Dear Friends,

Every fall, we get to do something remarkable: welcome our beloved families back to our Religious Education Program that's committed not just to teaching children about faith, but to helping them live it — in the way they treat one another, the way they see the dignity in every person, and the way they come to know a God who loves them exactly as they are.

This year, that commitment takes a fuller shape. Building on the work of the past year — listening to teachers, to parents, to you — we're moving into the next phase of re-imagining our Family Religious Education Program. Alongside our traditional classes, you'll now find Family Pods bringing kids, parents, and grandparents together in small intergenerational groups, Parent Faith Formation gatherings where grown-ups get their own coffee-and-conversation time, and an inclusive Confirmation Program built to meet every teen — neurodiverse and otherwise — right where they learn best. Come celebrate the kick-off to the fall season on Sunday, September 20th at our 10 am Mass. Coffee and refreshments will be served in our auditorium afterwards while we break into teams to play Paulist Center Jeopardy!  

Of course, FREP Kick-off isn't the only thing on the calendar this fall. While you're marking up the calendar, save a few more dates: join us Saturday, September 19 for a community painting project at Cristo Rey High School in Dorchester (no skills required, lunch included!); celebrate Colleen Sharka as she receives the Isaac Hecker Award for Social Justice at our 5pm Mass on September 26; and bring your questions to "A.I. Ethics Through a Catholic Lens" on Sunday, September 27 at 7pm, a timely conversation on technology, dignity, and the common good. We can't wait to gather with you — in the classroom, in the chapel, and everywhere in between.  

Susan, on behalf of the Paulist Center Staff

Alvaro, Colleen, Deb, Dorothy, Norm, Fr. Rick, Rob, Sal, Susan, and Timmy

FREP KICK-OFF

This Sunday, September 20

Families, if you have not yet signed up for either formal religious education or sacramental preparation classes (1st Reconciliation, 1st Communion, and/or Teen Confirmation), please do so this week!

Our kick-off liturgy and after-Mass celebration are this Sun, Sept 20 at 10:00am! 



After the liturgy, we will enjoy coffee and refreshments, play a special version of Paulist Center Jeopardy (yes, there's a prize, so bring your competitive self!) and announcements about this year's program.

FREP CALENDAR: https://www.paulistcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-2027-FREP-Calendar.pdf

REGISTER: https://www.paulistcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/FREP-Registration-Form-2026-2027.pdf 

You can pay the registration fee online HERE or,

send check to Paulist Center, 5 Park St, Boston, MA 02108.

FREP PROGRAMS

Traditional Religious Education Classes – Grade-based classes will meet approximately twice per month.

Family Pods – Families will be assigned to a group (pod) which will include children, parents and grandparents and will meet five times over the course of the year. The intention is to offer an opportunity to get to know one another better and create community learning in a smaller intergenerational group. 

Parent Faith Formation – Four times a year, parents will get together during their child’s class time to drink coffee, eat food, and discuss faith formation topics that interest them. 

1st Reconciliation and 1st Communion (Grades 2-3)

Inclusive Confirmation Program (Grades 8-11) Our community includes neurodiverse children and teens. We built a supportive environment with inclusive language, flexible learning spaces, and multimodal options for exploring faith.

Jr. High youth group teens, and Sr. High youth group teens, who are NOT in confirmation, will join the Mosaic Interfaith Circles of Action program again this year. Gatherings will be once a month on Sundays from 2- 5 PM.

The first gathering is October 2 @ 2 pm.

Seeking a K - 1 co-teacher or sub!

Are you willing to fill in occasionally for our Littles?

Please contact Susan Rutkowski at susan@paulistcenter.org if you are available.

Liturgy and Music

Called to Proclaim the Word?

Have you ever considered serving as a lector at the Paulist Center? Proclaiming Scripture at Mass is a wonderful opportunity to deepen your relationship with God’s Word, share your gifts in service to the community, and grow in faith alongside other ministers.

Join us for a Lector Ministry Information Session on Tuesday, September 22 or Tuesday, September 29 at 7:30 PM on Zoom.

Come learn more about the ministry, formation, and what it means to serve as a proclaimer of the Word.

There is no commitment—just an invitation to listen, learn, and discern!

To sign up for one of the sessions please fill out this

Lector Information Form, or

scan QR code.

Tues, Sept 22, 7:30pm

Link to Zoom session

QR Code

Tues, Sept 29, 7:30pm

Link to Zoom session

QR Code

Youth Liturgical Ministry Program

We are excited to once again invite the young people of our community to share their gifts through the Youth Liturgical Ministry (YLM) Program! Young people are invited to serve as lectors, liturgical dancers, musicians, and audio-visual ministers at designated YLM Masses throughout the year.

Participating in YLM is a wonderful way for our young people to become more actively involved in the life and worship of our community, deepen their faith, develop their gifts, and experience the joy of serving alongside others.

Interested? Please complete the YLM Interest Form using the link or QR code provided.

New and returning participants are warmly welcome!

Festival of Readings and Carols —

Call for Musicians

Come, share your voice and make music with us! Preparations are beginning for the Paulist Center’s annual Festival of Readings and Carols, and we invite singers from throughout our community to join the Festival Choir.

Rehearsals are Thursdays from 7:00–9:00 PM in the Chapel, beginning September 24, with performances on

Saturday, December 12 at 8:00 PM and Sunday, December 13 at 2:00 PM.

Whether you are a longtime member of our Music Ministry or have been thinking about joining for the first time, we would love to have you! Come experience the joy of making music together and helping create this beautiful celebration of Scripture, prayer, and song.

 Interested in participating? Please fill out the Musician Information Form using the link or QR code provided.

