St. Andrew's Episcopal Church stands on the corner of Washington Street and Denton Road in Wellesley, Massachusetts, a few blocks east of the Wellesley College campus and the shops of Wellesley Square. The parish has served Wellesley and the surrounding towns of Natick, Dover, Sherborn, and Needham since 1894, and now numbers roughly 1,400 members. The church's motto is "an inclusive and welcoming church, drawing together people from all walks of life to celebrate the transforming love of Christ." That welcome is paired with a strong liturgical tradition, a long-standing music program, and one of the more distinctive outreach efforts in the diocese, an annual assembly-line event called Meal Madness that has packed more than 68,000 dried meals for local food pantries over the past seven years.

A Parish Since 1894

St. Andrew's marks its founding year as 1894. Its 125th anniversary, celebrated in 2019, was the occasion for a pictorial history compiled by parishioner Sandra Rigney, working with archivists, photographers, and writers from the parish. The book traces the congregation from its earliest days through the construction of the present church, the addition of the parish hall and education wing, and the more recent installation of the Juget-Sinclair pipe organ in 2006. The anniversary volume is available as a PDF download from the church and remains a useful window into the parish's institutional memory.

The parish is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, one of 180 congregations across eastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod, and the islands. Its diocesan bishop is the Right Reverend Julia E. Whitworth, with the Right Reverend Carol Gallagher serving as assistant bishop. The diocese, in turn, belongs to the Episcopal Church, one of 38 provinces in the Anglican Communion.

Three Sundays: The Shape of Worship

Sunday is built around three celebrations of the Holy Eucharist. At 8:00 a.m. a quiet, contemplative Eucharist is celebrated without music; it generally lasts about forty-five minutes. At 10:00 a.m. the main service gathers the full congregation with the adult choir, church school, and Kids' Place childcare running alongside it; this liturgy typically runs from one hour to an hour and twenty minutes depending on baptisms or special music. A 5:00 p.m. Eucharist, a smaller and more intimate rite with a homily, is offered from September through May.

Morning Prayer is prayed online Monday through Thursday at 8:30 a.m., streamed to Facebook, YouTube, and Vimeo. The service lasts about twenty minutes and uses the Daily Office from the Book of Common Prayer. Recordings of both Morning Prayer and the Sunday Eucharists remain available online after the live broadcast ends, and the previous week's bulletin is also available.

Special services mark the rhythms of the church year. Holy Week includes a Taizé-style meditative service, the Service of Tenebrae, Maundy Thursday with foot-washing and a vigil, Good Friday liturgy, a Children's Way of the Cross, Holy Saturday, and the Great Easter Vigil. All Saints', All Hallows' Eve, the Feast of St. Andrew, the Presentation of Our Lord (Candlemas), the Blessing of the Animals, and a monthly evening Rite-13 Eucharist all appear in the annual calendar. The church also keeps the tradition of Advent Lessons and Carols.

Wellesley Square and a Building with Three Floors

St. Andrew's occupies a three-story building on a U-shaped stretch of Denton Road just west of Wellesley Square. The main entrance for worship is on Washington Street; visitors doing parish business enter from Denton Road and climb the steps. The street-level floor holds the main sanctuary, a transept chapel, the children's chapel for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten, the parish offices, and the Harvey Room, a flexible gathering space used for vestry meetings and adult classes. The second floor, reached by steps near the Harvey Room, contains classrooms for grades two through seven. The basement level is the everyday gathering floor of the parish: the parish hall, the toddler nursery, additional meeting rooms, and the Wellesley Montessori School, which shares the building.

The church sits within an easy walk of the Framingham/Worcester commuter rail line, which stops in Wellesley Square. Parking is available in the church lot on the left side of Washington Street between Denton Road and Cottage Street, along Washington Street itself, and at the public lot at the corner of Weston Road and Washington Street.

