Spiritual Groups

There are many opportunities in St. Julia Parish to deepen our spiritual connection with God and with each other. When we have the opportunity to ask questions, discuss our faith and pray in a small group we can come to know and serve the Lord in very personal and unique ways, thereby leading us to better understand God's will in our lives. The following groups meet regularly to discuss and practice the faith in a variety of ways. All of these groups are open to anyone who wishes to join.

St. Julia Sodality

Saint Julia Sodality honors Mary, the Blessed Mother, asking her to lead us to her son, Jesus. Our activities include service, outreach and fellowship. Sodality began in France in the thirteenth century as a Jesuit lay movement. Saint Julia's Sodality began in the 1940's. Father Evans is our Spiritual Advisor. You do not need to be a member of St. Julia Sodality to participate in any of the activities. Sodality activities are open to all. We meet on First Fridays for Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament from 11am to 12 noon in St. Julia Church. A fellowship lunch, often with a speaker, is held after Adoration in the St. Julia Parish Center. In the spring and fall we offer for all parishioners a Day of Retreat and Renewal. We sponsor the annual Parish Christmas Luncheon. St. Julia Sodalists can be found helping in all areas of parish life. During these tumultuous times Sodality offers many opportunities to strengthen our spirituality. Click on the activities link above for our 2008-2009 schedule. For more information, please email Nancy Cronin, or call her at 781-899-9276.

Women's Spirituality Circle

The Women's Spirituality Circle is a group of women who are seekers. The group meets for 10 weeks, each fall and spring, on Wednesdays from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. in the Conference Room at St. Julia Parish Center. The group usually selects a book to read and discuss. All are welcome. Contact Carol Hohle, the founder and director of Inspiration House, for details and registration.

Legion of Mary

The Legion of Mary is a lay apostolic organization founded in Dublin, Ireland by Frank Duff, a civil servant and member of the St. Vincent DePaul Society. This was in 1921, and under his leadership it grew steadily and now has about 3 million members in almost every country in the world. "The Legion of Mary is at the disposal of the bishop of the diocese and the parish priest for any and every social service suitable to the legionaries and useful for the welfare of the Church." (from the Official Handbook of the Legion).

The basic unit in the parish is called a praesidium, which is a Latin word that designates a unit of the Roman Legion and is appropriate for Mary's army on earth. Each praesidium is named after a title of Mary. The group in St. Joseph's Church is named "Our Lady of Divine Providence". It was formed in 1963 and has worked without interruption ever since then. There are now only 3 Active Members and they would welcome newcomers.

Members are required to attend a weekly meeting and accept an assignment of work to be done. All work is done in pairs. They visit the sick in hospitals and Nursing Homes and parishioners who are housebound. We assure all those we visit that they are still valued members of our community. We also try to visit families who have had a baby baptized and members of the First Communion and Confirmation classes. Due to a change in the lifestyle of young families we have difficulty finding anyone at home in many instances. We also visit the retired Jesuits living at Campion Center. They appreciate company and we benefit from their years of experience that they share with us.

The Legion of Mary is financed solely by voluntary contributions made at their weekly meeting. Each member puts his donation into a "secret bag" which is passed around. Each month the officers of the praesidium attend the meeting of the Curia, which governs all the praesidia in its region and donate to the Curia all the money they have over and above their operating expenses. The Curia officers, in turn, attend a monthly meeting of Boston Senatus and donate all their surplus funds to Senatus. The Senatus sends a monthly contribution to Concilium in Dublin, Ireland. Concilium governs all units of the Legion all over the world. They use the funds to send envoys to troubled areas where the Church is struggling to survive. Mary Kjellander had a chance to visit a Concilium meeting in Dublin last September and was amazed at all they are accomplishing.

Mary Kjellander is the Legion President. Jim Kjellander is the secretary and Doris Giamo is the treasurer.

Faith-Sharing Group

A Faith-Sharing Group is forming and will meet at St. Joseph Church on Thursday evenings at 7:30 PM. Come join fellow parishioners for informal Scripture sharing and prayer. For questions, please call John Murray at 781-259-1268.

Book Group

The St. Joseph Book Club has been meeting for a couple of years monthly at St. Joseph House. We read current works of literature and meet at St. Joseph House for 'bring-your-lunch', coffee and dessert. We meet one Monday each month. Check the bulletin or the events page for information about our next book and meeting date. Questions? Contact Therese Flynn at 781-259-0992.

Links

Archdiocesan Office of Spiritual Development