How can I pay my Religious Ed fees?
Click here to pay for Religious Ed fees for St. John
Click here to pay for Religious Ed fees for St. Paul
What is a Grade Level Mass?
At a Grade Level Mass students participate in various roles in the Mass such as Greeters, Gift Bearers, Readers and Basket passers. Information about volunteering is included in the monthly newsletters and students are chosen to participate by a lottery. About a week prior to the Mass parents are emailed with participation information for their student. All students in our Religious Education program, regardless of whether they attend class in-person or do lessons at home, can participate. Students sit in reserved rows at the front of the church. They also participate in the discussion of the Gospel reflection based on a lesson that was facilitated at a previous Religious Education class.
What is an Enrollment Mass?
At an Enrollment Mass students preparing to receive a sacrament (First Communion and Confirmation) are acknowledged, celebrated and officially “enrolled” in preparation for the sacrament. The names of each student are read, they are given a blessing and parishioners are asked to pray for the students. The preparation students participate in the Mass in various roles. Families are encouraged to attend and be part of the celebration.
What do I do if my child has to miss class?
You do not need to let us know when your child will not be in class. Religious Education is ultimately in the hands of parents and it is up to you to prioritize classes for your child. If your child is in a sacrament preparation year and we feel they have missed an important activity we will reach out to discuss that with you. Please note that if you would like some make-up work for your child we have at-home lessons for each grade that include activities you can do with them at your convenience. Students can only attend classes in their designated program – so you cannot attend a class on Sunday to make up for a missed Wednesday class and vice-versa. We do not have the space or organizational structure to have students moving back and forth between programs.
We do not have the same lessons in our at home programs as we do in the classroom, as they are facilitated quite differently and don’t exactly translate to at home learning. However, if you would like to review any of the online lessons with your student please know that they will complement any of our in class lessons.
My child is in a sacrament preparation grade (1, 2, 8, 9 or 10) can we do At-Home lessons?
We encourage in-person participation for our Sacrament and Confirmation preparation programs. If you have a particular circumstance that makes that challenging for your child please contact Linda at Linda.Messore@sjspwellesley.org to talk about options.
What is the Christmas Pageant?
We recreate the Christmas story with our first graders at the Family Mass on the Sunday before Christmas (unless it is during vacation and/or very close or on Christmas/Christmas Eve – in which case it will be the week before that). Rehearsal is held the Saturday afternoon before the Mass. Information about participating is included in the monthly newsletters and students are chosen to participate by a lottery. A few weeks prior parents are emailed with participation information for their student. All students in our Religious Education program, regardless of whether they attend class in-person or do lessons at home, can participate. All costumes are provided. Students sit in reserved rows at the front of the church and adult volunteers help facilitate the story during the Gospel.
Can I pick up my child early from class?
We have a limited number of classes and encourage students to participate for the full lesson to get the best understanding of the lesson and help keep the class focused with limited disruptions. If there is an instance where students need to be dismissed early we ask that a parent or guardian send a note for the teacher in with the student and subsequently retrieve the student from the classroom to be dismissed. We do not have enough staff to manage early dismissals and the parking lot is busy, so we feel it is important for students to be supervised as they leave for safety purposes.
Where are classes held?
GRADE 1-5 PROGRAM: Due to space constraints we cannot hold the number of classes needed on the St. Paul campus so all classes are held in the St. John Parish Center at 39 Washington Street. The building shares the parking lot with St. John school and is the building closest to the street.
PRE-CONFIRMATION PROGRAM: This program is run with large and small group activities and not in classrooms so we utilize St. John Powers Hall, on the basement level of St. John’s church for Wednesday afternoon sessions and St. Paul Hall, off of the Atwood Road parking lot in back of St. Paul church for Sunday morning sessions.
GRADE 8 & 9 CONFIRMATION PROGRAM: This program is run with large and small group activities and not in classrooms so we utilize St. John Powers Hall, on the basement level of St. John’s church and St. Paul Hall, off of the Atwood Road parking lot in back of St. Paul church.
CONFIRMATION 2/GRADE 10 PROGRAM: All classes are held in the St. John Parish Center at 39 Washington Street. The building shares the parking lot with St. John school and is the building closest to the street. The Pizza & Prayer component of the evening is held in the Regan Room.
What day/time is class?
GRADE 1-5 PROGRAM: Sunday program: 10:15-11:15 am; Wednesday program: 3:30 – 4:30 pm
PRE-CONFIRMATION PROGRAM: Wednesday afternoons 3:30-4:30 pm & Sunday mornings 10:15-11:15 am
CONFIRMATION PROGRAMS: Sunday evenings 6:00 – 7:30 pm
Please see the calendar for specific class dates.