Sacred Music and the Juget-Sinclair Organ

Sacred music is treated as central to worship at St. Andrew's, not as decoration. The music program draws on the Anglican choral tradition and embraces a broad repertoire from Renaissance masterworks to music by living composers. The adult choir includes high school and college students, adult volunteers, and professional section leaders, several of whom come from the Boston University, New England Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, and Longy School of Music communities. The choir sings each Sunday at the 10:00 a.m. service and for the major feasts of the church year, with rehearsals on Thursdays from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. and a warm-up on Sunday mornings.

The chancel organ, built by the Canadian firm Juget-Sinclair and dedicated in 2006, is one of the parish's most distinctive instruments. It supports the choir, leads congregational hymnody, and is featured in recital settings throughout the year. The director of music is Andrew Sheranian, an Associate of the American Guild of Organists who trained at the New England Conservatory and Yale University. Before coming to St. Andrew's in 2026 he served fifteen years as organist and master of choristers at the Parish of All Saints, Ashmont, in Boston, a church known for excellence in Anglican liturgy and music.

For younger singers, the parish offers St. Andrew's Choristers, a choir for children in second through eighth grade that uses the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) curriculum. Choristers generally sing on the first Sunday of each month, rehearse Thursdays from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., and gather afterward for food and fellowship. Singers who read and are younger than second grade, as well as older children who wish to join, are also welcome.

Church School and the Cooperative Model

Children's ministry at St. Andrew's is built on a cooperative, or "co-op," model that depends on parents and parishioners volunteering as teachers. The Sunday schedule for children runs alongside the 10:00 a.m. service from September through early June. Kids' Place, staffed by professional babysitters, opens at 8:55 a.m. on the basement level and provides childcare for infants and toddlers through 11:15 a.m. Church School begins at 9:45 a.m. for pre-K through fifth grade. Children join the sanctuary for the exchange of the Peace and the Holy Eucharist around 10:45 a.m. On the once-monthly All Parish Eucharist Sundays, children remain in church with their families for the entire service.

The Church School itself uses the Godly Play curriculum in two classes for pre-K through third grade, with a separate Upper School class for fourth and fifth graders that integrates Episcopal teaching, scripture, service, and spiritual practices. Children in first and second grade prepare for first Holy Communion through a dedicated program. A Children's/Youth Choir and a weekly Church School Meditation email keep families connected during the week. Special family events include the Blessing of the Backpacks in the fall, the All Hallows' Eve service, a Day of Service, and Cookies and Carols.

Families register for these programs through Realm, the church's online portal, and the Christian Learning Coordinator, Susan Jackson, oversees the program alongside the clergy.

Rite-13, Confirmation, and High School Youth Group

Middle and high school students have their own tracks at St. Andrew's. Rite-13 is the parish's two-year program for sixth and seventh graders, led by a team of adult mentors. Through games, group activities, and field trips, Rite-13 youth explore the Christian faith, build friendships, and mark the transition into adolescence in the life of the church. The group meets Sunday evenings from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Eighth graders who wish to be confirmed meet during the program year for Confirmation Class, a more formal preparation that includes study of the Christian church, reflection on faith in relation to contemporary issues, and spiritual practice. The class follows the 5:00 p.m. Sunday Eucharist and ends at 6:30 p.m. Students aged thirteen and older are eligible.

High school youth, grades nine through twelve, gather most Sunday evenings from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. for food, fellowship, and service. The group does not meet on holiday weekends or when school is not in session the following Monday. Older youth are also invited to serve as acolytes at the Sunday services, a ministry the parish describes as a form of public testimony that has been practiced in the Anglican tradition for seventeen centuries.

Adult Christian Learning

Adult formation is led by the associate rector for adult formation and membership, the Reverend Margaret Schwarzer. The backbone of the program is the Sunday morning Christian Learning Class, which meets from 9:00 to 9:50 a.m. in the parish hall between mid-September and mid-December, and again from late January through May. Recent topics have ranged across spirituality, church history, scripture, theology, and prayer; many of the classes are also offered on Zoom.

For those who want a more intensive engagement with scripture, the parish offers three ongoing Bible studies. A weekly Beginner's Bible Study meets on Thursdays from noon to 1:00 p.m. online, led by the rector; the current cycle is a study of Genesis. An Open Bible Study meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 11:00 a.m. and again on the second Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m.; the current study is Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians. A Men's Bible Study meets on the first and third Saturdays of the month at 8:00 a.m., alternating between in-person and Zoom. A Men's Book Club meets on the first Wednesday evening of the month.

