Religious Education – St. John – St. Paul Catholic Collaborative

April 27: Celebrate the “Jubilee of Teenagers” with the Natick Catholic Collaborative

DID YOU KNOW THE WEEKEND OF APRIL 25-27 IS THE GLOBAL JUBILEE OF TEENAGERS? Let’s join our brothers and sisters at the Natick Catholic Collaborative on Sunday, April 27 for a special half mile Eucharistic Procession around the Natick Common to celebrate the amazing teens who help make our local Catholic community so strong and vibrant. The procession will follow the 11:00am Mass at St. Patrick Church (gather in front of the church at 11:45am.) All teens, families, and parishioners are invited to join the Procession! Rain or shine! Click here to sign up to walk with Jesus!

Questions? Please contact Dawn Sullivan of the Natick Catholic Collaborative: dsullivan@natickcatholic.org

Registration for Religious Education for 2025-2026

Registration for our 2025-2026 academic year is now underway. The registration process will take place in person via short meetings with parents/guardians and the Religious Education staff. Families will sign up for a 15-20 minute session to discuss their child(ren)’s program and any considerations to support their faith journey. Sacrament preparation families will be prioritized to early Spring sessions.

For more information about next year’s program and to sign up to register please visit…

Family Bingo Night! Thursday, February 27 at 6:00pm at St. Paul Parish Hall

Fun for all ages! (Children must be accompanied by an adult.) We will have prizes for all different age groups, including adults! Snacks will be provided, however, voluntary donations are encouraged and all proceeds will be donated to Boston Children’s Hospital.

This event is being hosted by our Collaborative Religious Education students who are preparing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation this spring. In the Sacrament of Confirmation, the baptized person is “sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit” and is strengthened for service to the Body of Christ. Participating in Christian service during their preparation helps to foster an understanding of the centrality of service in the Christian life…

A Fun-Filled Evening at the Annual Father-Daughter Dance

This year’s annual Father-Daughter Dance was held on Friday, February in a beautifully decorated St. Paul Parish Hall with a packed-house of dads, daughters, and special friends. The DJ kept the party going with great music and fun games and prizes, and great time was had by all!

This annual event is organized and run by dads – a big thank you to Russ Morton and friends for making this year’s event a huge success!

Our Saint John School Confirmation Cohort: Integrating the Corporal Works of Mercy into Christian Service

Last Sunday night, the Saint John School Confirmation Cohort (a group of SJS graduates preparing together to receive the sacrament of Confirmation this spring) was joined by Brother Anthony Zuba OFM and Amanda Grant Rose of the Capuchin Mobile Ministries. Brother Anthony shared his own call to vocation in the Franciscan order and its solidarity with those who are most vulnerable in our communities.

As our SJS Grads continue to learn about the fullness of their reception as Catholic Christians into the Church, the group is discovering ways to integrate The Corporal Works of Mercy into their Christian service. Assisted by the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, the students imagined ways in which they might live out Catholic Social Teaching…

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!

Tuesday, November 5: Family Trivia Night with the Religious Ed Team!

Please join us for a fun night of trivia games for all ages! We will have refreshments to enjoy while you answer questions in a fun, friendly, competition. And of course there will be prizes!

The more the merrier so please feel free to invite any and all family, friends, and neighbors to this family-friendly event.

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

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…

Religious Education News

All registered families have been sent an email with program information for the upcoming year. This email has detailed information about each program, a link to the calendar and a link to the corresponding Parent Guide. If you have not received the email please check your spam folder and if it is not there please contact Linda.Messore@sjspwellesley.org to resolve any communication issues.

Please note that we are still looking for teachers to help out with our Wednesday afternoon classes. There are only 9 sessions and they will meet from 3:30 -4:30 pm on Wednesday. Please consider sharing your faith with the young people in our program, it is a very rewarding experience…

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