entering natick sign

entering natick sign
Wellesley Dental Studio

Natick Report

More than you really want to know about Natick, Mass.

  • Subscribe to daily email
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Eat
  • Schools
  • Summer Camp
  • Embracing diversity
  • Charities/Community
  • Arts
  • Kids
  • Business Buzz
  • Environment/Sustainability
  • Top 10 things to do (under normal circumstances)
  • The Swellesley Report
  • COVID-19
Needham Bank, Natick

Christmas worship services, Natick churches

December 23, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Natick has many houses of worship that observe Christmas. This year almost all services will be online, and the few that are not have a reservation system in place.

Online or in-person, all the services and masses will be joyful, and all are welcome. Merry Christmas, Natick.

Mass Hort, Festival of Trees
Merry Christmas, Natick (photo by Natick Report, at Mass Hort Festival of Trees).

Annunciation Orthodox Church

37 Washington St., Natick, Mass. 01760
508-481-2028

Thur., Dec. 24, 5pm., more info on the church’s website


Boston Christian Assembly

26 Wellesley Rd., Natick, Mass. 01760
781-883-9708

All services online. More info on the church’s website.


The Bridge Metrowest

7 Strathmore Rd., Natick, Mass. 01760
508-651-0277

In-person worship will take place. Register online
Dec. 24, doors open at 5:30; service is 6pm – 7pm


Christ Lutheran Church

113 Union St., Natick, Mass 01760
508-315-3170

Dec. 24, 5pm – 6pm, via zoom. More on the church’s website
Dec. 25, 10am – 11am, via zoom


Common Street Spiritual Center

13 Common St., Natick, Mass. 01760
508-655-9636

Dec. 24, 4pm, on Natick Common
Dec 24, 8pm, via Zoom, https://commonstreet.zoom.us/j/98477887406


Eliot Church of Natick

45 Eliot St, Natick, Mass. 01760
508-653-2244

Dec. 24, 5:30pm – 6:30pm, virtual service


Fiske Memorial United Methodist Church

106 Walnut St., Natick, Mass. 01760
508-653-1674

Dec. 24, 7pm, service of lessons and carols via Zoom


First Church Natick, UCC

2 E. Central St., Natick, Mass. 01760
508-653-0971

Dec. 24, 7pm, virtual worship will be live streamed on Pegasus


Hartford Street Presbyterian Church

99 Hartford St., Natick, MA 01760
508-653-4839


Milestone Church

Natick venue
217 West Central Street, Natick, MA
781-235-6025

Wellesley venue
42 Elmwood Road, Wellesley, MA
781-235-6025

Join Milestone Church as they host a very special online Christmas Eve gathering at 6pm for the whole family. There will be sing-along music, a special Christmas message, and lots of surprises along the way. Milestone’s Christmas episode can be watched on Facebook, Youtube, Milestone online, and local TV. Milestone Christmas, what to expect.


Natick Catholic Community — St. Linus Parish

119 Hartford St., Natick, Mass. 01760
508-653-5505

Tentative Christmas Mass schedule
Dec. 24, 4pm
Dec. 25, 9am

The schedule is subject to change. Please know that the 4 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass will be broadcast by the local Pegasus channel.
Sign up here to attend mass in person.


Natick Catholic Community — St. Patrick Parish

44 E. Central St., Natick, Mass. 01760
508-653-1093

Tentative Christmas Mass schedule
Dec. 24, 2pm & 4pm
Dec. 25, 7:30am & 11am

The schedule is subject to change. Please know that the 4 p.m. Christmas Eve and 11 a.m. Christmas Day Masses will be broadcast by the local Pegasus channel.

Sign up here to attend mass in person.


St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Church

145 Oak St., Natick, Mass. 01760
774-534-1175

See website for information.


St. Paul’s Episcopal

39 E. Central St., Natick, Mass. 01760
508-655-5880

See the church website for links to all online events.

12/24, noon-1pm, The Incarnational
All are invited to come by the church yard from 12-1pm on Christmas Eve for an Incarnational. Wear a mask, sign in upon arrival, and follow our safety flow through the path of blessings and offerings. You may even hear a trumpet or a bagpipe.

12/24, 3pm, The Pageant, via Zoom, Youtube, or Facebook

12/24, 7pm, Lessons and Carols, via Zoom, Youtube, or the website

12/25, 10am, Christmas Morning Eucharist, via Zoom


Don’t see your Natick Church Christmas services here? Contact us at natickreport@gmail.com for inclusion.

