Category Archives: Family Mass Music

Easter Youth Choir Rehearsals Begin Sunday, March 1!

Posted on February 28, 2015 | Comments Off on Easter Youth Choir Rehearsals Begin Sunday, March 1!

Music_Youth Choir LogoChildren in grades 1-8 are invited to participate in the St. John’s Easter Youth Choir.   High School Assistants are welcome. There are 5 rehearsals: 3/1, 3/8, 3/15, 3/22 and 3/29 at 10:50-11:50 in the Chapel.  Sign up and first rehearsal 3/1.    The children will sing at the 9:00 AM Family Mass on Easter Sunday, April 5, 2015.  Registration closes Sunday 3/8. For more information and to register call Maria Wardwell 781-237-2148 or  Maria.wardwell@stjohnwellesley.org.

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Posted in Family Mass Music, Music, Youth Choir

Music Survey Results

Posted on January 16, 2015 | Comments Off on Music Survey Results

2014 Music Ministry Survey Overview_Page_1_NEWBack in November, parishioners were asked to complete a Music Survey, which was available both online and in paper form in the bulletin. The goal of the survey was to help us take stock of our current music ministry as a whole, in an effort to review, with your help, what we do well and to discover areas of potential change and/or improvement. More than 180 parishioners responded to the survey, which is the highest response to any survey we have undertaken here at St. John. Many thanks to all who participated and who took the time to provide such detailed feedback. The overall data results have been tabulated and is available in this week’s bulletin or online HERE.

Our next step is to study and analyze all the thoughtful and thorough answers provided in the comment sections of the survey to see what trends and conclusions can be drawn, and we’ll be publishing more information in the coming weeks.

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Posted in CME, Family Mass Music, Music, Parish Choir, Youth Choir

Thank You for Completing the Music Survey!

Posted on December 16, 2014 | Comments Off on Thank You for Completing the Music Survey!

survey graphicMore than 180 parishioners responded to our recent Music Survey, which is the highest response to any survey we’ve undertaken. The results are being tabulated now and will be published in the bulletin and on the website after Christmas  so stayed tuned!

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Posted in CME, Family Mass Music, Music, Parish Choir, Youth Choir

St. John Parish Christmas Concert
Sunday, December 14 at 2pm

Posted on November 25, 2014 | Comments Off on St. John Parish Christmas Concert
Sunday, December 14 at 2pm

Please join us on Sunday, December 14 at 2pm in the Church for traditional and contemporary Christmas music performed by St. John’s adult and youth choirs, instruments, and soloists.  Featuring the “Puppet Nativity” from the First Baptist Church in Jamaica Plain, sharing a wonderful telling of the Christmas story.  Admission is free.  Parking is available in the school lot on Ledyard Street and the Church is wheelchair accessible.

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Sunday, December 14 at 2pm

Posted in CME, Family Mass Music, Music, Parish Choir, Youth Choir

Who’s Who at St. John

Posted on November 1, 2014 | Comments Off on Who’s Who at St. John

HelloMyNameIsThroughout the next several weeks, St. John’s will be highlighting many of the staff members at St. John’s who make our Parish a vibrant, welcoming community. The article, Who’s Who at St. John will enable you to get to know each staff member a little bit more. The first two entries highlight members of St. John’s Music Ministries, Maria Wardwell and Chris Holownia.

WardwellMaria Wardwell – Family Mass Cantor
Maria has been cantoring with the Family Mass Musicians since 1998. A Wellesley College graduate, Maria has performed as a singer and actress her whole life. She is very involved in community theater and performs in and around the Boston area. She is the president of the Footlight Club, America’s oldest continuously running community theatre which performs at Eliot Hall in Jamaica Plain. Maria and her husband have lived in Wellesley since 1990. They have 2 sons – Nate, who is a Middle School teacher for Teach for America in Charlotte, NC and Ben, who is a sophomore at Colby College in Maine. When Maria’s not cantoring at St. John’s or performing in a production she is busy working as a Learning and Development Account Executive and Facilitator for Wilson Learning Worldwide.

HolowniaChristopher Holownia – Family Mass Music Director
Chris has been the music director for the Family Mass and Sunday 5pm Mass ever since he graduated from Yale in 2007. Chris grew up in the parish and his parents are still active parishioners. He is currently teaching foreign languages including Spanish, Latin and Chinese at the Rivers School in Weston. He advises the philosophy club at Rivers and also music directs their winter musical. Chris is the resident music director for the Woodland Theatre Company in Medfield and during the summer he is a music director for the Weston Drama Workshop. In his “free time” Chris directs the music for other area musicals, acts on stage, and sings in area choirs.

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Posted in CME, Family Mass Music, Music, Youth Choir

St. John Music Survey

Posted on November 1, 2014 | Comments Off on St. John Music Survey

As we look ahead to a new season, the St. John’s music staff thought it prudent to take stock of our current music ministry as a whole in an effort to review, with your help, what we do well and discover areas of potential change and/or improvement. By completing this survey, you will provide us with important feedback that we will endeavor to implement as we move through the year. (A paper version of this survey will be available in the bulletin this weekend.)

