St. John the Evangelist Church

As of 3/24/2020,  St. John's parish office is closed until further notice. Parishioners can leave messages via email at [email protected] or at the parish phone number 617-547-4880. The messages will be checked remotely.  

All Weekend and daily masses are cancelled until further notice.

See Catholic TV Holy Week Schedule below.

There is a moment in the reading of the Passion of Jesus Christ offered for the celebration of Palm Sunday in which the Narrator proclaims, “But Jesus cried out in a loud voice and gave up His Spirit.” Immediately following the proclamation, all are asked to kneel and pause for a short time, in reverence and in solidarity with the sacrifice that Christ makes for us. In the absence of our being draped with the comforting cloth of this gospel proclamation on this Palm Sunday, it is appropriate that we kneel in reverence and hope that our God who vanquished death in the macabre celebration of the Cross and the glory of the Resurrection, will relieve us of this great burden which has brought so much pain and anxiety. Indeed, we are asked to pause for what we pray is a short time and think less about ourselves than our commitment to one another. We have seen such come alive in so many wonderful ways as medical personnel put themselves in harm’s way for the sake of the health and wellbeing of our families and friends, and as emergency responders commit to service which is selfless.  Our police, fire, and emergency responders as well as grocery workers and others who provide food have come alive in what we pray is a brief pause to protect and to serve in an echo of the sacrifice of Christ. We continue to offer thanks for those who serve in the military who continue to stand a post even as they are asked come alive in this need. Here at Saint John’s I know of so many who are willing and able to sacrifice in ways which are big or small in the effort to keep people safe, satisfied of basic human need, and nourished in faith. People have come with bags of food for those who might have need and offered generously for their satisfaction. I continue to offer daily and Sunday Mass privately for all those intentions that cannot be offered in a public way. The Young Adults are praying together on a Zoomcast on Sunday mornings to nourish and encourage the faithful and you, the good people of this venerable parish continue to be generous.

I had a meeting with all employees last Tuesday in order to prepare them and me for the financial hardships to come if we do not have a total and complete commitment on the part of the parishioners of Saint John’s to satisfy our needs. I have committed to our employees that I will suspend the payment of my salary for the month of April, as did two other employees in a position to do so so that our good and giving staff might keep benefits and have the small payment we make to them for a wonderful and dedicated job! There will be other cuts in anticipation of need but I KNOW that the good and hard working people of North Cambridge will not let our dedicated staff go without. I know that this community has contributed in wars foreign and domestic before and will continue to do so against this enemy to our freedom and our right to practice friendship and our faith. Please consider giving to Saint John’s in whatever amount you can to keep us safe and our wonderful workers safe as well. Please consider using the ONLINE GIVING  program that is easily available on the website. Please continue to send or drop off your contribution and to those of you who might be able to give a one time increased gift to keep us solvent, I say thank you! In this time of sadness in which we kneel and pause for a short time, we know that we will rise as Jesus will at Easter, standing up against such a threat to our health our wellbeing and our freedoms and we will be one again! Thank you for considering this request and please keep abreast of our situation at Saint John the Evangelist website. Thanks and have a healthy and safe week.

God Bless,       Fr. Joe

In light of the current situation, the St. John's Young Adult Group are looking for ways to support our local community. If you have difficulty leaving your home at the moment because of kids, poor health, or other restrictions, please email [email protected] and we can pair you with one of our member volunteers who can help you get groceries and run other errands. 

For Young Adult Group members looking to take a break from self-isolation and enjoy socially distanced fun, we are planning a video-conferenced Netflix party. Email [email protected] for more details and let us know which movie or show you would be interested in watching.

Lastly, during this period, we are gathering every Sunday morning at 9:30am over Zoom to go through the readings for the day and pray together. We normally end with some discussion on how everyone is coping. For more information, email [email protected]

Holy Week 2020 on The CatholicTV Network 

Each year at this time, it is an honor for The CatholicTV Network to bring the solemn liturgies of Holy Week and Easter to the parish of the airwaves. With the Coronavirus pandemic, CatholicTV will still produce events from Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston. We will air broadcasts from Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame; San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio; and Vatican City; as well as our own chapel. Tune in to CatholicTV for the Mass of Palm Sunday, the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion, the Great Vigil and the Mass of Easter Sunday with Pope Francis, Cardinal Seán O'Malley and Bishop Robert Reed. All CatholicTV Masses can be viewed on demand at www.CatholicTV.org/Mass.

4/5 | Palm Sunday

• Vatican Mass | 4 am, 11:30 am, 7:30 pm
• La Santa Misa | 8 am, 5:30 pm, 10 pm
• Notre Dame Sunday Mass | 10 am
• San Antonio Mass | 4 pm
• CatholicTV Mass | 1:30, 7 & 11:30 pm

4/8 | Spy Wednesday

• CatholicTV Mass | 9:30 am (rebroadcast 7 & 11:30 pm)

4/9 | Holy Thursday

• Rome Mass of the Lord's Last Suppper | 11 am
• Morning Prayer Service | 9:30 am (rebroadcast 7 & 11:30 pm)
• Boston Mass of the Lord's Last Supper | 7 pm

4/10 | Good Friday

• Stations of the Cross | 9:30 am & 7 pm
• Vatican Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion | 11 am (rebroadcast 5 pm)
• San Antonio The Passion of Christ | 1 pm & midnight (Saturday)
• Boston Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion | 3 pm 

4/11| Holy Saturday

• Vatican Easter Vigil | 2:30 pm 
• Boston Easter Vigil | 7:30 pm 

4/12 | Easter Sunday

• Vatican Easter Mass | 4 am, 11 am, 8 pm
• Pope Francis’ Urbi et Orbi Easter Blessing | 6 am, 1 pm, 7:30 pm
• La Santa Misa | 8 am, 5:30 pm, 10 pm
• Notre Dame Sunday Mass | 10 am
• San Antonio Mass | 4 pm
• CatholicTV Mass | 1:30, 7 & 11:30 pm

http://catholictv.org/holyweek

EASTERN STANDARD TIME | SUBJECT TO CHANGE

Christ, Our Light in the Darkness
We will remember this Lent as one “in quarantine.” Social distancing the new norm as daily social interactions are suddenly unavailable to us. Schools are closed. We can’t go out to restaurants. Even public Mass has been suspended to curtail any further spread of this coronavirus. Many people feel alone. Many are scared. And people are thirsting for something good.

The Lord appoints shepherds to lead his flock, to be beacons of light in darkness, and to be instruments of hope to his people in times of despair. This Virtual Lenten Retreat with Cardinal Seán is a means for our shepherd to feed us, to comfort us, and to give us the hope we need right now. 

Join Cardinal Seán on this five-part retreat, using this opportunity to enter more deeply into Lent and grow in your relationship with Christ. 

Monday, March 23, 7 p.m. – Prayer
Tuesday, March 24, 7 p.m. – Mercy and Forgiveness
Wednesday, March 2, 7 p.m. – Faith: The Key to Meaning and Call to Friendship
Thursday, March 26, 7 p.m. – Who is My Neighbor? The Good Samaritan
Friday, March 27, 7 p.m. – The Seven Last Words

Additional Holy Thursday Retreat 
Thursday, April 9, 7 p.m. – The Eucharist
Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper from the Cathedral of the Holy Cross to follow on Catholic TV at 7:30 PM

The retreat will air/stream nightly at 7 p.m. on the Archdiocese of Boston’s Facebook page, CatholicTV, and on www.bostoncatholic.org

If you are unable to stream or watch the retreat live, you may also watch it on-demand later.

https://www.bostoncatholic.org/virtual-retreat-cardinal-sean