Category Archives: SJSP Youth Ministry

Please Join Us for a Youth Ministry NPH Trip Presentation on Sunday, September 29 after the 5pm Mass

Our high school students who traveled to the NPH home in the Dominican Republic this summer with Fr. Jim and our Youth Ministry Team would like to invite you to a presentation about their experience.  Please join us on Sunday, September 29 at 6:00pm (immediately following the Sunday 5pm Mass) at St. John Powers Hall.

Updates from the Dominican Republic!

A group of our high school students, along with the St. John-St. Paul Youth Ministry team, Fr. Jim, and a representative from NPH USA, are at the NPH home in the Dominican Republic for a week-long service and immersion trip for a firsthand experience of how NPH USA transforms the lives of children!

While there, the group is providing us with daily updates and photos – please click the logo below to check out the blog and follow along on their journey!

Fundraiser for the NPH Immersion and Service Trip to Dominican Republic

We are delighted to have a group of 11 high school students from our Collaborative who, along with their chaperones, will be travelling to the NPH Dominican Republic home in August to experience life in an NPH home and assist with service projects with the community.

This weekend, June 8-9, at all St. John Masses we will be inviting parishioners to take part in a small fundraising effort to help defray the costs to our travelers. We will explain the fundraiser at the Masses, but if you would prefer to make a contribution online, please visit our Youth Ministry NPH page to make a secure, one-time donation.

We will be keeping you up to date with our progress in preparation for the trip, during our time at the home, and when we return.

Thank you so much for your support of our young people and their journey of faith and service.

Reconciliation Service for High School Students – Sunday, March 17 at 4:00pm

We are offering a Reconciliation Service for all high school students on Sunday, March 17 at 4:00pm before the Sunday 5pm Youth Mass in the Chapel at St. John’s. There will be a short reflection and preparation time, followed by the opportunity to receive the sacrament of confession. Those receiving Confirmation this spring are especially encouraged to attend!

Sunday, January 27: Youth Ministry Winter Backyard BBQ!

Calling all high school students! Need something to do this football-free Sunday evening? Come to the St. Paul Parish Hall for some FREE food and fun at our St. John-St. Paul Youth Ministry  Winter Indoor BBQ! It starts around 6:00pm after the Sunday 5pm Youth Mass. We hope to see you there!  For more information on all our Youth Ministry Programs, please visit Our Collaborative Youth Ministry Program page.

Wednesday, January 16 at 7:00pm: Informational Meeting for High School Immersion Trip to NPH Dominican Republic at St. John

All current high school students are invited to join the St. John-St. Paul Youth Ministry team and NPH USA for an immersion and service trip to NPH Dominican Republic this summer, August 15 – 21, 2019.

We will have the unique opportunity to stay at the NPH home with the children, in a newly constructed visitor’s house, which will allow us to immerse ourselves in NPH life with the children and their culture. This will be an unforgettable opportunity to experience the work of NPH firsthand, meet the amazing children who live in the NPH Dominican Republic home and take part in a service project which will have a lasting impact on the community there. This trip is offered to current high school students and places are limited.  To find out more or to sign up :

  •  Print a flyer  (also available at the back of the church)
  • Come to the Sunday 5pm Mass at St. Paul Church on Sunday, January 13 to learn about NPH Dominican Republic
  • Attend the Parent-Student Information Session on Wednesday, January 16 at 7:00pm in St. John Powers Hall (underneath the Church)

For more information, or if you are unable to attend the meeting but are interested in the trip, please contact Anne Mears.

Informational Meeting for NPH Summer H.S. Immersion Trip – Wednesday, November 7 at 7:30pm in St. Paul Parish Hall

Join the St. John-St. Paul Collaborative for a one-week immersion trip to an NPH home this summer. This trip is offered only to current high school students, who will be accompanied by five chaperones from the Collaborative.  Experience first hand how NPH USA transforms the lives of children! You will meet the amazing children, staff, and volunteers of NPH and learn about their daily lives. Whether you are new to NPH or a longtime supporter, visiting our homes is the best way to see what we do in action. While the children are in school, you will help out around the home (helping with daily chores around the property, working in the gardens and farm, caring for the babies, working in the kitchen, and viewing the school, etc.). Relax or hang out with the pequeños in the afternoons. We will coordinate activities with the different age groups throughout the week. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to meet with the leadership of the NPH home, tour all of the home’s facilities, and hear the kids’ stories of their lives before and after arriving at NPH.  Note: An NPH USA chaperone will lead and oversee all travelers throughout the duration of the week. All chaperones are background checked, and are experienced volunteers.

For more information, or if you are unable to attend the meeting but are interested in the trip, please contact Anne Mears at anne.mears@sjspwellesley.org

Our New Collaborative Sunday 5pm Mass Schedule

As young Christians… you are not only a part of the future of the Church; you are also a necessary and beloved part of the Church’s present! You are the Church’s present!