Once the data is collected and analyzed a summary of the findings will be published in the bulletin and on the website. Thereafter, we hope to sponsor some focus groups after each Mass at which music plays a part so that we may have meaningful discussions about the results and chart a course for the future. Please complete your survey by November 16. We thank you for your consideration and look forward to hearing from you.

Blessings!

– St. John’s Music Staff

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Posted in CME, Family Mass Music, Music, Parish Choir, Youth Choir

Passion Play Thank You!

Posted on April 30, 2014 | Comments Off on Passion Play Thank You!

Passion PlayWe would like to thank everyone who participated in the Passion Play that was performed at the 9:00 a.m. Family Mass on Palm Sunday. Our special thanks to:

Arianna Baffa, Caterina Baffa, Cali Bernier, Ellen Burstein, Katie Burstein, Jane Butler, Jenny Cassa, Kate Cassa, Nicole Ceriani, Fiona Corkhill, Camille Cuzzapoli, Shannon Duffy, John Fadule, James Fadule, Cosimo Ferrante, Chrissy Harding, Meagan Harding, Tommy Harding, Chris Harding, Tommy Hillmer, Chris Holownia, Nora Jarquin, Ava Keresztes, Anthony Messore, Christina Messore, Mikey Messore, Tim Murphy, Catherine Murrey, Jill Oliver, Emma Pearson, Nicollette Pearson, Marike Perry, Claire Picken, Elizabeth Picken, John Picken, Andrew Scherrer, Matthew Scherrer, and Maria Wardwell.

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Posted in Children, Family Mass, Family Mass Music, Music, Youth Choir

St. John’s Music: Family Mass Musicians

Posted on March 10, 2014 | Comments Off on St. John’s Music: Family Mass Musicians

FamilyMassMusicThe Family Mass Musicians are always welcoming new members, old and you alike.  All that’s required is a love of music and a willing spirit. And what better time to try out the music ministry you’ve always considered joining than during the Lent and Easter seasons?  We rehearse at 8am on Sunday mornings in the Music Office downstairs in preparation for the 9am Family Mass, and we will have two special rehearsals dedicated to the Easter Sunday Mass, on March 30 and April 13 right after the 9am Mass.  All our music is readily accessible to all levels of musicians and is specially geared toward the youth in our community. Please consider joining us to celebrate this holiest of seasons by adding your sound to ours. We’d love to have you!

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Posted in Family Mass, Family Mass Music, Music

Thank You to St. John’s Music and our Ministers of Music

Posted on January 23, 2014 | Comments Off on Thank You to St. John’s Music and our Ministers of Music

Music, ChoirThe saying “He who sings prays twice” is often attributed to St. Augustine. There is reason to believe that he may not have written that exactly but wrote, “Singing belongs to the one who loves.” The nature of music is such that it can raise our spirits toward happiness, it can evoke memories of times past, it can express our sadness when the burning lump in our throat holds us back. Song (singing), a gift from God, brings us together in community with each other. We thank God for this gift – how?? By singing!

Our ministers of music (Youth Choir, instrumentalists, Family Mass Music Group, Parish Choir, cantors, directors) Continue reading →

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Posted in Family Mass Music, Music, Parish Choir, Youth Choir

Rehearsals for the Family Mass Music and Contemporary Music Groups Begin this Weekend!

Posted on September 6, 2013 | Comments Off on Rehearsals for the Family Mass Music and Contemporary Music Groups Begin this Weekend!

Music_Youth Choir LogoIf you attend the 9:00 a.m. Family Mass and enjoy the upbeat, children-friendly, hand-clapping hymns we sing each week, we are always seeking new singers and instrumentalists to join our ranks. All ages are welcome!  Our first rehearsal will be this Sunday, September 8 at 8:00am.  During the school year, we rehearse each Sunday morning at 8am to prepare for that day’s 9am Mass, and we also prepare special liturgies for Grade Level Masses, Advent, Christmas, Lent, Palm Sunday, Easter, and Pentecost. The Christmas and Easter Youth Choirs, directed by Maria Wardwell (781-237-2148 or Maria.Wardwell@stjohnwellesley.org), also join forces with the Family Mass Musicians at those special times of year and have a separate rehearsal schedule.  Please contact Chris Holownia (617-513-0823 or christopher.holownia@gmail.com) for more information about how to get involved. 

CME_PhotoThe genre for the the 5:00pm Mass on Sunday evenings tends to be more contemporary, appealing to the young adults/teens and their families, and we seek both vocalists and instrumentalists to rehearse at 4:15 p.m. each Sunday before the Mass that same night. We occasionally plan programming to coincide with the teen Masses and other special events. Please contact Chris Holownia (617-513-0823 or christopher.holownia@gmail.com) if you are interested in getting involved! Our first rehearsal will be Sunday, September 8, 2013 at 4:15pm.

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Posted in CME, Family Mass, Family Mass Music, Music