Inspired by the Spirit-filled sense of vibrancy and joy at the Sunday 5pm Youth Mass and the way it has reinvigorated our Confirmation and Youth Ministry programs, we have established a Collaborative Sunday 9am Family Mass.
This family-centered liturgy serves as the centerpiece of our Religious Education program for children in Grades 1-7, with the children central to and actively involved in all aspects of the Mass.
The Family Mass rotates between St. John the Evangelist Church and St. Paul Church on the same schedule as the Sunday 5pm Youth Mass from early-September through mid-May:
- On the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of the month the Mass is at St. John the Evangelist Church.
- On the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month the Mass is at St. Paul Church.
The Sunday 9:00am Family Mass is a wonderful way for families young and old to participate in prayer and worship together.
The Family Mass Program features:
- Our Collaborative Children’s Choir
- Homilies meaningful to both children and adults.
- Opportunities for children of all ages to serve as greeters, ushers, and gift bearers.
- Older children are encouraged to be trained as lectors and altar servers.
- Designated liturgies that support the faith development of the students in our Religious Education Program and our Saint John School students.
- Coffee & Donuts after Mass (in Powers Hall at St. John and in the Parish Hall at St. Paul)
About Our Collaborative Children’s Choir
Our Children’s Choir sings the Sunday 9:00am Family Mass weekly during the school year, as well as Family Masses on Christmas Eve and Easter Sunday.
The Children’s Choir specializes in singing approachable and appropriate music for their age level as well as learning about reading music, and healthy vocal production and singing in a fun and exciting environment. 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!)
- We meet Sunday mornings at 8:30am to rehearse before the Family 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, to enhance its beauty, to help lead the congregation in sung corporate prayer, and to sing and pray well; giving glory to God through music. Outside of these liturgical and ecclesiastical goals, it is also an opportunity for children to learn the skills involved in singing in a choir. These skills include the obvious that you might expect such as music literacy, healthy vocal production, and a better understanding of what sacred music is and why we sing it.
There are also other important things to learn by being in a choir, and these go beyond just the Children’s Choir to every choral ensemble, no matter the age. Singing in a choir is an opportunity to be a part of a team working toward a common goal, an opportunity to listen and follow instructions, to socialize and meet peers and neighbors, and to relieve stress and build confidence. This is not even to mention physiological benefits! Singing improves breathing and can be a total body anaerobic exercise, and it can even strengthen the immune system.
The disadvantages? I have found none yet. To continue to observe the effects (both positive and negative, if the negative exists) we will need larger sample sizes, so tell your friends, neighbors, siblings, parents, children, classmates, colleagues, and strangers on the street to JOIN A CHOIR!
William Endicott, AAGO, Director of Music
To learn more, ask questions, or express interest for your child, please contact William Endicott at william.endicott@sjspwellesley.org or speak to him after Mass.