Throughout 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.
Maria 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.
Christopher 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.
Registration closes this Sunday, March 23 for the St. John’s Easter Youth Choir. Children in grades 1-8 are invited to participate in this choir that will sing at the 9:00 AM Family Mass on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014. High School Assistants are welcome. There are 5 rehearsals: March 16, March 23, March 30, April 4, and April 13. All rehearsals are from 10:50-11:50am in the Chapel.
Please join us on Sunday, December 8 at 2pm in the Church for traditional and contemporary Christmas music performed by St. John’s adult and youth choirs, instruments, and soloists. Admission is free. St. John’s is located at the corner of Washington St. and Glen Rd. Parking is available in the school lot on Ledyard Street and the Church is wheelchair accessible.