Pope Francis, Homily at the Closing Mass for the 6th Asian Youth Day, August 2014

Pope Francis reminds young Christians – and all of us – that young people are not just a part of the Church’s future, but an important and much-needed part of the Church’s present. Here at the St. John-St. Paul Collaborative, we are conscious of this reminder as we work together with our young people to renew and strengthen their connection to God, the Church, their parish and wider community, and to each other.

To this end, we have launched a Collaborative Sunday 5pm Mass that will be a more deliberately youth-centered liturgy, with our high-school-aged young people central to and actively involved in all aspects of the Mass. From the music, to the homilies, to the Spirit-filled sense of vibrancy and joy, we are prayerfully approaching a liturgy that will touch the hearts and minds of our young people and all who come to celebrate the Mass and grow in faith together.

This new Sunday 5pm Mass will be a truly collaborative liturgy, rotating from week to week between St. John Church and St. Paul Church. On the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of the month, the Sunday 5:00pm Mass will be at St. John, and on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month, the Mass will be at St. Paul.

Schedule for September: 
Sunday, September 9 – St. Paul Church
Sunday, September 16 – St. John Church
Sunday, September 23 – St. Paul Church 
Sunday, September 30 – 
Collaborative Outdoor Mass/Special Mass Schedule

The full schedule for the year is available on our website  – you can add the schedule to your iPhone or Google calendar so you always know where the Mass is week to week.  (More information will be available soon about signing up for reminder emails and texts.)

All are encouraged to experience and support this new initiative with their prayers and their presence.

Remember, you can always attend the Masses within the collaborative that best meet your needs and schedule, and still support your home parish. Simply place your envelope (or check  made out to your home parish) in the collection at Mass and it will be sent to your parish. Envelopes for both parishes will also be available at the back of the churches so you can direct cash donations as well.

Now would be a great time to consider Online Giving. Online giving makes donating to your home parish simple and easy, regardless of where you are or the time of year, and this in turn provides your parish with more consistent and stable contributions. Please visit your home parish’s website (St. John or St. Paul) to sign up or for more information.

Our New Collaborative Sunday 5pm Mass Schedule Begins this Sunday, September 9 with Mass at St. Paul

As young Christians… you are not only a part of the future of the Church; you are also a necessary and beloved part of the Church’s present! You are the Church’s present!

Pope Francis, Homily at the Closing Mass for the 6th Asian Youth Day, August 2014

Pope Francis reminds young Christians – and all of us – that young people are not just a part of the Church’s future, but an important and much-needed part of the Church’s present. Here at the St. John-St. Paul Collaborative, we are conscious of this reminder as we work together with our young people to renew and strengthen their connection to God, the Church, their parish and wider community, and to each other.

To this end, beginning on Sunday, September 9, we are launching a Collaborative Sunday 5pm Mass that will be a more deliberately youth-centered liturgy, with our high-school-aged young people central to and actively involved in all aspects of the Mass. From the music, to the homilies, to the Spirit-filled sense of vibrancy and joy, we are prayerfully approaching a liturgy that will touch the hearts and minds of our young people and all who come to celebrate the Mass and grow in faith together.

This new Sunday 5pm Mass will be a truly collaborative liturgy, rotating from week to week between St. John Church and St. Paul Church. On the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of the month, the Sunday 5:00pm Mass will be at St. John, and on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month, the Mass will be at St. Paul.

Schedule for September: 
Sunday, September 9 – St. Paul Church
Sunday, September 16 – St. John Church
Sunday, September 23 – St. Paul Church 
Sunday, September 30 – 
Collaborative Outdoor Mass/Special Mass Schedule

The full schedule for the year is available on our website  – you can add the schedule to your iPhone or Google calendar so you always know where the Mass is week to week.  (More information will be available soon about signing up for reminder emails and texts.)

All are encouraged to experience and support this new initiative with their prayers and their presence.

Youth Ministry News

All high school students are invited to join our Collaborative Youth Ministry Program, which is being reinvigorated with new staff, new ideas and new initiatives in tandem with the updated Confirmation Preparation Program!

Luke Delvecchio

Jimmy Hastings

First we would like to re-introduce our Youth Ministers who started as members of the St. Paul Youth Group and evolved into Youth Ministers – Luke Delvecchio and   Jimmy Hastings. Both are parishioners in the Collaborative and their tireless dedication and enthusiasm has continued to keep the St. Paul Youth Group alive and well!

Brenna Wertzberger

We would also like to introduce you to Brenna Wertzberger, a student in the BC Theology program, who has joined them as a Youth Minister.

Luke, Jimmy, and Brenna will all be Collaborative staff charged with empowering young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today. This empowerment will include (but not be limited to!) Mass participation, service within and outside the Collaborative, and activities to foster community.

For more information, please email youthministry@sjspwellesley.org