THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, February 8, 2019 Page 19 ASK | from page 18 Class. It was not about the Bible – sort of like “What are public schools like now?” I’ve heard that Saugus Public Schools have not had the best reputation, so Dr. DeRuosi came and talked to us about the challenges of the public school system and what all the schools are now expected to undertake – with kids having specific needs – whether it’s emotional or intellectual or grandparents raising kids, so the way that the kids have the best future is if the schools and the community work together, so we’re starting to have conversations with him [Dr. DeRuosi] and other school administrators to find out how St. John’s can be a part of that: that partnership. Which is exciting, but also scary, because we don’t know where we are going to end up, so we’re trying to be patient. We don’t want to rush into anything we’re going to do if it’s not what we feel like we need to be doing. Q: On Wednesdays you have been having conversations with church members or wantto-be church members over coffee and tea. A: Yes. Every Wednesday, 10 [a.m.] to 12 [noon], I’m at Dunkin’ at Hamilton Street, and it’s been great. I started it last summer, sort of as a way to get out of my office, because I know church can be an intimidating place – the building – there’s a lot of doors and you may not know how to get in, and you may not want to go and meet someone strange. Is the priest a real person or just some sort of figure? So, I started doing the office hours there, and it’s been great. It’s been fun to get to know the people at Dunkin’ Donuts and for people to see there’s a female priest. And they ask me, “Are you Roman Catholic?” and “What does that collar mean?” And I think it’s been a great opportunity for parishioners to be with me and to be with one another and to have church there in their own way, to share what’s going well and what’s not going so well. We’ve had some really great conversations about family illness, addiction, depression and other things that people may not come to talk to me about, but when they see me they say, “Oh, I’ll sit down for a cup of coffee.” And it’s a lot less intimidating. Q: Have you gotten any new members as a result of the coffee hours? A: The goal is not new members, is more about awareness: that people know that St. John’s is still active and still ASKS | SEE PAGE 20 Looking for a home loan? WE ’RE HERE TO DO RIGHT BY YOU . FIXED RATE MORT G AGES— NO POINTS . 15 YEAR 30 YEAR 3.875% R ATE 4.250% R ATE EVERETT – 419 BROADWAY LYNNFIELD – 7 7 1 SALEM STREET 61 7-38 7 - 1 1 10 3.959% APR* 4.298% APR* Learn more about our rates at EVERETTBANK . COM *Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is effective February 5, 2019 and is subject to change. All rates and APR’s are calculated based on a $250,000 loan for an owner-occupied single family dwelling with a 20% down payment. Rates are also based on Loan to Value and credit scores. The monthly principal and interest payment for a 15 Year fixed rate mortgage is $7.33 per $1,000 borrowed. The monthly principal and interest payment for a 30 Year fixed rate mortgage is $4.92 per $1,000 borrowed. Payments do not include taxes and insurance. Your payment may be greater if the loan is secured by a first lien. Loans are subject to credit approval. NMLS #443050. Member FDIC Member SIF
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