.
Come with a team or join one that night—everyone’s welcome!
The cost is $20, which includes pizza and non-alcoholic beverages.
The winning team will take home a $100 gift certificate to 21st Amendment to celebrate their victory!
We’re excited to have Fr. Rick as our host, with Supper Club’s own Rick Sal as DJ keeping the vibe fun and festive!
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If possible, please RSVP so we can plan enough pizza for everyone.
Please RSVP to: supperclubfood@gmail.com
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Young Adult Ministry
Faith Sharing Group -
this Sun, Feb 1, 7pm
Young Adults (21-39) are invited to join the weekly faith sharing group after the 6:00pm Mass this Sunday in the 3rd floor library.
Continuing through the end of May, the Young Adult group will meet after the 6:00pm Mass in the 3rd floor library for some light snacks, conversation, and communal reflection.
We hope to see you there!
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FREP 3rd Annual
Community Service Project
FREP students will once again be collecting items for hygiene kits to be donated to Catholic Charities.
These kits are even more important this year as federal funding cuts are hitting people who use Catholic Charities services hard.
Our goal is to assemble 400 hygiene kits.
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Please Remember In Your Prayers ...
Please pray for long time community member
Jane O’Connor as she enters hospice care.
Jane was a 20+ year Wednesday Night Supper Club chef, and past recipient of the Isaac Hecker Award for Social Justice.
Please keep Jane and her family in your thoughts.
If you would like to send cards, or visit, this is Jane’s address:
Care Dimensions Hospice House
125 Winter Street
Lincoln, MA 01773
Please TEXT Nancy Griffin at 617-877-1990 or,
TEXT Jane’s daughter Beth at 617-877-6812
to make arrangements for a time to visit.
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WORSHIP MATTERS
February 1, 2026, Issue #15
LITURGY AND JUSTICE:
To Be the Mystical Body of Christ
For those who have worshipped at the Paulist Center for any length of time, the deep connection between liturgy and justice is well known. Yet it is worth remembering that for the leaders of the early twentieth-century liturgical movement —the movement that eventually gave rise to the reforms of Vatican II—this relationship was not simply complementary. It was inseparable. To celebrate the liturgy was to be formed for mission and sent forth for the transformation of the world.
Born amid profound social and ecclesial upheaval, Benedictine monk and theologian Virgil Michel emerged as one of the movement’s most influential voices. Writing in a time marked by war, economic instability, and deep social division, Michel insisted that the Church’s worship could never be detached from the work of justice.
For Michel and his contemporaries, the renewal of society depended on the Church truly living as the Mystical Body of Christ. The place where this identity is most deeply formed is the celebration of the Eucharist, where the community becomes the means through which Christ continues his saving work in the world. From this perspective, liturgical renewal and social transformation are inseparable.
This vision reemerges in Pope Leo’s recent encyclical, Dilexi Te, in which he names poverty as the result of pervasive and entrenched “structures of sin”—social, economic, and political systems that wound human dignity. Poverty, he reminds us, takes many forms, extending beyond material deprivation to include those who are marginalized, vulnerable, or oppressed. The encyclical draws these realities into the heart of worship, insisting that the poor are not merely a sociological category but “the very flesh of Christ.” Thus, works of mercy, including almsgiving, are not optional but essential acts of authentic worship—practices that cultivate empathy, deepen encounter, and shape moral responsibility.
Revisiting this vision today is both timely and necessary. In an age marked by fear and anxiety, it can be tempting to reduce liturgy to something that merely comforts or soothes. Full, conscious, and active worship does more. It equips us to live as the Mystical Body of Christ, bearing responsibility for one another and all God’s creation. When we gather to celebrate the Eucharist, each time we proclaim “Amen” or “Thanks be to God,” we do more than affirm our faith—we commit our lives to Christ’s way of love, becoming bearers of peace, workers for justice, conduits of grace, and witnesses of light in a wounded world.