The Faith & Practice series gathers parishioners around particular aspects of Christian practice and is held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Adult formation also includes triennial pilgrimages. In 2026 the parish traveled to Iona, Lindisfarne, Edinburgh, Durham, and York to "discover Celtic roots," following earlier trips to Anglican sites in London, Durham, and York in 2023, and to Italy in 2018 to study the early church in Rome, Florence, and Assisi. The next pilgrimage is planned for early summer 2029.

College Students and the Wider Community

St. Andrew's has a particular heart for college students. The associate rector for adult formation and membership, Margaret Schwarzer, oversees a college ministry that invites students to embed themselves in the parish through worship, choir, teaching, volunteering, and spiritual leadership. Wellesley College students currently teach Church School and Confirmation classes, sing in the Adult Choir, and read scripture during Sunday services. The ministry offers Bible studies, retreats, brunches, and a weekly email; the parish actively courts students for coffee.

A Statement of Affirmation commits the parish to inclusion of all persons regardless of sexual orientation, race, nationality, gender, family configuration, ethnic background, economic circumstances, or difference in ability, culture, or age. The parish is open and affirming of LGBTQ+ members; the clergy are supportive of marriage and are open to discussing the particular needs of a couple. Membership is open to all, whether or not one has been baptized or confirmed, and there is no requirement of a financial pledge to participate.

Outreach: Meal Madness and the Mission Partners

Outreach is organized around a few major partnerships and a flagship annual event. Meal Madness, the parish's signature effort, uses an assembly-line process to package dried meals that are then donated to local food pantries. In 2026 the parish packed 17,500 meals in a single day, bringing the seven-year total to more than 68,000.

The parish maintains permanent relationships with several organizations. Family Promise Metrowest, a partnership of more than three dozen congregations and businesses, houses families experiencing temporary homelessness at a site in Natick; four weeks a year St. Andrew's works with The Village Church to provide evening meals, breakfast and lunch food, and evening hosts. common cathedral, a ministry of Ecclesia Ministries on Boston Common, brings St. Andrew's parishioners into worship and lunch service with people experiencing homelessness several times a year; the parish also supports the program's wish lists for warm clothing and art supplies.

St. Andrew's long-standing relationship with St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in Boston's South End supports that congregation's food pantry, its B-SAFE summer program, after-school programs, mentoring, Thanksgiving dinners, and Christmas gifts for seniors. The parish also supports El Hogar Projects in Honduras, an Episcopal Diocese of Honduras ministry that provides a quality education and a safe home to children and youth living in impoverished conditions, with the goal of breaking the cycle of poverty. Knitting Ministry members have produced more than 5,000 items over the years for partners including orphanages in Haiti, seniors at St. Stephen's at Christmas, and a parish Shawl Ministry. The Health Care Without Walls "Sox Box" collects new white men's crew socks for women and men served by the program.

The Outreach Committee also funds one-off grants of up to $5,000 to charitable organizations, domestic or international, that align with the parish's mission. Applications are reviewed twice a year, with deadlines of May 31 and October 31.

Pastoral Care and the Lay Pastoral Care Team

Pastoral Care at St. Andrew's is shared between the clergy and a Lay Pastoral Care Team of trained lay visitors from the parish. A staff member is always available to bring communion to parishioners who are shut-in or ill, either at home or in a hospital or care facility. Short-term counseling, crisis intervention, and referrals to other social service providers are also available. Parishioners also coordinate volunteers to offer rides to church or prepare meals during emergencies.

The Clergy and Staff

The Rev. Adrian Robbins-Cole has been rector of St. Andrew's since September 2013. A native of England who trained in theology at Oxford, he came to the parish after a career in London investment banking. His wife, the Reverend Dr. Sarah Robbins-Cole, is the associate rector for youth and family. She holds degrees from the University of Vermont, Oxford, King's College London, and Virginia Theological Seminary, where she earned a Doctor of Ministry in educational leadership, and has served in parishes in London, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.

