UniteBoston

Nurturing Relational Connections Across Boston's Christian Community

Making A Difference in Allston/Brighton

 

Sisters celebrating 55 years at the Founder’s Day Celebration in September

Did you know that there is a Christian community of vowed women in Brighton, whose mission is to realize Christ’s prayer “that they would be one,” and seek to work for unity and reconciliation where there is brokenness? Since 1873, these Sisters of St. Joseph have worked in schools, parishes, hospitals, nursing homes, retreat and campus ministry centers, refugee services, literacy programs, shelters, food pantries, and more.

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston are excited to host the 2018 “Make a Difference in Allston/Brighton” this Monday evening in Brighton. Their press release describes that this event, “seeks to honor the great work of active volunteers in Allston/Brighton and to recruit new volunteers for the 20 different non-profit organizations that will be represented.” These organizations all share the common goal of “loving the dear neighbor without distinction” throughout Allston/Brighton. We encourage the UniteBoston community to support their great work to serve and love our neighbors in Allston/Brighton.

Read their “Make A Difference Day” press release 

Learn more about the Sisters of St Joseph

Read “The Neighborhood as the Unit of Change”  (New York Times)

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an international initiative where Christians worldwide are reminded of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples that “they may be one so that the world may believe” (John 17:21). Locally, UniteBoston coordinates evening collaborative gatherings of fellowship, prayer and worship from January 18-25 annually.

This year’s theme, liturgies, and prayer guides were developed together by Christian churches from Burkina Faso in western Africa. This year’s theme is based on the text from the Gospel of St Luke: “You shall love the Lord your God … and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). In response to the question of who is my neighbor, Jesus responds with a parable illustrating love extending far beyond the limits expected by the lawyer. It is not shared identities that should prompt us to come to the aid of the other, but love of our ‘neighbor.’

Here in Boston, it may be common to relate to one another like Samaritans and Jews, divided culturally and theologically and living with unfriendly or hostile relationships. However, Jesus points us to a different way: to engage with those on the “other side” and even understand the situations of one another so intricately that we can ‘pour oil or wine’ on one another’s wounds.

Our times of insecurity and fear confront us with a reality where distrust and uncertainty come to the forefront of relationships. This is the challenge of the parable today: to whom am I a neighbour?

Mark Your Calendars – You are invited to mark your calendars and plan to attend the evening gatherings! In this time of Epiphany, we encourage you to receive the manifestation of Jesus Christ through those of different denominations, races and cultures. Let’s make the most of these opportunities in order to truly be the family of God and serve as the body of Christ in the world. Let’s also pray with our feet – express love to our neighbors as an act of prayer.

Community Dinner Template – You can use this template for conversation and prayer along this theme with your church or community group!

Spread the Word – We also appreciate help spreading the word to people in your congregation, family, friends, and neighbors. A personal invitation goes a long way.

Calling to mind our common commitment to ‘love thy neighbor,’ may the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, January 18-25, 2024 be full of moments of conversion of heart through our encounters, so that “all may be one.” God of welcome, grant us the grace to risk embracing the stranger, tending their wounds and standing in solidarity with them. Strengthen our resolve to be kind and merciful and to act towards our sisters and brothers at all times as you do towards us. Lord Jesus, who prayed that all might be one, we pray to you for the unity of all Christians, according to your will, according to your means. May your Spirit enable us to experience the suffering caused by division, to see our sin and to hope beyond all hope. Amen.

Schedule

Loving Our Unhoused Neighbors: HOME Thursday Night Outreach

Thursday January 18, 5:45 to 7:15pm with optional prep time beforehand and debrief afterwards | Park Street Church, 1 Park Street, Downtown Boston

Join to serve with Park Street Church’s HOME ministry, where they welcome 60-100+ unhoused neighbors and other neighbors in need to fellowship meals hosted on Thursday evenings from 5:45-7:15pm and Saturday mornings from 8:30-11am. Come join us as we fellowship with our guests over a warm meal, while also providing other essential support, ranging from clothing and toiletries to prayer, Bible study, and ESL. You don’t have to sign up in order to serve with us, but feel free to contact Simon & Maria at home@parkstreet.org if you have any questions!” You can also click here to watch a video about this ministry.