In the weeks ahead, we will continue exploring this vital relationship between liturgy and justice as it unfolds in the Liturgy of the Word, the the Eucharist, and the Dismissal—where we are sent forth to become what we pray and live what we profess.
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From Fr. Rick -
The weekend of Feb 7 & 8, the Paulist Center is joining Paulist communities nationwide to lift up the Paulist mission: caring for senior priests, fostering vocations, and funding ministries that lift up women in leadership, engage young adults, honor the gifts of people of color, and welcome our LGBTQ+ sisters and brothers with compassion - reaching even those beyond church walls.
As I mentioned last year, the rate of participation is important because it is a consideration used when making decisions about Paulist priest assignments.
Let us continue to let the Paulists know that we are supportive of our shared mission here in Boston.
Many of you have received materials from the Paulist Fathers with regard to our Annual Paulist Appeal. If you received one of these brochures and reply envelopes it means that you are known for your support of our unique mission. Thank you. So please once again, fill the reply envelope with your contact information along with a donation.
If you have not received material from the Paulists in your mail, we have them available (as of Feb 7) in the vestibule at the Chapel entrance.
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Prayer and Action in Troubled Times:
Lessons from Catholic Social Teachings
Join us for our next session on key documents from our Catholic Social Teachings that have challenged and inspired our faith tradition over time.
We will learn about them and consider what insights and actions they inspire as we face myriad assaults on social justice today.
Raúl E. Zegarra, a community member and Asst. Prof. of Roman Catholic Theological Studies at Harvard Divinity School, will lead the sessions.
Sunday, February 8 at 7pm in the 3rd Fl Library
Pizza will be served.
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Come Celebrate with Us!
We hope to see you at Mass in person, but if you can't make it through the big red doors,
we welcome you to join us online:
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Tax Donation Letters
If you gave to the Center in an identifiable way this past calendar year, you will be sent a tax donation letter by the start of February.
There is no need to specifically request a letter, unless you don't receive one by early February.
Please note, per the IRS, retired folks who give directly from their retirement accounts receive their tax deductible donation documentation from their retirement plan provider,
not from us.
If you have any questions, contact Deborah Heimel at deborah@paulistcenter.org
Thank you so much for your generosity to the Center.
We are greatly appreciative!
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CORI
The Paulist Center appreciates everyone in our community who donates their time and volunteers with us in our ministries, projects, events, and more.
All volunteers and staff must fill out a CORI (Criminal Offender Record of Information) form with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts every year in order to comply with our safety guidelines.
This background check helps us ensure the safety of our community and those we serve.
Liz will be available before and after Mass on Saturdays and Sundays through January to assist everyone.
Part of this process includes ID verification, so please bring a government-issued identification with you if you intend on filling out a CORI form. An email will be sent out to previous volunteers explaining this process in more detail.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to Liz Framski via email at liz@paulistcenter.org.
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Ongoing Opportunities/Needs & Notes
The most comprehensive listing of what's going on at the
Paulist Center is in the bulletin. Check it out!
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Encouragement to sustain our vibrant liturgies and our mission of healing, reconciliation, & justice through your financial investment in the Paulist Center. We prefer that you donate electronically through our website, but you can also use Apple Pay or Google Pay to donate via DonorBox if you do not require an annual tax donation statement. More info in the bulletin.
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The Community Gift the weekend of January 31 - February 1 is The Saintly Seven Campaign - the recipient is TBD. Currently, seven African American men and women are on the path toward sainthood.
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How can the Paulist Center Community accompany you on your faith journey?
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Mass Cards - Please stop by the Front Office during the week, email Sal Whooley at sal@paulistcenter.org, or call 617-742-4460, if you would like to arrange for a Mass and/or purchase a Mass card:
- in memory of someone who has died,
- in honor of a special occasion,
- or for the special intentions of yourself or a loved one.
| | | | Attentive to the Holy Spirit and nourished by vibrant liturgy, we are a Catholic community that welcomes all, fosters healing and reconciliation, and acts for justice. | | Follow us on social media, and please share our posts with others! | | | | |
