Parish Staff and Visiting Priests

Father George P. Evans, Pastor

After graduating from Boston College and St. John's Seminary, Fr. Evans was ordained on May 21, 1977 in Boston. He celebrated his first Mass in St. Catherine of Genoa Church, Somerville. He has been assigned as parochial vicar of St. James the Great Parish, Wellesley/Natick, from 1977 to 1981, as a graduate student in the Department of Theology of The Catholic University of America from 1981 to 1985, and as a member of the faculty of St. John's Seminary, Brighton, from 1985 to 2003. He holds the Doctorate in Sacred Theology from The Catholic University. He is an experienced spiritual director of seminarians and a teacher of courses in the Catholic spiritual tradition, theology, ordained and lay ministry, and local Catholic history. He has led retreats for priests, deacons, sisters, laity and parishes. Father Evans began as pastor at St. Julia Parish in September, 2003. He is supported in the celebration of seven Masses at our two churches each weekend by a group of dedicated visiting priests.

Fr. Kuriakose Vadana, Parochial Vicar

Fr. Vadana, a native of Kerala, India, has been appointed as part-time parochial vicar at our parish. He recently came here from Chicago where he provided pastoral care to the Indians of the Syro-Malabar Rite. Many of these Indians live in the Boston area and worship in the Fernald School chapel in Waltham. Fr. Vadana will be celebrating Sunday Mass there, as well as providing religious education. He will also be assisting Fr. Evans during weekday and weekend Masses at St. Julia and St. Joseph churches.

Susan Bayard, Pastoral Associate

Susan holds a Master of Arts degree in Pastoral Ministry and a Post-Masters Certificate in the Practice of Spirituality from Boston College. She began as Pastoral Associate here in 1995, and serves the St. Julia community by helping nurture and support the parish's developing faith life through our many organizations, programs and outreach opportunities. A former high school teacher and mother of four children, Susan resides in Wayland.

Sister Marie LaBollita, S.C., Director of Religious Education

Sister Marie is a Dorchester native and a longstanding member of the Sisters of Charity of Halifax, Nova Scotia. After studying at Mt. St. Vincent University in Halifax, she began elementary-school teaching in Catholic schools, including nearby St. Joseph, Needham; St. Michael, North Andover; and St. Patrick, Lawrence. Moving into parish ministry, Sister served as religious education director for St. Mary, Charlestown and St. Theresa, Methuen. She ministered at St. Bridget, Lexington for 12 years, first as DRE and then as pastoral associate, a role she went on to exercise for 13 years at Our Lady, Help of Christians, Newton. Sister Marie holds a master's degree in pastoral ministry from Emmanuel College. She was available to come to St. Julia Parish after a refreshing year of sabbatical study, mostly at Boston College. Sister Marie lives in Newton, in local community with Sister Frances Ryan, S.C., with whom she long worked in pastoral ministry.

Cathy Capizzi, Religious Education Assistant

Cathy has been involved in religious education for over twenty years, as a volunteer teacher and, for ten years until 2004, as part-time Administrator of Religious Education for St. Joseph Parish. Since then she has served as part-time Religious Education Assistant for St. Julia Parish, helping in many aspects of the program. In addition, she is the mother of four children and resides in Concord with her husband Michael.

Irene Mazzocchi, Religious Education Secretary

Irene joined our staff in January, 2003. She provides administrative support to the CRE Office part-time. Irene lives with her husband in Waltham and is an active member of St. Mary's Parish. She has been involved in Religious Education for many years as a teacher and has served as a Lector.

Jean Pelletier, Coordinator of Youth Ministry and Liturgy

Jean has been the Coordinator of Youth Ministry since 2004, and is now the Coordinator of Liturgy for St. Julia Parish. She is also the parish contact for those who may be considering or those who would like to become fully initiated into the Catholic Church through the RCIA process for St. Julia Parish. Jean is originally from Maine where she earned her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education from the University of Maine in Farmington, and has been working with children of all ages since then. In May of 2005, Jean earned a Master of Arts in Ministry degree from St. John's Seminary School of Theology in Brighton, and resides in Woburn.

Sylvia Kennedy, Parish Wedding Cordinator and St. Joseph Church Sacristan

Email Sylvia.