Filed Under: Churches, Holidays

Linden Square, Wellesley
London Harness, Natick Report

Natick church bells toll to remember victims of COVID-19

September 28, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

First Church Natick, along with many other area churches, has started ringing their steeple bells 20 times at 10am over ten consecutive days. Listen for the bells each day through October 6th. The symbolism behind the tolling is to remember the 200,000+ Americans who have died from COVID-19.

First Congregational Church, Natick
First Church Natick, East Central St.

The ringing of the bells is also a way for churches to express their care for those grieving the loss of loved ones, friends, and neighbors, and to signal that they are not forgotten. By following the old tradition of ringing church bells when a community member dies, the dignity of each life lost is marked. As they ring, the church is called to prayer on behalf of all who have suffered because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Some history

The ringing of church bells is part of an ancient tradition to mark the passing of a member of the community and to serve as a witness to loss. According to The Church Bells of England, by H.B. Walters, “The ringing of a church bell in the English tradition to announce a death is called a death knell. The pattern of striking in earlier times depended on the person who had died; for example in the counties of Kent and Surrey in England it was customary to ring three times three strokes for a man, and three times two for a woman, with a varying usage for children. The age of the deceased was then rung out. In small settlements this could effectively identify who had just died.”

Filed Under: Churches, Community, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Health, Religion

Page Waterman, Wellesley

Natick gun buyback slated for September

July 13, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Citizens for a Safer Natick and the Natick Area Interfaith Clergy Association are partnering with the Natick Police Department and Middlesex Sheriff’s Office to sponsor  a Natick Gun Buyback on Sept. 12 from 10am-2pm at Hartford Street Presbyterian Church.

Organizers figure the fewer unnecessary firearms laying around, the lower chance there is of the weapons falling into the wrong hands or resulting in accidents.

A similar event held three years ago netted dozens of firearms, ranging from revolvers to assault rifles. Owners were given gift certificates for their efforts, with more powerful guns rating bigger prizes. Turning in ammunition scored owners ice cream coupons.

The firearms, after being run through a database to determine whether they’ve been stolen or used in a crime, are sent to the state police for destruction.

More: Follow Natick Report on Instagram

Filed Under: Churches, Community, Police & crime

Natick miracle? Sacred Heart Church boasts ‘Sold’ sign

June 9, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

We’re not counting our angels before they ascend, but the Sacred Heart Church in South Natick that’s been shuttered since 2004, has a real live “Sold” sign in front as of today.

Word is that the buyer of 26-28 Eliot St., very well could be the operator of a circus school, as we reported recently.  Though some are skeptical that zoning rules will allow that. Regardless, the prospect of the circus arts school has neighbors doing backflips and shooting each other out of cannons.

Most suitors have eyed what’s become an eyesore over the years—shingles and whatever else falling off, overgrown grass, etc.—for a handful of what no doubt would be marketed as luxury condos.

Real estate sites have had the property listed for $450K. The Metrowest Daily News recently reported that a couple of deals fell through.

sacred heart church
Most of ‘Sold’ sign blurred to avoid free advertising for real estate firm

More:  Subscribe to our Natick Report daily email

Filed Under: Churches, Real estate

Natick houses of worship will continue to love their neighbors at a distance

May 30, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Gov. Charlie Baker earlier this month revealed the state’s re-opening plan, which included a rough timeline along which organizations in various sectors might re-open. Up first were places of worship (up to 40% occupancy), which got the OK to welcome the faithful back beginning May 18. Natick’s religions houses, however, have been in no rush to re-fill those pews. They’re all still praying on it.

Despite the new guidelines, religious organizations in town are taking a cautious approach under advisement of each of their own committees as they study the situation carefully. Services and masses, which have been online for weeks now, will continue in that vein, while baptisms, weddings, and funerals will be managed on a case-by-case basis.

Temple Israel‘s Rabbi Daniel Lieben says, “Our plan is to re-open over time and with caution. Our primary concern is the safety of our community. The bulk of what we are doing will remain remote.”


Subscribe to our Natick Report daily email

Temple Israel, Natick
Temple Israel, Hartford St.

The rabbi, like many religious leaders in Natick, says he’s been pleasantly surprised with the success he and his team have had in creating connectivity over Zoom meetings. “We’ve even had a bar mitzvah, and we were able to create a true experience.”

Still, he acknowledges the sense of loss that has come with the enforced separation. “People gather together in synagogue to pray as a community. It’s very important to be together, and the sense of loss runs deep. But people are coming together online because it is a way to connect.”

Milestone Church‘s Pastor Jay Mudd agrees that now is not the time to take COVID-related health concerns lightly. “We’re huggers at Milestone,” he says. “That’s just not going to work right now.”

Mudd notes that when services do resume, worship will look different than before. According to the Milestone website, “We will have to limit interaction and worship with only a handful of people in the room. Your overall worship experience will be much different than you expect.”