For more information please contact Norm Gouin at norm@paulistcenter.org.

Fall Adult Confirmation Classes

Looking to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation? This course is for Catholics who received First Communion, but not Confirmation. 



 Classes will be held 6:30 to 8:00pm on 4 Thursday evenings (non-sequential):

· September 24^th

· October 1^st, 15^th, 29^th

We will meet at the Paulist Center in Room 22 on the 6^th floor.

Please contact Fr. Rick at rick@paulistcenter.org to register

World Migrants Day -

September Events

The Paulist Center Immigration Advocacy Group invites you to two local prayer events celebrating World Migrants Day (Sept 27), a feast of the global church honoring migrants and refugees.

Fri, Sept 25, 6pm: Dying of Hope:

Emmanuel College Chapel,

Eisner Administration Building

400 The Fenway, Boston

An annual prayer vigil sponsored by the Sant'Egidio Communities, honoring the thousands of men, women, and children who lose their lives seeking a better life. The evening offers space for reflection, affirming human dignity and fostering solidarity.

Sat, Sept 26, 6pm: World Day of Migrants and Refugees Prayer Service

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church

1548 Blue Hill Avenue, Mattapan Square

Cosponsored by St. Katharine Drexel and Our Lady of Mount Carmel parishes. Using the USCCB national prayer service as a guide, we bear witness and support our neighbors, inviting migrants and refugees — especially young people — to share their testimonies.

No registration necessary. Questions: paulistcenterimmigration@gmail.com

The 2025 Isaac Hecker Award for Social Justice will go to

Colleen Sharka!

next Sat, Sept 26 @ 5pm Mass

Please join us at the 5pm Mass on Saturday, September 26 to celebrate Colleen Sharka, LMHC, co-founder of "CAN WE TALK" (CWT), a community sharing program on trauma and healing based at the Social Impact Center of Roxbury Presbyterian Church.

In 2014, Colleen partnered with Rev. Liz Walker to co-found CAN WE TALK, and developed the program's curriculum and built its network of sites nationwide; as of May 2025, CWT operates in 20 locations across six states and Washington, D.C. Since 2014, CWT has offered urban neighborhoods a peer-centered path through trauma, helping individuals move from surviving to actively helping others heal.

At a moment of deep polarization and daily violence in our communities, Colleen's work offers a model for healing that is spiritually rooted, clinically sound, and empowering. Isaac Hecker was committed to faith in action — Colleen Sharka lives that same commitment today.

Please join us on September 26 at the 5pm Mass to celebrate Colleen Sharka! A reception will follow.

A.I. Ethics Through a Catholic Lens:

Can A.I. Be Ethical?

next Sunday, September 27, 7pm

Paulist Center - Auditorium

In a world increasingly driven by algorithms, what does it truly mean to love our neighbor?

As artificial intelligence (A.I.) reshapes our society, how do we ensure it serves the common good rather than leaving the most vulnerable behind?

Join us for an intriguing discussion at this first in a series of seminars on Catholicism and the ethics of A.I. We will look at tech through the framework of Catholic Social Teaching—exploring how ancient wisdom can help us guide tomorrow’s tools.

Dr. Raúl Zegarra will introduce the historic new papal encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, which directly addresses the protection of human dignity and labor in the age of automation.



Richard Geruson, lecturer at Harvard Divinity School, will dive deeper into our moral obligations to harness technology for human liberation and systemic fairness.

https://bulletin.hds.harvard.edu/ai-harms-are-not-ethically-inevitable/

Following these two dynamic presenters, the evening will open up to a robust Q&A session with YOU! —the public.

Doors Open: 6:45pm  Refreshments: Will be served.

We hope to see you there as we explore how to build a more just and inclusive future!

Living Water

Season Of Creation 2026

September 1 - October 4

St. Francis Day at Agape Community –

Sat, Oct. 3, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Every year the Agape Community https://agapecommunity.org, a non-violent, sustainable faith community founded in 1982, celebrates St. Francis Day with a gathering for individuals and communities committed to Peace and Justice. This year, on Saturday, October 3 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, long-time non-violence activist Shane Claiborne will lead the morning session. Marysol Castro, an immigrant attorney and Maritza Cruz, an anti-racism activist, will lead the afternoon session. (Click on the above link to learn more about AGAPE and the event.) 

Agape Community, founded by Hecker Award winners Suzanne and Brayton Shanley, has carried the faith torch of love and justice for many years. Consider traveling with others from the Paulist Center and come celebrate, connect and learn! Questions, email paulistcentercreationcare@gmail.com

The Crisis in Plastic –

Sun, Oct 4, 11:30am

Paulist Center - auditorium

Plastics are a grave and growing threat to human health. The harms from plastics fall most heavily upon the most vulnerable. 

These harms can be prevented through the same types of intelligent, evidence-based interventions that we have used to control air pollution, reduce lead poisoning, and protect ourselves and our children against other environmental dangers. - actions that place protection of the vulnerable and advancement of the common good above short-term gain.” 



Session led by Philip J. Landrigan, MD, MSc, FAAP, a pediatrician, epidemiologist and Professor at Boston College where he directs the Global Observatory on Planetary Health. Dr. Landrigan’s research examines the impacts on human health, especially children’s health, of hazardous exposures in the global environment. He co-chaired the Lancet Commission on Pollution and Health, which found that pollution causes 9 million deaths per year. He led the Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health, which found that plastics cause disease, disability and premature death at every stage of their life cycle. He is now co-leading The Lancet Countdown on Health and Plastics. He serves as Editor of Annals of Global Health and is a member of the National Academy of Medicine.