Brian Moll, Music Director

Brian joined St. Julia Parish in the fall of 1993. A magna cum laude graduate of Hamilton College, he also has a Master of Music Degree from the University of Michigan School of Music, as well as performance diplomas in piano and organ from the Academy of Music in Vienna, Austria. While in Austria he taught as a Fulbright teaching assistant. Before coming to St. Julia Parish he spent a year of post-graduate study at the University of Notre Dame, where he also taught undergraduate piano. He has given recitals as a soloist and accompanist throughout Europe and Japan, as well as in many cities in the U.S. Brian is currently Music Director of the Opera Studio at the Boston Conservatory as well as Chair of the Collaborative Piano Department at Longy School of Music in Cambridge.

Mary Lou Sallee, Organist and Choir Director for St. Joseph Church

Mary Lou, currently organist and choir director at St. Joseph Church, has served as organist at Sacred Heart in Lexington and was organist and music director at St. Cecilia in Ashland and St. Mary in Lynn. She has a B.A. in English from Boston College and an MAT from Simmons College. She was head of the English Department at Newton Country Day School for ten years and currently teaches in the English Department at Weston High School.

Sister Mary Anne Doyle, C.S.J., Business Manager

Sister Mary Anne belongs to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston. She grew up in Medford and attended Mount St. Joseph Academy and Regis College. She initially served as a teacher in St. Theresa School, West Roxbury, and of high school mathematics at Mount St. Joseph Academy. After receiving her doctorate in Physics from Ohio State University, she began teaching at Regis College and directed the research center there. She subsequently was elected by her community to its leadership council. Sister was also part of the team that planned and oversaw the Archdiocesan Synod, and she has served in the planning offices of the Archdiocese of Boston and of the Catholic School Office. She recently was awarded the certificate in accounting from Bentley College. She lives at Casserly House in Roslindale, where the Sisters of St. Joseph provide tutorial and community service to newly-immigrated area residents in a cheerful, neighborhood setting. Sister also teaches college physics part-time.

Kathy Dolan, Administrative Assistant

Kathy helps keep the busy parish with two worship sites organized and on schedule. She is often the important first contact for St. Julia visitors, parishioners and friends.

Greg Smith, Facilities Custodian/Weston

Greg, a Natick High graduate and a member of St. Linus Parish in Natick, lives in his home town with his wife and sons. He has worked in restaurant management and in supervisory capacities in painting and cleaning services for many years, including many years of service in both Catholic and Jewish houses of worship.

Christopher Connell, Resident Assistant, St. Joseph House

Visiting Priests

We are blessed to be served by other Priests from the Diocese at our two churches. Their faith and leadership in prayer builds up the Body of Christ.

Fr. Joseph Casey, S.J., also a Jesuit who resides at Campion Center, has helped at St. Julia Church for over 50 years. Father Casey taught ethics in the Boston College Philosophy Department from 1956 to 2005. Ordained in 1949, he is a Lynn native. Father is also a published author, and his latest book is Life, Love and Sex: A Search for Answers to Today's Moral Issues.

Father Lawrence Drennan is a Senior Priest of the Archdiocese of Boston, ordained in 1961. He has served as Parochial Vicar and Pastor in many parishes, including St. Joseph Parish, Lincoln. To may of our parishioners from Lincoln, Fr. Drennan needs no introduction. His dedication to the parish and his planning for the St. Joseph Church renovation are well remembered.

Fr. Michael Ford, S.J., a Jesuit who grew up in Framingham, is currently assigned to minister to fellow Jesuits in their Boston College community. He recently finished two decades of service as a campus minister at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester. Father Ford has been a priest since 1975 and is an artist by talent and training.

Fr. Gregory Hoppough, C.S., provincial superior of the Stigmatine Fathers and Brothers, is a professor of liturgy and a formation advisor to seminarians at Blessed John XXIII Seminary in Weston. A Pepperell native and a priest since 1974, he has been a pastor at Sacred Heart in Waltham and in Northern Virginia.

Fr. Christopher O'Connor, a Boston priest ordained in 1998, is a native of Dorchester and recently completed graduate studies in Philosophy at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He serves at St. John's Seminary in Brighton. Fr. O'Connor has also served at St. Mary in Chelmsford.

Father Paul Rouse will be helping us on some of this summer's weekends. Ordained in 1967, Father Rouse is a South Boston native, and now a Senior Priest of the Archdiocese of Boston. He has served as Parochial Vicar and Pastor in many parishes. Father Rouse completed graduate studies in liturgy at Notre Dame University and has served as Director of Music at St. John's Seminary, Director of the Office for Worship of the Archdiocese and Director of Liturgy for the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan.

Fr. George Vartzelis, a senior Boston priest, was ordained in 1953. He has been pastor of St. James the Great in Wellesley, most recently, and of parishes in Nahant, Roslindale and Cambridge. Father Vartzelis currently lives at Youville House in Cambridge.