Day by day

Most church and synagogue offices are not staffed right at this time. A pastor or rabbi might stop in briefly to record a section of the upcoming online worship service. A bare-bones cleaning crew does the rounds of chores quickly and at a distance from one another. Phone calls either go to voicemail or are picked up by a staff member working from home.

When the buildings do re-open, expect to see masks on clergy and worshippers; plenty of sanitation supplies available from hand sanitizer to bleach wipes; and even plexiglass shields in some offices to protect staff as they interact with the public. All scenarios are currently up for discussion including traffic patterns throughout the spaces and a dismissal system that could look less like a meandering flock headed out in to the world and more like a military operation.

It seems likely that most sanctuaries will remain closed until fall, which could be the most sensible course given that attendance at Natick churches and synagogues already trends downward during the summer months. The closest to opening may be St. Patrick and St. Linus Churches. Weekly mass attendance is  a precept of the Catholic Church, although dispensation from the Sunday Mass obligation has been granted to the faithful for now. Church leadership at this time is working out a plan for resuming worship that will likely include a pre-registration process for a seat at mass and volunteer cleaning teams to take on the necessary sanitizing tasks.

Rev. Adam Tierney-Eliot at Eliot Church (no relation to John Eliot, the missionary leader who founded the church in 1651) says, “We’re not going back until September at the earliest. What we do as a congregation is care for our members, so coming back and gathering isn’t a good idea right now.”

Eliot Church, Natick
Eliot Church, South Natick

Tierney-Eliot said although he knows it’s hard for people to remain apart, it’s necessary because “we love them and care about them. It’s like an extended snowstorm, in a way. We stay closed so that people will stay home. We stay closed for now to keep the community as a whole safe.”

The commandment has been delivered loud and clear: Love they neighbor as thyself — but do so at a distance.

MORE:

Where to worship online in Wellesley

Filed Under: Churches, Neighbors, Religion

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

Tip us off!

Please send tips, photos, ideas to natickreport@gmail.com

Wellesley Square

Wellesley Square

Jesamondo
Sexton Test Prep
Feldman Family Law
Fay School, Southborough

Categories

  • Animals
  • Art
  • Bacon Free Library
  • Beyond Natick
  • Books
  • Boston Marathon
  • Business
  • Charity/Fundraising
  • Churches
  • Community
  • Construction
  • Coronavirus
  • COVID-19
  • Education
  • Election
  • Embracing diversity
  • Entertainment
  • Environment
  • Fashion
  • Firefighters
  • Food
  • Gardens
  • Government
  • Health
  • History
  • Holidays
  • Kids
  • Media
  • Morse Institute Library
  • Natick Historical Society
  • Natick track
  • Neighbors
  • Obituaries & remembrances
  • Outdoors
  • Police & crime
  • Real estate
  • Recycling Center
  • Religion
  • Restaurants
  • Schools
  • Seniors
  • Shopping
  • Sports
  • Theater
  • Transportation
  • Uncategorized
  • Veterans
  • Volunteering
  • Weather
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Get our email newsletter

* indicates required

Most Read Posts

  • Meet Natick candidate for School Committee—Shai Fuxman
  • Little Lola's owners "extremely excited to announce that we have closed": But...
  • Meet Natick candidate for School Committee—Matt Brand
  • Natick Business Buzz: Return of the Golden Triangle; Small businesses score more COVID relief grants; Java's space could be filled; Marijuana second chances; Check out Economic Development website
  • Natick has a plan for communicating about South Natick dam's future

Click image to read The Swellesley Report

The Swellesley Report

Events calendar

  1. Natick Candidate Forum

    March 4 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
  2. (W)omen (E)ntrepreneurs Love Natick online meet-up

    March 8 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am
  3. From Turnpike to Ted Williams: Route 9 in Natick (online talk from Natick Historical Society)

    March 9 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  4. Raising Backyard Chickens online program

    March 20 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am

View All Events

Pages

  • About Natick Report
  • Advertise on Natick Report
  • Contribute to Natick Report
  • Embracing diversity in Natick
  • Kid stuff (sports, clubs, activities in Natick, Mass.)
  • Natick Arts/Entertainment
  • Natick charitable and community action groups
  • Natick COVID-19 & vaccine news
  • Natick No-Nos
  • Natick public schools
  • Natick Summer Camps (and beyond)
  • Natick’s zip code & post offices
  • Top 10 things to do in Natick, Mass.
  • Where to Eat in Natick, Mass
  • Where to worship in Natick
  • Natick rules: Chickens yes, roosters no

© 2021 Natick Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login