Blessing of the Animals on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

Saint Francis of Assisi was a great lover of animals and the environment, and in his preaching emphasized the inherent goodness of all God has created. In his great Canticle of the Sun--from which Pope Francis derived the title and direction of his encyclical letter Laudato Si', on care for the Earth as our common home--he sings of the sun, the moon, the elements, etc. as brothers and sisters, all united in rendering praise and glory to God. He has looing been considered the patorn saint of animals; in 1979, Pope Saint John Paul II declared Saint Francis the patron saint of ecology.

A popular practice around Saint Francis' feastday (October 4) has been to bring pets to the church for a special blessing. Father Coyne began this practice in our Collaborative in 2015, and we have observed it every year since.

Annual Christmas Bazaar 

The Christmas Bazaar was first organized by the women of St. Anne's Sodality in 1961. It was held in St. Anthony's Hall (at the corner of River and Norton Streets), and ran from Friday afternoon until Saturday evening. Proceeds of this first Bazaar were $812. The Bazaar grew year by year, and the location shifted to the Old School Hall (formerly St. Raphael’s District School) on Readville Street, and finally to the St. Anne’s School. 

In 1974, the format of the Bazaar was revamped with the parish providing funds for materials to make merchandise. Rotating chairladies were introduced to ensure continuity and consistent improvement. By the mid-1990s, "competition" had become stiffer, but the Bazaar continued to be a major contributor to the parish, supported by the talent and generosity of the hundreds of volunteers who participated over the years. 

The Bazaar ended its 50-year run when the St. Anne School building was leased to Parkside Christian Academy. But when the building returned to parish control in the formation of the Blue Hills Catholic Collaborative, plans for a return commenced and as of 2016, the Christmas Bazaar was back on! 

The 2021 Bazaar took place on Saturday, November 13 at the Collaborative Center from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Check out some highlights here! 

The 2022 Christmas Bazaar took place on Saturday, November 12 from 9 AM to 5 PM. 

Christmas Concert 

Our 2022 Christmas Concert consisted of Lessons and Carols with Scripture readings and songs! For more information about our Music Ministry concerts, follow this link

2022 Canobie Lake Park Trip 

Our 2022 Canobie Lake Park Trip took place on July 11. Thank you to the Boston Chapter of the Knights of Columbus and the Shaw's on Hyde Park Ave for sponsoring the trip. 

Touch a Truck- Sat. June 25, 2022 

We hosted our first Touch a Trunk in June 2022. It was a great success and there are so many people to thank for all their help! We would like to thank all the truckers and first responders who came including the Boston Police Department, the Boston Fire Department, Boston EMS, Boston Public Works, Boston Public Schools, Akiki Towing and the Hyde Park Post Office. We would also like to thank organizations like the Boston Athletic Academy, Canvas Studio The Design Lab and Silly Sallys for joining us at the event! Thank you to Whole Foods Dedham, the Stop and Shop on Truman Parkway and 4 Corners Citgo for donating food and drinks to the event! 

We would like to thank all volunteers who helped us set up prior to the event, take down things after it was over and our cooks who oversaw the grill. 

Finally, we would especially like to thank Diana Ferrara, Amy Busch, Rob Consalvo, Emily Carrara, the DiLetizia Family and Kathi Flynn for all their help in organizing the event. 

We would also like to see your photos from Touch a Truck! Email any photos that we can add to this photo album to John at development@bluehillscollaborative.org!