Loving Our Unhoused Neighbors: Miracle Mile Service Opportunity

Saturday January 20 | 8am to 11am | Congregation Lion of Judah, 20 Reed Street, Boston (South End)

Miracle Mile Ministries is a collaborative of churches devoted to a sustained, deliberate, strategic response to the area we call “Miracle Mile,” a roughly 2-square-mile area in the South End of Boston often referred to as “Mass & Cass” or “Methadone Mile.”  It is led by a core group of six Boston-area Lead Churches (Congregación León de Judá, Antioch Community Church Brighton, Cornerstone Church, Restoration City Church, Hilltop Church and Symphony Church) and also involves a dozen or so churches and parachurch ministries from throughout Boston’s neighboring communities who faithfully support this effort, week after week. Please come join us on Saturday January 20 at 8am to serve our neighbors, build relationships, and share the love of Christ on Miracle Mile. We will be serving breakfast, distributing clothes, and ministering on the street. Learn More about Miracle Mile Ministries here, and you can sign up to volunteer here. For questions, email Heidi, heidi.marie99@aol.com

An Afternoon of Christian Unity with The Focolare and Chemin Neuf Communities.

Sunday January 21 | 1:30 to 4:30pm | Our Lady of the Annunciation Melkite Catholic Cathedral
7 VFW Parkway (West Roxbury)

The Focolare and Chemin Neuf communities are hosting an afternoon of activities and prayer around the theme “You shall love the Lord your God… and your neighbor as yourself.” (cf. Luke 10:27)
1:30 – 2:30 Children’s Program (ages 4-18) Adults welcome
2:30 – 3:30 Love Thy Neighbor // The Art of Loving (all ages!!)
3:30 – 4:00 Prayer for Christian Unity in the sanctuary
4:00 – 4:30 Closing conversation in Fellowship Hall

Questions? Email julie.james.boston@gmail.com

“Love Your Neighbor” Neighborhood Dinner

Monday January 22 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm | Dorchester near JFK/UMass

Join Cleo for dinner, prayer and reflection on the story of the Good Samaritan with a creative arts lens. RSVP by emailing cmuhammad85@gmail.com and she will give you the specific address.

Christian Unity Taize Prayer

Tuesday January 23 at 7:30pm | Swedenborg Chapel at Havard University, 50 Quincy Street, Cambridge

Join for a prayer gathering on Harvard Campus with the Taize liturgy of prayer and song. The Taizé Community is an ecumenical Christian brotherhood in Burgundy, France, composed of over 100 brothers from all over the world, from Catholic and Protestant traditions, a true “parable of community” that wants its life to be a sign of reconciliation between divided Christians and between separated peoples. Join in this time of song, prayer, and silence around the theme of ‘love thy neighbor.’

The service will be streamed on Facebook here: https://fb.me/e/4cMP31pZf

Christian Unity Prayer Gathering

Thursday January 25 at 7:00pm | The Paulist Center, 5 Park Street, Downtown Boston

Please join us in prayer using the worldwide prayer template around the theme “Love Thy Neighbor” that Christians throughout the world will be using this week. This gathering is hosted by the Paulist Center – Fr. Rich Andre will be presiding, Dean Amy McCreath will be preaching, and other clergy in the service include Rev. Kelly Fassett and Rev. Colin Leitch. We look forward to praying with you.

Loving Our Vulnerable Children: Faith & Foster Care Seminar

Saturday January 27 from 10am to 1pm | SEND Relief Ministry Center, Tremont Temple, 88 Tremont Street, Downtown Boston

With over 9,000 youth in Massachusetts foster care, the needs of local foster families, biological families, and social workers are great. Join Fostering Hope New England and SEND Relief to learn how you can make a difference in the lives of these vulnerable children and families. You will be inspired as you hear from biological families involved with foster care, Department of Children & Families staff, trauma experts, and experienced foster parents. This event is for anyone passionate about vulnerable children—not just those ready to foster or adopt.

The seminar will take place at the SEND Relief Ministry Center at Tremont Temple in Boston, on January 27th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and includes brunch. Register for FREE at bit.ly/faithfostercare

Photos from Previous Years

In 2017, we coordinated a large worship service on January 21st in alignment with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, that had over 8 co-sponsors and was attended by over 800 people.
Here are many of the leaders hosting gatherings for the 2019 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
UB City-Wide Dinner Launch – November 2017
UniteBoston dinner at Sally’s house in West Roxbury
Prayer Gathering at the Greek Metropolis of Boston
Neighborhood Dinner at Adam’s house in East Boston
Co-presiders from various Christian traditions at the 2017 Week of Prayer Anchor Gathering

Only Full Unity Between Us Is Enough

Today, associate director of Ecumenical Affairs for the Archdiocese of Boston Vito Nicastro shares the significant of the issuing of Thursday’s joint letter between the Catholic archbishop and the Greek Orthodox metropolitan of Boston.

