Part of a weekly series of posts profiling places of worship in Wellesley

St Paul Church, the spiritual home to over 1500 Catholic parishioners, is one of two Catholic Churches in Wellesley. St. Paul began in 1906 as a spin-off of St. John the Evangelist Parish in Wellesley Hills, but quickly outgrew its secondary status. The Church, which stands at 502 Washington St. opposite Wellesley Town hall, was constructed in 1915.

The parish shares a head pastor with St. John’s in Reverend James Laughlin, who assumed leadership in 2015 after the decision to form a St. John – St. Paul Collaborative. The two churches have separate services, but share an overarching leadership vision. Laughlin was appointed to the collaborative in part because of his experiences overseeing a church merger in his previous pastoral residency.

St Paul’s Summer Services (starting July 1):

Sunday Mass at 7:30am and 11am
Saturday Vigil Mass, 4pm (confessions heard 3:30 – 4pm or by appointment)
Daily Mass: Monday – Saturday, 9am

There had been some question of whether the Wellesley High Class of 2018 would get to toss their caps into the sky or up against the ceiling due to uncertain weather this afternoon, but the call has been made to brave the great outdoors. The ceremony kicks off at 5pm.

The rules, per WHS:

Where do I park?

You may drop off family members who require assistance at the front entrance on 50 Rice Street.  There will be satelite parking at the Middle School lot on Donizetti Street – shuttle buses will be looping every 15 minutes beginning at 3:30 til 4:30 and when the ceremony ends to take you back to your vehicle.

Commencement on Hunnewell Field – 50 Rice Street

Flat and wedge heel shoes only (parents, faculty and graduates) – sharp and pointed heels on shoes will puncture the track and turf.  No exceptions, we thank you for your cooperation.

No seat saving – The field opens at 4:00 p.m. There is no seat saving (blankets, saver markers) on the bleachers, please be considerate to fellow classmates’ family members.

Drop off for family members who require assistance –  there will be a police officer at the State Street Service Road who will direct you up the road where you can drop off family members.  There is no parking in this area.

 

National steakhouse chain Smith & Wollensky opened its doors in Wellesley with an official rib-eye cutting ceremony and a veritable groaning board of steak, seafood, cheese, rolls and more set out for a hungry press corps. The 225-seat restaurant had a soft opening starting last weekend and senior Vice President of Marketing Kim Giguere-Lapine said, “Friday and Saturday were packed, Sunday was just about the same, and Monday was very good considering it was a Monday.” They’re fully ready for all comers now, so when you’ve got those classic steakhouse cravings, you know where to go…

Photo credits to Duncan Brown, except where noted.

The hospitality and warm welcome on press night were spot on, the place abuzz with marketing types and their special brand of happy energy, and everything looked and smelled delicious. “So,” you ask, “How was the food?” Tragically, I had to get to yet another event and couldn’t stick around until the buffet was ready for us media chowhounds. S & W gave everybody a nice swag bag with a $20 gift card included, so maybe I’ll stop in for a roll or something sometime. All I can say for sure is the place is looking good and it’s nice to see a once-empty storefront bustling with activity.

Welcome to Wellesley, Smith & Wollensky.

This from a Wellesley Police Department alert: “The Wellesley Annual parade and fireworks have been cancelled due to the weather forecast.”

Reschedule date is Sunday, June 3.