Pray outside in Wellesley with St. John and St. Paul Catholic churches
Wellesley Village Church participates in its fourth Feeding Frenzy
It was Feeding Frenzy Sunday at Wellesley Village Church, and for the fourth year running parishioners lined up assembly-style to scoop and measure macaroni and cheese and beans and rice ingredients, weigh them, and vacuum seal the healthy meals up, ready to be transported to food pantries across the region.
Take me to temple in Wellesley — Temple Beth Elohim
Part of a weekly series of posts profiling places of worship in Wellesley
Wellesley’s Jewish community does not have many local houses of worship compared to the plethora of churches in town, but Temple Beth Elohim has stepped up to the challenge of serving not just the Wellesley community, but much of the surrounding area as well.
The temple began as a Jewish community organization in 1949, however the group did not establish its own building for a temple until 1961. The current temple was built in 2010 in light of a steady increase in membership, and can be found at 10 Bethel Rd. near Schofield Elementary School.
Since 2000, Temple Beth Elohim has been headed by Senior Rabbi Joel Sisenwine. He has been widely recognized as a leader in the larger Jewish community, having served on several statewide and national councils.
Temple Beth Elohim is affiliated with the Union of Reform Judaism, a popular branch Judaism which boasts over 800,000 members.
Summer Services:
Shabbat Services:
Fridays 6:00pm
Saturdays 10:30am & 5:00pm
Candlelight vigil in Wellesley draws large crowd
Religious and community groups in Wellesley took place in an organized a candlelight vigil over the weekend in front of Wellesley Village Church at 2 Central St. The vigil, attended by about 100, was in support of keeping families together in light of the recent events on the United States – Mexican border in which over 2,000 children were separated from their families as they tried tor cross the border from Mexico to the US.
In Boston protesters gathered at City Hall plaza and marched, over 15,000 strong according to organizers, through the streets to Boston Common. They held signs and shouted their message of zero tolerance for President Trump’s zero tolerance immigration policies that allow families to be separated at the United States/Mexico border. Under the administration’s policies, due process for those detained at the border is not ensured.
Hundreds of similar events were held in other cities throughout the US.
Take me to church in Wellesley — St. John the Evangelist Church
Part of a weekly series of posts profiling places of worship in Wellesley
St John is one of two Catholic outposts in Wellesley (along with St. Paul) and is located at 9 Glen Rd., just off Washington Street. St John Church holds the distinction of being the oldest religious building in Wellesley, having been established in 1881 as an offshoot of St. Mary’s in Newton — it assumed its independence and current name nine years later.
The pastor at St. John is Reverend James Laughlin, who works as a a part of the St. John – St. Paul Collaborative to oversee services at both churches. Laughlin took over in 2016, having previously worked as pastor at Good Shepherd Parish in Wayland. Laughlin was reassigned by the Archbishop of Boston in hopes his experience overseeing the merger of St. Ann’s and St. Zepherin’s parishes into Good Shepherd Parish in 2011 would be relevant in establishing the new collaborative between St. John’s and St. Paul’s.
St. John is known in town for its K – 6 school, which provides a private Catholic education to 185 students from around the Greater Boston area.
St. John Summer Services, starting July 1:
Saturday Vigil: 5pm (confessions heard 3pm – 345pm or by appointment)
Sunday Masses: 7:30am & 9am
Daily Mass: Monday – Saturday, 7am