St. John St. James Church, Roxbury

PARISH LETTER

August 14,1969

Dear Parishioner,

It certainly has been a busy and meaningful summer. Many things have been happening here in our parish - good and positive things. First, the new church building has been started - the basement has now been dug and the foundations are in the process of being put up.

Our Senior Churchmen Program has really done fine. Our people put on and hosted a large luncheon and a good movie that followed - for about one hundred senior people.

Mrs.Daniels has been running a summer program with teen-agers teaching small children that's really worked out swell. Our church has also helped to organize a local welfare group. The group of mothers meet every Wednesday and now is officially incorporated under state law as Parents for Justice and Welfare Rights. The group is headed and directed by the mothers themselves and will help any women who needs it. The group now numbers about 80 people - and growing.

Our seminaries have been a big help this summer in helping me and doing a lot of visiting. Camp took a large group of kids to the country for a weekend - the kids enjoyed it.

Mountain Side, the cabin in the mountains has been well used this summer. Besides the children who were there on different week-end, a great many adults have visited and say they really enjoyed themselves.

Wonderful news! Hopefully some time in late September, the State Department for Retarded Children will open up a school for retarded children in our building wih the Church sponsoring the program. This will not cost anything. It's an exciting program especially in the view of the fact that there aren't many of these schools in exsitence. The Vestry has looked carefully at the whole project and approve. More on this in the fall.

Many of our people are now buying homes in Boston more especially in Dorchester and Mattapan. Have you ever thought about that? If you would like more information, call the church. I think we can put you in touch with the right people.

Judy and I hope to start our vacation in the next few days - spend about ten days in the country then back for school and our fall programs.

Please remember starting September 7th, the Sunday Services will begin at 10:30 AM.

Faithfully

Fr. Richard D'Onofrio

Love and Peace,

P.S. This fall we are going to be thinking of our every member canvass.