Registration for 2025-2026 has now started. Please click this link to learn more and begin the process: CHILDREN’S FAITH FORMATION REGISTRATION
OVERVIEW
The St. John-St. Paul Collaborative offers Religious Education programs for children that foster ongoing faith formation, spiritual encouragement, and development of the understanding and practice of being Catholic in the world today. Children actively participate in prayer, worship, and service to others while continuing to develop their own personal relationship with God.
Our Grade 1 and Grade 2 programs help children understand who Jesus is and what we believe about Him, and how the liturgy and sacraments help us to grow in our relationship with Jesus. These programs help to prepare our young children to receive the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Eucharist, usually in the spring of the Grade 2 year. Our Grades 3-5 programs build on and expand from this foundation.
In Grades 6 and 7, students are called to deepen their understanding of and relationship with the Holy Spirit and draw closer to Jesus as they approach the reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation in Grade 8.
THE CELEBRATION OF THE EUCHARIST
The Eucharist – the Sacrifice of the Mass – is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” The liturgy is the high point of our lives as Catholic Christians and is the source from which we find strength to live as Christ’s people. From this celebration of the Eucharist we are sent in mission, ready to glorify God by our lives.
As such, all faith formation centers around the full, active participation of our children and families in the celebration of the Mass.
Our Sunday 9:00am Family Mass is a family-focused liturgy, with opportunities for children of all ages to serve as greeters, ushers, and gift bearers, and for older children to serve as lectors and altar servers. This Mass is the centerpiece of our programs for our younger students.
Our Sunday 5pm Youth Mass is a deliberately youth-centered liturgy, with our young people central to and actively involved in all aspects of the Mass. From the music, to the homilies, to the Spirit-filled sense of vibrancy and joy, we are prayerfully approaching a liturgy that touches the hearts and minds of our young people and all who come to celebrate the Mass together. This Mass is the centerpiece of our Confirmation Preparation and High School Youth Ministry programs.
As always, parents are the primary educators of their children, and our Religious Education programs serve to support and enhance their important mission.
CALENDAR
The program runs from late September through early May, and the calendar for the upcoming school year is emailed to all registered families (and posted here) in August each year.
2025-2026 REGISTRATION AND FEE INFORMATION
The registration process for 2025-2026 is now open. Please click this link to learn more and begin the process: CHILDREN’S FAITH FORMATION REGISTRATION
Regular Fees:
- $100 per Student
- $100 per Family Cluster
Additional Fees:
- First Communion Fee (usually Grade 2): $75 per student
- Confirmation Preparation Fee: $100 per student
- Late Fee: $25 per student will be assessed after June 10
Family Max:
- There is a Family Max of $300 per family (does not include Sacrament or Late Fees.)
CONTACT INFORMATION
Linda Messore
Religious Education & Youth Ministry Director
linda.messore@sjspwellesley.org
Christina Messore
Religious Education Staff
christina.messore@sjspwellesley.org