Category Archives: Family Mass Music

Attention Young Singers! Join the Christmas Youth Choir!

Our 19th Annual Christmas Youth Choir sign-up and first rehearsal will take place Sunday, November 3 from 10:50-11:50AM. All students in grade 1-8 are invited to participate. High School Grade 9-12 Assistants are also welcome (counts towards confirmation community service credit)! Seven rehearsals will take place on the following Sunday mornings (rehearsals do not conflict with Sunday morning Religious Education):

November 3 – 10:50-11:50am
November 10 – 10:00-11:00am
November 17 – 10:50-11:50am
November 24 – 10:50-11:50am
December 8 – 10:50-11:50am
December 15 – 10:00-11:00am
December 22 – 10:00-11:30am

Registration closes Sunday November 10.  Children will participate in the 4:00pm Family Mass Christmas Eve (3:30 candlelight procession and prelude). All rehearsals are in St. John’s Chapel.

For more information, please contact Maria Wardwell at 781-237-2148 or maria.wardwell@stjohnwellesley.org

Family Mass Musicians Starts Up Again!

Children and adults blend voice and instruments to praise the Lord and enrich our Sunday 9am Family Mass with upbeat, child-friendly, hand-clapping hymns.  During the school year, we rehearse each Sunday morning at 8:10am in the music office on the lower level of the church to prepare for that day’s 9:00 a.m. Mass (no need to commit to every Sunday), and we also prepare special liturgies for Grade Level Masses, Advent, Christmas, Lent, Palm Sunday, Easter, and Pentecost.  All ages, grade 1 and older, are welcome! We are always seeking new singers and instrumentalists to join our ranks.   For more information please contact Maria Wardwell at 781-237-2148 or maria.wardwell@stjohnwellesley.org

Family Mass Music Starts Up Again on Sunday, September 9

Children and adults blend voice and instruments to praise the Lord and enrich our Sunday 9:00am Family Mass with upbeat, child-friendly, hand-clapping hymns. During the school year, we rehearse each Sunday morning at 8:00am in the Music Office on the lower level of the church to prepare for that day’s 9:00am Mass (no need to commit to every Sunday.) We also prepare special liturgies for Grade Level Masses, Advent, Christmas, Lent, Palm Sunday, Easter, and Pentecost. All ages, Grade 1 and older, are welcome! We are always seeking new singers and instrumentalists to join our ranks. For more information please contact Maria Wardwell at 781-237-2148 or maria.wardwell@stjohnwellesley.org

Our Collaborative Outdoor Mass – Sunday, September 30 at 11:00am

Special Collaborative Mass Schedule on the Weekend of September 29-30

Masses at St. John:
Saturday 5:oopm Vigil Mass
Sunday 7:30am Mass at St. John

Masses at St. Paul:
Saturday 4:oopm Vigil Mass
Sunday 7:30am Mass

Collaborative Outdoor Mass:
Sunday 11:00am at the Wellesley High School Football Field

Please Note: There will be no 9:00am, 11:00am, or 5:00pm Masses at either parish on Sunday, September 30.

Music Changes at St. John

With the recent departure of Chris Holownia, we are left with a vacancy at both the Sunday 9:00am Family Mass as well as the Sunday 5:00pm Mass.  In the short-term we will have Larry Carson, St. John Music Director, play at the Sunday 9am Mass on September 3.  Anne Mears will play all other Sunday 9am Masses until October. Anne will also play at the Sunday 5pm Masses when they begin in the September. Anne Mears is a member of our Collaborative and has been directing and playing liturgical music for  many years in the UK and here in Wellesley for the last 17 years, working with the High School Music Group at St. Paul Parish and formerly with St. Paul School. She looks forward to working and worshiping with the   St. John community while also continuing her work with the High School Music Group at St. Paul Parish.

Please join us this Sunday, July 23 at 9:00am for a special Family Mass and Reception for Chris Holownia, Family Mass Music Director

Chris’ last Sunday as Music Director for the Family Mass will be August 13, but please join us for a special Family Mass on Sunday, July 23 at 9:00am. There will be a special farewell reception for Chris in Powers Hall following Mass.

 

A Letter from Chris Holownia, Family Mass Music Director

Dear St. John’s Parishioners:

After a long period of discernment, I have decided to pursue a religious vocation to the Jesuits and will enter their novitiate at St. Andrew Hall in Syracuse, NY this coming August.  This announcement is bittersweet, as I have been a member of the St. John Parish community since I was in elementary school and will miss my colleagues, friends, and fellow Family Mass Musicians tremendously. I am both excited and nervous to begin this next chapter of my life, and saying farewell is quite difficult.

