About Our CPC Members

Alessandra Baffa

Julie Byrne

Julie is from Ireland and lived in the UK and South Africa before moving with her family to the U.S. They have lived in Wellesley for the past 5 years and are members of St. Paul Parish. Her husband Andrew is from the UK and they met in Lourdes, France while volunteering with the HCPT (“Hosanna House and Children’s Pilgrimage Trust”, a charity with its roots in the Catholic faith offering pilgrimage holidays to Lourdes for disabled and disadvantaged people.) They have 3 children: Emma (8), Oliver (6), and Grace (3). She was a renal nurse for many years before deciding to stay home with her small children, and is excited to be a part of the Collaborative Pastoral Council!

Dorene Christie

Dorene and her husband, Peter, are members of St. John the Evangelist Parish. She serves as a lector and Eucharistic minister. She lives in Needham and has 2 sons and 5 grandchildren.

Katie Hamel

My name is Katie Hamel. I grew up and lived in Chicago until I married Paul (who along with his 11 siblings attended St. Paul’s School.) I was a first grade teacher and Reading Specialist at a Catholic grammar school in Chicago, and then spent 5 years as a youth minister at Marist High School running retreats and service projects .  We now have 4 children (Ali 13, Libby 11, Tommy 10, and Leah 7) who attend St. Benedict’s Classical Academy and my oldest daughter attends Montrose. I currently work part time at Ben Hem Elementary School in Natick and spend most of my time managing the troops! 

Eugenia Kennedy

Pete Leone

Pete Leone moved to Wellesley and joined St. Paul Parish in 1989. Over than time, he and his wife Denise D’Aunno have served as Eucharistic Ministers (Pete still active), Baptism lay coordinators, St. Paul Fall BBQ cook, and are godparents to nine children of family and friends. Pete and Denise’s two children are in their 20s, both baptized and confirmed at St. Paul, with the youngest attending World Youth Day in Brazil in 2013. Today, Pete and Denise regularly attend both churches in our Collaborative as they juggle family and other activities.

When Fr. Jim came to our collaborative and introduced us to Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos (NPH), Pete became active in supporting the organization, sponsoring two children, visiting the Honduras home, and serving on the USA Northeast regional Board. Professionally, Pete was a life sciences entrepreneur (now mostly retired), with over thirty years in biotechnology companies as a founder or executive. He is also on the Board of not-for-profit Third Monday Foundation, which provided micro-funding for small healthcare, education, and service organizations in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America. Pete holds an A.B. in engineering science with pre-med studies and an MBA.

Michael Mastrianni

Michael Mastrianni and his wife Stephanie have been active members of St Paul Parish for over 30 years. He has been involved in various Parish ministries, including Baptism Preparation team, Substitute CCD teacher, Eucharistic Minister, member of the Disciples in Mission committee, and Founding President of our Collaborative Society of Saint Vincent de Paul. He is the proud father of two sons, Luke and James. Michael was born and raised in Albany, New York along with his eight sisters and brothers. Michael is a graduate of Boston College (he has the BC 1979 license plate on his car!) He has an active member of the town of Wellesley, serving as a longtime town meeting member and serving on the Town Advisory Committee.

Russ Morton

Russ has been a member of St. John the Evangelist Parish since 2017.  Russ grew up in San Antonio, Texas and met his wife, Laurel, while they both attended the University of Notre Dame. After 5 years of service in the US Navy in the Nuclear Propulsion Program in Washington DC, he moved to Boston in 2010 and has held various management jobs in the startup/tech sector since.  He has 2 daughters (Sybil, Sadie Jo) and one son (Mack) who are enrolled at Saint John School.

Karen Ritland

Odessa Sanchez

Odessa is a 13-year resident of Wellesley and joined St. John the Evangelist Parish in 2016, completing the R.C.I.A. program in 2017. She and her husband Oscar have 7 children, and the St. John-St. Paul community has become an integral part of their family. She serves the Collaborative as a Eucharistic Minister, and is active in the community in several roles including the Wellesley Housing Authority Board, D.E.I. Taskforce Member, Wellesley Climate Action Plan Committee,  founder of the Wellesley Community Fridge Project, and founder and director of Wellesley Cheer Coalition. She has lead the Wellesley High School Varsity Cheer Team as Head Coach for 6 years, and in 2020 she joined the faculty of Saint John School as a Movement Teacher and Head Cheer Coach. She enjoys volunteering and participating in Collaborative and community book clubs, discussions and prayer groups.

Mark Vitello

Mark has been a member of St. Paul’s since moving to Wellesley in 2008 after graduating from Virginia Tech. Mark has volunteered in multiple roles in the parish over the years including as a Eucharistic minister, usher, trumpet player with the youth choir, youth minister, confirmation teacher, and chaperone on three World Youth Day trips (Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, and Krakow). Mark also went on the parish trip to the Holy Land in 2014. Mark and his wife Lindsay have one daughter.

Matt Whelton

Fr. Jim Laughlin, Pastor

Kelly Meraw, Director of Pastoral Care

Sister Colleen Gibson SSJ, Coordinator of Pastoral Care

Deacon Rick Vatcher