• You can ALWAYS make an online donation by clicking HERE
• If you prefer to send a check, please make it payable to PCC, and mail to:  
  • Pregnancy Care Center •  158 Mammoth Road, Lowell, MA  01854

• To learn more about the Pregnancy Care Center, please click [HERE].

Supporting the Pregnancy Care Center  of the Merrimack Valley and Southern NH

Each year in October—Respect Life Month—both parishes distributing baby bottles to help fund the Pregnancy Care Center (PCC). We ask that each family take a bottle home and fill it with coins, bills, or a check (made payable to PCC) and return it back to church the following weekend. There is an insert inside the bottle where you may list the name and address of someone you wish to honor. The PPC will send a special card to them showing that you have made a gift for life in their name.

The PPC is a Christ-centered ministry committed to saving lives physically, spiritually, and emotionally, one life at a time. Pregnancy Care Center programs that help women in crisis pregnancies. Because October is Respect Life Month, this is your opportunity to respect life as a family. To receive more information about the PCC, call 978-373-5700 or visit their website.

Thank you for your support of this life-giving ministry!

Committed to the truth that no man, woman or child should ever go hungry,
Cor Unum Meal Center serves breakfast and dinner
7  days a week to those in need.

Cor Unum Meal Center
                    Lawrence,Massachusetts

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed this ministry on haitus. We pray for its return!

To learn more about Cor Unum, click below
Cor Unum Meal Center

Lowell Transitional Living Center
Annual Thanksgiving Collection

Each year, just in time for the arrival of the cold New England winter, we host a collection in support of the Lowell Transitional Living Center.

Whenever we conduct this collection, we remember that small acts of kindness done with great love can change people’s lives. Your donation, no matter how large or small, can make a real difference in someone’s life. And remember, be thankful that you’re able to give!

The items that we typically collect are:

Monthly Blood Pressure Clinics

St. John • 2nd Tuesday of the Month • following 9 am Mass • church hall
St. Margaret • 3rd Friday of the Month • following 8 am Mass • in church hall
St. Margaret • 3rd Sunday of the Month • following 10 am Mass • in church hall

About our Nurses...

Charlene Muscato, a longtime parishioner of St. John the Evangelist, is a Registered Nurse with over 40 years of community nursing experience with the VNA (now known as Circle Health). In the summer of 2019, she graduated from the Foundation of Faith Community Nurse Certification Course, sponsored by the Archdiocesan Office of Chaplaincy. The completion of this program allows Charlene to build a team of dedicated volunteers to assist in the healthcare needs of our collaborative family. 

email Charlene

Kathleen Pender, Phaneuf, a member of the St. Margaret of Scotland parish family, has been practicing as a Registered Nurse for over 30 years in the Lowell area, her specialty being Family Community Nursing. She has also been a Professor of Nursing in the college setting for 26 years as well and received her Doctorate in Nursing from UMASS Lowell in 2016. In the Summer of 2018, she completed the Faith Community Nurse Certification Course at the Archdiocese of Boston.

email Kathleen

About this Ministry...

Faith Community Nursing is a specialized practice of professional nursing recognized by the American Nurses Association, as stated in published guidelines called  Faith Community Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice in 2005.  Faith Community Nursing is a nursing specialty that focuses on the dedicated care of the spirit together with promoting holistic health and preventing or minimizing illness in a faith community. Faith Community Nursing does not provide direct care to the faith community as a Visiting Nurse would do.

There are multiple roles that a Faith Community Nurse may include such as:

1. Health Educator who provides information on health and wellness topics to individuals or groups
2. Informational Health Counselor who responds to questions
3. Parish Health Screenings such as Blood Pressure, disease prevention and weight assessment
4. Referral agent and liaison with community health organizations to assist parishioners with questions about the healthcare system
5. Integrator of faith and health who may be a prayer partner for a parishioner
6. Health advocate who helps parishioners navigate the healthcare system
7. Developer of support groups(health promotion and prevention of illness)  such as weight loss or smoking cessation or someone who refers parishioners to existing support group
8. Works with hospital and home healthcare professionals to coordinate care and encourage patients to participate in their plan of care
9. Home or hospital visits to parishioners who are ill as a resource person  to the patient and families

We are always looking for nurses who are able to assist with this ministry. There is no requirement to attend any of the Archdiocesan training…. your experience is enough! Also, please note that one DOES NOT NEED to be a nurse to be part of this ministry, as this ministry is more than providing for the physical well-being of our parishioners. If you have a compassion for others, a patient and kind spirit, ability to organize and pay attention to detail, then we’d love to hear from you!