Above, Cardinal O’Malley joins Metropolitan Methodios at the Cathedral of the Annunciation for the Greek Orthodox celebration of the Easter Vigil April 19. Photo courtesy Alexander Mavradis

The reason why each and every one of us as Christians needs to play a part in the work for Christian unity is rooted in fidelity: Fidelity to the Church, to the Gospel, and to the Lord. That is why the Holy Father Pope Francis is going to meet Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and other Christian leaders May 24-26. It is also why Cardinal Seán with Metropolitan Methodios of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Boston issued a joint letter to their clergy and faithful on May 21.

Vatican II taught us that Christian unity was one of its principal aims; that “The attainment of union is the concern of the whole Church, faithful and shepherds alike;” and that the work “extends to everyone, according to his or her talent” (Decree on Ecumenism, 1 and 5). Just like in evangelization, the Church has no superfluous personnel.

And the link between ecumenism and evangelization is fundamental. “Discord among Christians is the greatest obstacle to evangelization,” said the Holy Father in March. And Jesus’ dying wish for us was that we all be one (John 17:21) “so that the world may believe.” If we are evangelizers, one of our goals each day should be to make some mark for Christian unity.

How do we do that? Everyone can pray for it. Everyone can offer it silently at the intentions of Mass – in general and in particular ways. Everyone can strive for greater personal holiness – drawing closer to the meeting point of all Christians, Jesus. Everyone can examine himself or herself for over-generalizing about other Christians.

They say, “Blood is thicker than water.” But what if the blood is the blood of the Cross and the water is the water of Holy Baptism? Then both form a bond which eternally connects all Christians into a family. We can all hold our thoughts, words, and actions to the standard of utmost charity towards our brothers and sisters. All of us can learn more about them. All of us can build relationships. All of us can see the world differently in light of this bond.

There is much more we can do to make a difference. The Church has given us guidance and exhortation, and providence has given us the circumstances in our city and in our lives to make the unity – albeit incomplete and imperfect–which we already share a living reality. In our region, one of the greatest opportunities for this is the presence of a wide range of Christian communities from all over the world, including the Greek Orthodox. Their Metropolis (like an archdiocese) is led by His Eminence, Metropolitan Methodios. Together, the cardinal and metropolitan – building on their predecessors – are continuing to actualize on the ground the intentions of the Holy Father and other Christian leaders to work toward unity.

That’s what the joint letter of May 21 is about. It is a fruit of the realization on the local level of the progress made so far towards completing the remarkable unity we Orthodox and Catholics already share. The letter is rare – something that happens perhaps once or twice a decade. It is significant in the way it links what we do with the Holy Father’s trip and all that our Churches have done building up to it. It is yet another manifestation of communion between our local Church and the Church of Rome – and communion is what it’s all about in the quest for complete Christian unity.

The joint letter describes a little bit of our relationship between the metropolis and the archdiocese. There is much more than one short letter could contain. At midnight on this past Easter Eve at the Cathedral of the Metropolis the metropolitan gathered with his clergy and faithful for the Easter Vigil. With the church nearly dark and all holding unlit candles, the cardinal arrived from having concluded the Easter Vigil in our cathedral. The metropolitan gave him the Gospel to read, and together they proclaimed the Resurrection as light passed from candle to candle symbolizing the life of Christ which we all share.

Only full unity between us is enough. That is why Pope Francis with Eastern Catholic Patriarchs is going to pray with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Armenian Christians and many other Christian representatives at the empty tomb from which that Easter light shines. Only full unity is true to the nature of the Triune God as communion. Only full unity obeys the will of Jesus, and therefore loves him. Only full unity is the goal set by the Magisterium. Only full unity honors the bond of our Baptism and eternal relation in Christ. Only full unity is coherent with the message of the Gospel of reconciliation. Only full unity empowers our compassion and unfetters our evangelization.

*First published on The Boston Pilot, republished with permission


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