October 30, 2026

Our Names are Written in Heaven

Dear Friends,

There is something profoundly sacred about a name. More than a means of identification, our names speak to the mystery of who we are, our relationships, our stories, and our place in the world. Scripture reminds us that our names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20). Each name represents a unique and sacred expression of the Divine Creator, in whose image every person is lovingly made. To be known by name is to be recognized, cherished, and remembered. 

As we prepare to celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints and the Feast of All Souls in the coming days, we are invited to remember the names of those who have gone before us in faith. Names that awaken memories of love, kindness, courage, sacrifice, and sometimes sorrow. Names that call to mind the faces and stories of those whose lives have shaped our own. Though no longer physically present, their influence remains woven into the fabric of our lives and our community.

These holy days hold particular significance this year as they fall between two celebrations of our Isaac Hecker Award for Social Justice. In honoring individuals whose lives bear witness to justice, compassion, healing, and reconciliation, we recognize something of the holiness that walks among us. We are reminded that saints are not simply figures from a distant past, but ordinary people who respond to God's grace in extraordinary ways, often through quiet acts of love, courage, humility, and perseverance.

This weekend also marks the launch of FREP’s Family Pod Program, inviting families to reflect together on their names, and the lives of the saints and loved ones who have passed from this life. Through shared stories, prayer, and remembrance, we help pass on the living legacy of faith from one generation to the next.

Ultimately, the fullest expression of these holy days lies not simply in remembering the saints or honoring the names of our beloved dead, but in embodying the very qualities that made their lives holy, as Fr. Michael McGarry often reminds us at the funerals of our loved ones. We honor their names when we carry forward their compassion, courage, generosity, and commitment to justice. We celebrate their legacy when we become instruments of God's light, peace, and hope in our world.

And perhaps that is our deepest calling: to live so that our own names, already written in heaven, become signs of God's enduring love and abiding presence here on earth.

Norm, on behalf of the Paulist Center Staff

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

DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDS November 1



Daylight Saving Time ends at 2 am on Sunday, November 1. Don't forget to turn your clocks back one hour before going to bed on Saturday, October 31!

The Paulist Center Catholic Community will present U.S. Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA) with the 2026 Isaac Hecker Award for Social Justice at our 5:00 PM Mass on Saturday, November 7.

All are welcome to join us as we celebrate his work.

For more than 30 years, Congressman McGovern has devoted himself to humanitarian and human-rights causes. He sees food, education, health, justice, and human rights as deeply connected, and he has worked to build policy that honors the dignity of every person, at home and around the world.

A leader in the fight against hunger, Congressman McGovern co-chairs the House Hunger Caucus and was a driving force behind the first White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in decades, which helped shape a national strategy to dramatically reduce hunger in the United States by 2030. He has defended SNAP and other nutrition programs and championed school meal programs for children in some of the world’s poorest countries.

As co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, he is also one of Congress’s strongest voices for human rights. He co-authored the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, which allows the United States to sanction those responsible for gross human rights abuses, and he authored the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act. He has also supported the Human Rights Defenders Protection Act to stand with those who risk their safety to speak for others.

His example reflects the Gospel call to feed the hungry and to defend the dignity of every human being, the spirit in which Fr. Isaac Hecker founded the Paulist Fathers.

Please join us Saturday, November 7, at 5:00 PM at the Paulist Center,

5 Park Street, Beacon Hill, Boston.

FREP (Family Religious Education Program)

FAMILY PODS BEGIN!

this Sunday, November 1

All families (even families of one) will meet in the auditorium to kick off the festivities. You may join a pod even if you are not registered in one of our Religious Ed programs. These groups can include children, parents, and grandparents and will meet four times over the course of the year for social time, conversation and activities.  

PARENT FAITH FORMATION

The first of our new Parent Faith Formation gatherings is November 8 at 11:15am in the auditorium. 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. In this first gathering we will explore what it means to walk alongside modern families listening to their lived experiences and offering sacramental grace in difficult or irregular situations. Coffee and refreshments (and hopefully, the conversation!) will nourish you! 

1ST RECONCILIATION WORKSHOP FOR PARENTS AND CHILDREN

This workshop will take place Sunday, November 8 at 12:30 pm in the 3rd Floor Library.

This is the second required meeting for those families wishing to celebrate the sacrament of Reconciliation on December 6 at 12:15 pm.

WELCOME TO NEW STAFF MEMBER

ERYN UNDERWOOD!

We are very happy to welcome Eryn Underwood as our new Ministry and Program Coordinator. She hails from Georgia where she attended Emory University and recently graduated with an MDiv degree.

Eryn will be working to support the numerous events and ministries of the Center as well as working to support and manage the logistics of the Center’s operations. Please introduce yourself to her as she shadows various staff members in the next few weeks. Her email address is eryn@paulistcenter.org

BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE

November is traditionally a time when Christians remember those who have died.

We invite community members to inscribe the names of loved ones who have passed away during the past year (November 2, 2025, to the present) in our Book of Remembrance.

The Book will be displayed in the Mary Alcove throughout November.

DATE CHANGE!

JIMMY TINGLE Live!

Humor and Hope for Humanity

Saturday, January 9 | 3 PM-5 PM

TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

*100% of ticket sales will go to support the vital ministries at the Paulist Center!