Do you have a loved one who is struggling with addiction? Do you feel helpless and/or hopeless? You are NOT alone! 

The Family Connection is a parish-based ministry that has been in existence since 2017. It provides support for families dealing with alcohol and/or drug abuse of a child, spouse, grandchild or friend. Our aim is to provide families/friends with a better understanding of the disease of addiction through educational reading materials, videos, and discussions. We also have speakers who share their stories of recovery and how they are now living healthy, happy lives.
 
This confidential meeting provides a compassionate and supportive environment that encourages those in attendance to share their questions, feelings and concerns in order to learn from each other and gain hope during a very difficult time.
 
Please contact nancyk@theholyrood.org for further information or if you would like to join us.

Hope after Heartbreak
A Journey of Healing for those who have lost a child

No parent should outlive their child, and yet it happens. And the pain that follows that loss, at times feels insurmountable. It is a cross that weighs so heavy that you may believe you are breaking under its weight. Please know that you are not alone in this walk.

Paula, who has experienced the recent loss of her adult son, is hoping to journey alongside others who also walk this path. Whether your loss is recent or some time ago, you are reminded… you are not alone. It is in being with others who share this experience where healing can begin can take place. It is here where stories can be shared, tears can be validated and honored, and hope can begin to take root.

This group meets on the 1st Thursday of the month in the St. Mary Parish Center (Room 5) from 6:30 - 8:00 pm. 

If you are interested in attending or learning more, Paula can be reached at (978) 427-5834 or at pjdpwalsh@comcast.net.
 

Hope and Healing
              Adult Grief Support Group

We typically meet on the last Saturday of the Month • St. John OPC • 10:30 am - 12 noon

When a loved one dies, everything changes in your family, in your life and in your dreams. Know YOU ARE NOT ALONE in your grief and loneliness. The Hope and Healing Adult Grief Support Group is now offered with meetings on the last Saturday of each month from September till May. Any grieving adult who have experience the death of a loved one is welcome to join us in a safe place to share their story, find comfort, hope and encouragement, as they continue a new path in life without their deceased loved one.  Registration is not required.

• 2023 Dates | September 16 | October 28 | November 25 | December 30
• 2024 Dates | January 27 | February 24 | March 23 | April 27 | May 25

House of Hope
Lowell, Massachusetts

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed this ministry on haitus. We pray for its return!

The House of Hope in  Lowell is dedicated to homeless families in Massachusetts, helping them to gain stable housing. They are recognized as a leader in the state of Massachusetts relative to their shelter programming, rate of permanent placements in the community, and their housing partnerships.

To learn more about House of Hope, visit...  House of Hope

Marriage Encounter
A Weekend for Good Marriages to be even Better!

Worldwide Marriage Encounter is designed to give married couples the opportunity to examine their lives together . . . a time to share their feelings, hopes, disappointments, joys and frustrations . . . and to do so openly and honestly in a face-to-face, heart-to-heart encounter with the one person they have chosen to live with for the rest of their lives. The emphasis of the Worldwide Marriage Encounter weekend is on communication between husband and wife, who spend a weekend together away from the distractions and tensions of everyday life, to concentrate on each other. It's not a retreat, nor a marriage clinic, nor group sensitivity. It's a unique approach aimed at revitalizing Christian Marriage. This is a time for you and your spouse to be alone together, to rediscover each other and together focus on your relationship for an entire weekend. Every marriage deserves that kind of attention!

Marriage Encounter Weekends have been given in the US since 1967. Decades of research, planning and tried and true wisdom have gone into the content of the Weekend, which has been presented to couples since 1967. All sharing between spouses is PRIVATE, and this is NOT a weekend to solve problems, but it WILL help couples in good marriages communicate even better.

For more information, visit Marriage Encounter, or if you would like a more local resource, please feel free to contact St. John Parishioners Jerry and Julie Wright at (781) 249-3199 or Jerryjuliewright@gmail.com

Do you need prayers said for someone or a special intention?