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to everyone who has helped to make my experience here such a positive one over the past 10 years: thank you for welcoming me, challenging me, supporting me, and trusting me as I learned the ropes. St. John’s is a special place, and I am proud to call myself a member of this great faith community.  Please know that I will cherish my time here for the rest of my life, bringing my career at St. John’s forward with me wherever I go, and I promise to come back to visit whenever I can!

Sincerely,
Chris Holownia

From the St. John Parish Music Director…

Christmas ChoirSt. John’s Music during Christmas 2016 was effulgent with its glowing joy. Those of you who were present at our Christmas liturgies knew immediately that this great Feast of the Nativity is remarkable, glorious. A couple of weeks before Christmas a parishioner put fear in my heart as she was so filled with anticipation of being with her family, as well as her church family, and stressed how she just knew the music would exceed her expectations. I thought quietly to myself – it had better!

What is amazing is how it takes so many dedicated individuals to make that “beyond expectation music” happen – to them an avalanche of gratitude should be shown. It’s the children, the teens, the young adults, “young thinking” adults – those who sing, play an instrument, parents who patiently wait for their children attending rehearsals, the children who permit a parent to attend rehearsal, the loving spouse/partner who is temporarily left alone while the other attends rehearsal. Special accolades to Family Mass Music Directors who work diligently as they are outnumbered by the surrounding children, the cantors who do their part at extra Masses.

Christmas 2016 was my twentieth Christmas here at St. John’s. With each passing year the excitement, the beauty of the music reaches a new height. In a huge way that reach for the height, the stars – particularly the bright Star over Bethlehem happens because of you – St. John parishioners – you are the church, you are the church choir. Thank you for your love and support. If at anytime you would like to experience and know what it’s like being part of one of our music groups at St. John’s – know that you will be warmly welcomed. Come, get into the “sing” of things!

Gratefully yours, Laurence Carson

St. John Parish Christmas Concert
Sunday, December 13 at 2pm

Christmas ChoirThis coming Sunday, December 13 at 2:00pm is our Annual Parish Christmas Concert Each of the music groups which support our liturgies throughout the year will be performing seasonal music for you to enjoy.  The Family Mass Musicians, the Christmas Youth Choir, the Parish Choir and the newly formed Teen Choir will be sharing some of the music they’ve been practicing these past weeks – now you can hear them! Joining us for the third year in a row will be the Puppet Nativity.  They are coming to us from Rochester, NY.  Their participation in our concert is truly a welcome addition. Please come – admission is free – all are welcome! Parking is available in the school lot on Ledyard Street and the Church is wheelchair accessible.

Family Mass Music and Contemporary Music Ensemble

FamilyMassMusicI grew up at St. John Parish – got confirmed, lectored, taught CCD — and I am lucky to say that this is now my 9th year serving as a music minister here. Our program has grown exponentially over the past few years, as you might have noticed judging by the hoards of children singing each Sunday morning. If you are interested in joining the Family Mass Musicians at 9:00 a.m. or the Contemporary Music Ensemble at 5:00 p.m., please email me or contact me at 617-513-0823. We rehearse every Sunday at 8:00 a.m. downstairs in the music office as well as certain Sundays at 3:30 p.m., and there is no experience necessary – only the desire and willingness to sing. I ask only that children be in first grade, but there is no age limitation on the other end! If you play an instrument, you are also welcome to inquire. Finally, there is no need to make a firm commitment; if you can’t make it every Sunday morning, we’d still love to have you join us whenever possible. I look forward to speaking with you!
Contemporary Music~ Chris Holownia, Music Director for the Family Mass and 5pm Mass on Sundays

Attention Young Actors – Passion Play Rehearsal This Saturday!

Passion PlayActors/Actresses in Grade 3 and older – help “perform” the Passion Play at the 9:00 AM Family Mass on Palm Sunday, March 29. Attendance at one rehearsal this Saturday, March 28, from 9:00 AM- 12:00 is required/mandatory.  Confirmation candidates earn 5 hours of community service credit.

Please contact Maria Wardwell (781-237-2148 or maria.wardwell@stjohnwellesley.org) or Chrissy Harding (781-416-7362 or cctharding@aol.com) for information and registration.