Our Sunday 9:00am Family Mass is a family-focused liturgy that serves as the centerpiece of our Children’s Faith Formation program for kids in Kindergarten through Grade 5 and their families, and is a wonderful way for families young and old to participate in prayer and worship together!
The children are active participants in the Mass, with kids of all ages serving as greeters, ushers, and gift bearers, and older children (those who have received their First Communion) serving at the altar. Our Children’s Choir supports the music of the Mass, and our homilists break open the Gospel in ways that are meaningful for both children and adults.
And after Mass, the community gathers together (in Powers Hall at St. John and in the Parish Hall at St. Paul) for Coffee and Donuts!
The Sunday 9am 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.
St. John-St. Paul Collaborative Children’s Choir
Our Children’s Choir, open to kids in Grades 3-7 (with some flexibility, just ask!), is led by our Music Director, William Endicott. The choir sings the Sunday 9:00am Family Mass weekly during the school year, as well as Family Masses on Christmas Eve and Easter Sunday.
In keeping with our focus on Family Faith Formation, we want our choristers to be able to sit with their families during the Mass – to ask questions, learn responses, watch how you make the sign of the cross, and build lasting memories as a family that worships together. Our goal is to learn a few songs really well that the choir will sing alone, rather than trying to learn every bit of the Mass music.
- We’ll meet at 8:30am by the piano every Sunday to warm up and go over our special anthem for the day.
- Before Mass begins the children will go back to the pews to sit with their families during Mass.
- The Children’s Choir will be invited up to the choir area to sing during the preparation of the gifts.
- The children will go back to sit with their families for the remainder of the Mass! But know that singing from the pews is highly encouraged! In fact, I hope that parents and siblings always participate fully and enthusiastically to be examples to all of our young singers!
- There are no prerequisites, just an enthusiastic attitude and the desire to sing beautifully.
Singing in a choir gives the children an opportunity to participate more fully in the liturgy, to enhance its beauty, and to sing and pray well, giving glory to God through music. It is also an opportunity for children to learn the skills involved in singing in a choir, including music literacy, healthy vocal production, and a better understanding of what sacred music is and why we sing it.
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.