Simply call (978) 256-2374, ext 223, state your intention and be assured that over 40 members of our ministry will pray for your intention. If after hours, press 5.

Note that prayer requests NEVER come off the list! They continue to be offered by our members, with the belief that God distributes the merits of our continued prayers to where they are most needed.

Need a hug or know someone who does?
Know someone who needs to be reminded of God's love, grace and meecy?

Consider the uplifting gift of a prayer shawl! 
Please click on the below link to place your request for a prayer shawl.

Request a Prayer Shawl
 

The St. Margaret
  Prayer Shawl Ministry

began in 2011 as a choir member battled cancer. She wanted no one to see the toll that the illness took on her body and refused non-family visitors. How do you comfort someone without being there? Another choir member saw an article in a local newsletter about Prayer Shawl Ministries. This talented knitter created a shawl for our suffering friend to let her know that God loved her, and so did we. In October 2011, she received the first Prayer Shawl from what became our ministry.

To keep our shawls from collecting dust in storage, we began reaching out to chaplains at hospitals and clinics, and to those who minister at nursing homes, retirement homes and assisted-living centers. Now, we regularly deliver completed prayer shawls to them for distribution. Since our ministry began, we have distributed over 1000 shawls and many many chemo caps.  Of course, if a need arises in our own parish family, we handle that as well.

As we knit, crochet or sew these shawls in private, we may wonder if our work really matters. Fortunately, the LORD frequently gives us a look at how He uses the work of our hands.  Following is a thank you note that we recently received from a hospital chaplain. (To respect recipient privacy, I try not to include names.)

I wanted to send my sincere thanks for including …our hospital… in your ministry.  The shawls are not only beautiful, but have been extremely meaningful to those who receive them. As we become more accustomed to their availability, we are finding more patients who will benefit from them.

 

I recently gave one to a gentleman who was going to undergo an amputation. It brought tears to his eyes, and when I visited afterward it was laying across him.Thank you, from him and from all of us in the chaplain’s office.

Please pray for those whom we serve and for our service. If you would like to be part of the ministry, let us know. We will add you to our mailing list and keep you informed about when and where we will meet.

To obtain a shawl for someone in need or to join the ministry, call Brenda D’Amour at (978) 453-2723 or Anna Pratt at (508) 517-7507. Leave a message if we don’t answer; we’ll get back to you.

Rachel mourns her children; She refuses to be consoled because her children are no more. Thus says the Lord: "Cease from your cries of mourning. Wipe the tears from your eyes...There is hope for your future." 
                                                               -Jeremiah 31:15-17

The Project Rachel Ministry of the Archdiocese of Boston extends a special invitation to women suffering from the pain of a past abortion to attend a one-day retreat held at a confidential location. Because the retreat is limited to 10 participants, pre-registration is required. To register, or for more information, contact Project Rachel at (508) 651-3100 or help@projectrachelboston.com, or visit their website.

                                                                                      Project Rachel

St. John SVdP Food Pantry Collection
                               Third weekend of every month

From this food pantry, we are able to assist our neighbors in need. We accept donations of non-perishable items on the third weekend of every month. Bring your donations to church with you and drop them off at the main entrance and our Vincentians will be sure that they get delivered to our pantry. We are not permitted to distribute any produces that have expired.
 
We are also extremely grateful to all who donate to the SVdP Society through the poor box located at the back of the church and through the envelope system (envelopes can be found at both church entrances). All monetary and food donations help those in need who live in our parish boundaries. 
 

St. Mary Table Ministry Food Collection
                                                     First Saturday of every Month

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed this ministry on haitus. We pray for its return!

Please consider a donation of canned ham, canned corn, canned green beans, regular drip coffee or juice mix. Donations are welcome at any time. They can be dropped into the box on the Parish Center Side entrance of St. Mary Church.

Table of Plenty

The Table of Plenty is a non-profit organization in Chelmsford, Massachusetts consisting of volunteers who desire to share community with those in need. We serve a free weekly meal to alleviate hunger and social isolation for individuals and families in a friendly and welcoming environment.  ALL ARE WELCOME — no questions asked, ever.

Sit-down meals are served every Tuesday from 5 - 6 pm at the Chelmsford Senior Center, located at 75 Groton Road (Rte 40) in North Chelmsford. To keep everyone safe, guests will be asked to wear a mask while they are not eating.

Table of Plenty Website