Sunday, February 2: The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Sunday, February 2: The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

This year the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (February 2) falls on the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, superseding the readings for the Fourth Sunday and offering us the opportunity to take part in special rituals associated with the Presentation.

Popularly known as “Candlemas,” the Feast of the Presentation celebrates the fortieth day after Christmas and is traditionally marked by the solemn blessing of and procession with candles. To mark this feast, a special blessing of the candles will take place at the beginning of every Mass next weekend, February 1-2…

Sunday, January 26: Family Service Activity for “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” at Coffee & Donuts

Sunday, January 26: Family Service Activity for “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” at Coffee & Donuts

Please join the Religious Ed team for our Family Service Activity on Sunday, January 26 at 10:00am at St. Paul Hall during/after Coffee & Donuts. 

We will be putting together toiletry bags for clients at Bridge Over Troubled Waters an organization that provides effective and innovative services to runaway, homeless, and high-risk youth, helps youth avoid a lifetime of dependency on social services, guides youth towards self-sufficiency, and enables youth to transform their lives and build fulfilling, meaningful futures.

All are welcome – please join us!

Come Sing in the Collaborative Children’s Choir on Christmas Eve!

Come Sing in the Collaborative  Children’s Choir on Christmas Eve!

Children in grades 3-7 are invited to join the Collaborative Children’s Choir to sing at the 4:00pm Mass at St. Paul Church on Christmas Eve.  We will be holding a special rehearsal on Saturday, December 21 at 9:30am at St. Paul Church.

But why wait – start singing at the Family Mass now!

The Collaborative Children’s Choir sings the 9:00am Family Mass weekly…

Sunday, December 8 at 6:00pm: Family Movie Night at St. Paul!

Sunday, December 8 at 6:00pm: Family Movie Night at St. Paul!

We invite you and your family to celebrate the Christmas season with us as we enjoy popcorn and hot chocolate and watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at St. Paul Parish Hall! 

We will have a brief faith-filled discussion about some underlying themes and conclude the evening with a family service project, helping to sort the Giving Tree gifts.

We hope your family can join us!

A Message from Fr. Jim: New Seasons and New Beginnings – Thanking Maria Wardwell

A Message from Fr. Jim: New Seasons and New Beginnings – Thanking Maria Wardwell

No matter how long we’ve been out of school, the beginning of September always feels like the start of something new, and this year is no exception. I am particularly excited this year about the launch of the choral season at the Collaborative, under the direction of William Endicott, our new Director of Music. Over the summer, William announced the debut of a new Collaborative Children’s Choir, open to children in grades 3-7 (with some flexibility, just ask!) The choir will be singing the 9:00am Family Mass each week during the school year, as well as Family Masses on Christmas Eve and Easter Sunday… 

At this time, it is important to acknowledge and thank Maria Wardwell, who has served for more than 20 years as the Director of Christmas & Easter Youth Choirs for St. John the Evangelist Parish, and in recent years for the Collaborative. Beginning as the cantor for the St. John Family Mass more than 20 years ago, she continued in that role after we moved to our Collaborative Family Mass program…

Our Collaborative Outdoor Mass

Our Collaborative Outdoor Mass

Please join us on Sunday, September 22 at 10:30am on the St. Paul Lawn for our annual Collaborative Outdoor Mass and fellowship event! 

NEW THIS YEAR!  Our SJSP Society of  St. Vincent de Paul chapter is sponsoring a cookout after Mass, providing hotdogs, hamburgers, and veggie burgers for all!  Please plan to bring a side dish/salad to share if you are able!

So that as many members of our community as possible can join together for this special liturgy and fellowship event, there will be a reduced Mass schedule at the parishes on the weekend of September 21-22…

Our New Collaborative Children’s Choir

Our New Collaborative Children’s Choir

We are delighted to begin our choral season at the Collaborative, and we are especially thrilled about the debut of the Collaborative Children’s Choir. The Children’s Choir will sing the 9:00am Family Mass weekly during the school year. Its repertoire will be broad and will aim to introduce the singers (and congregation) to music from different parts of the Church’s history up to and including the music of today.

The Children’s Choir is open to grades 3-7 (with some flexibility, just ask!) and meets at 8:15am before the 9:00am Sunday Mass. There are no prerequisites, just an enthusiastic attitude and the desire to sing beautifully.

The goals of this choir are to give the children an opportunity to participate more fully in the liturgy…

Come Sing in the Choir!

Come Sing in the Choir!

We are overjoyed to welcome back choristers from the summer break to the choirs in the Collaborative.

If you are interested in singing, no matter your level of experience or skill, we would love to have you in our ranks.

All choirs will be back in action on the weekend of September 7-8.

There are many opportunities to sing each week:

Saturday 5:00pm Vigil Mass at St. John – Sung by the St. John Parish Choir
Sunday 9:00am Family Mass (Rotating) – Sung by the NEW SJSP Children’s Choir
Sunday 11:00am Mass at St. Paul – Sung by the St. Paul Parish Choir
Sunday 5:00pm Youth Mass (Rotating) – Sung by the Sunday 5pm Youth Music Group