Jimmy Tingle uses comedy as a force for good and a catalyst for social change, proving that personal resilience can inspire collective hope. Tingle exercises the fundamental right to free speech and artistic expression to critique society and address systemic issues. In addition, he demonstrates that privilege and talent come with a responsibility to give back. Through his organization Humor for Humanity, he uses his platform to fulfill a civic duty—raising funds and awareness for non-profits and mobilizing audiences to "turn toward" social causes and work for a better world. Jimmy is generously donating his performance to benefit the Paulist Center. 

Tickets are $40 and are NOW on sale!

*Give the gift of laughter for the holidays while supporting the Paulist Center ministries!

WALK WITH A SEEKER:

BECOME AN OCIA SPONSOR

Are you looking for a powerful way to renew your own faith while changing someone else’s life? Our Center’s OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults) program is looking for members to serve as spiritual sponsors for adults who are preparing to enter the Catholic Church this Easter.

An OCIA sponsor is not a teacher or a theologian. A sponsor is simply a companion on the journey: one who attends a couple of sessions on topics that might be of personal interest; who has the occasional conversation over a cup of coffee and who is willing to be a friendly face at Mass to one seeking to belong. If you are a Catholic over the age of 16, have received your Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist), and are willing to simply show up and be yourself, then you are fully qualified to serve.

Please respond generously if Fr. Rick or someone in the community asks you to consider this rather undemanding yet important role.

Please contact Fr. Rick @ rick@paulistcenter.org if you have any questions or concerns.

WORSHIP MATTERS:

The Penitential Act

We continue our journey through the parts of the Mass with an examination of the Penitential Act. Having gathered and joined our voices in the Entrance Song, and having responded to the presider’s greeting and made the Sign of the Cross, the bodily symbol of our shared faith in the Mystery of Christ, we pause to acknowledge our need for God’s abundant mercy and grace.

CALLED TO SERVE AT THE LORD'S TABLE?

Have you ever considered serving as a Eucharistic Minister at the Paulist Center?

Join us for a Eucharistic Minister Information Session on Tuesday, November 3 at 7:30 PM on Zoom. Come learn more about the ministry, formation, and what it means to serve as a minister of Communion. There is no commitment required to attend one of the sessions—just an invitation to listen, learn, and discern!

FORMATION SESSION FOR EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS

Sunday, November 22 | 11:30AM – 12:30PM | Chapel



All those interested in serving as Eucharistic Ministers, including teens who have been confirmed, are invited to attend this formation session in the Chapel. Current Eucharistic Ministers seeking additional formation are also invited to participate. Please use the link below to register.

For more information about Eucharistic Ministry, please contact Julie Sloan at julieasloan96@gmail.com.

CATHOLIC WOMEN: TENDING TO THE CALL

Saturday, November 21 | 9am - 2pm | Paulist Center - 3rd Fl Library
Saturday, January 23 (Time TBD) | Paulist Center - 3rd Fl Library



At this fraught and fragile time, how does being a Catholic woman inform your spirit, your thinking, your action? What aspects of our tradition enliven you? 

We welcome a time of shared prayer, reflection and conversation for women across generations, stations in life, and political views. Whether you navigate these days with a sense of certitude or are in the midst of discernment, or somewhere in between, we welcome you into a day of community and spiritual care.

Let’s turn to one another and consider the many ways being Catholic women speak to us as we navigate relationships, work dynamics, triumphs, heartache, and simple spaces in between. And let’s imagine the possibilities for how our faith might find new ways of being revealed to us, both personally and communally, through prayer and thought, action and ministry. 

• $20 donation - if you are able - to cover lunch
• Please bring a morning treat to share (coffee & tea available)
• Emily Hankle and Sonia Caus Gleason will facilitate
• Contact sonia@soniacausgleason.org with questions

SINGING RESISTANCE!

A COMMUNITY SING

BVOCAL at the Paulist Center

Saturday, November 21 | 1-3PM



BVOCAL is a protest chorus committed to uplifting our rallies, marches, picket lines, and civil disobedience with singing ‐ wherever people gather for justice.

Social justice movements are stronger ‐ more joyful, more resilient, and more powerful ‐ when they sing!

Whether we’re celebrating victory in the midterm elections or responding to a crisis, this will be a time to learn songs of struggle and hope and to build community for the challenges ahead. All voices welcome!

AUCTION 2027 - SAVE THE DATE

The Annual Auction in 2027 will be early this year!

Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 10

so you don’t miss out! More info to come, including times to help pick the theme! Stay tuned.

UPDATE ON ONE BEACON ST. GARAGE

We've recently discovered that One Beacon St. Garage has reduced rates if you reserve a spot through one of the below parking apps:

Online Reservation Rate: You can secure a spot ahead of time for roughly $15 to $21 on parking reservation apps like SpotHero or ParkMobile or ParkWhiz for the entire day on Sundays.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED TO MENTOR SYRIAN REFUGEE FAMILY

Refugee and Immigration Services of Catholic Charities is looking for a team of volunteers to mentor a Syrian refugee family (parents + 3 children) living in Hancock Village in Brookline. The family needs assistance navigating the school system (e.g. enrolling a child in kindergarten), help for the parents in finding better employment (rental assistance will end June 2027), and English language practice.  Catholic Charities is looking for a commitment through June 2027.

If you're interested, please email paulistcenterimmigration@gmail.com

Come Celebrate the

Solemnity of All Saints with Us!

Sunday, November 1, 10:00AM

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:

All of our live streams are available in real time on our YouTube channel

& available there afterwards as recordings.