The Rev. Margaret K. Schwarzer, the associate rector for adult formation and membership, joined the parish after a career in publishing in New York followed by ordination at Yale Divinity School. She oversees adult Christian formation, college ministry, and the membership committee. The Rev. Karen Vickers Budney, the pastoral associate, was sponsored for ordination by St. Andrew's and ordained a priest in 1992 by the late Bishop Barbara Harris. She holds a Master of Divinity from Harvard Divinity School and serves on its Dean's Council. She has served parishes in this diocese as well as in Western Missouri and at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Syracuse.

The staff includes Susan Jackson, the Christian Learning Coordinator, who has been on the team since 2007; Andrew Sheranian, the Director of Music; Oliver Simpson, the Parish Administrator; and Joanne Butler, the Finance Administrator. Steve Killeen has served as sexton since 1989, with Bill Clover as assistant sexton since 2004.

The Vestry and Parish Governance

The vestry functions as the standing committee of the parish, helping the clergy and staff carry out the mission and ministry of St. Andrew's. The current officers are Tom Faust and Ginny Snow as wardens, Tad Heuer as clerk, and Joe Hamilton as treasurer. The vestry is organized into committees covering Christian Learning, Communications, Fellowship, Finance, Human Resources, Membership, Outreach, Property, Stewardship, and Worship; each committee is chaired by a vestryperson.

The annual meeting of the parish is held on the last Sunday in January; the 133rd annual meeting took place on January 25, 2026. Annual reports, financial statements, and the budget are posted online for download, and reports from previous years are kept in an archive.

The Memorial Rose Garden

The Memorial Rose Garden at St. Andrew's was created in 1998 as a place for the interment of cremated remains of members of the parish, members of their immediate families, and others approved by the vestry. The garden is administered by the parish and supervised by wardens and administrators appointed by the vestry. There is no charge for interment of cremated remains, although the parish requests a $500 donation to support ongoing care of the grounds and the engraving of names on the memorial stone; honorary interments without charge are possible in certain cases. Only cremated remains are accepted, urns are not used, and the inscriptions on the memorial stone are uniform. The Book of Common Prayer's Offices are typically used at the time of interment.

Becoming a Member and Getting Involved

Membership at St. Andrew's is intentionally low-friction. Visitors who wish to be formally received into the parish can fill out a "Welcome" card in the narthex, speak to a greeter after the 10:00 a.m. service, or complete a Seeker Information Form online. Once on the parish roll, newcomers are matched with a clergy member for a welcoming conversation. The parish's quarterly newsletter, The CALL, is mailed or emailed to every household, and a weekly email, the e-Pistle, carries clergy commentary and a calendar of the week's activities.

Worship ministries are always looking for new volunteers. The Acolyte program, the Lay Eucharistic Ministers and Readers, the Ushers, the Audio/Visual team, the Altar Guild, and the Flower Guild all accept new members; most are happy to provide training. Fellowship ministries include Coventry Suppers, the annual parish picnic, and Soul Sisters, a multi-generational women's fellowship. Membership volunteers host Newcomers' Dinners twice a year and greet visitors before and after services.

Giving is accepted in several forms: by cash or check in the offering plate at any service, by text giving, through the Realm online portal, by mail, through automatic bank drafts, and through gifts of appreciated securities. St. Andrew's Legacy Society recognizes parishioners who have made planned gifts through wills or trust agreements. The annual stewardship campaign runs each fall; pledges can be paid in full when made or on a weekly or monthly basis at worship services.

A Note for First-Time Visitors

The parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and on Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to noon, with reduced hours in August. Visitors are asked to arrive about ten minutes before a service begins. Coffee hour follows the 10:00 a.m. service most Sundays in the parish hall, with the 8:00 a.m. service hosting coffee on the first Sunday of the month. Dress ranges widely; the parish describes its usual attire as "business" or "business casual," with a clear preference that visitors wear whatever makes them comfortable. Children of all ages are welcome in worship.

Holy Week and the Calendar of the Church

St. Andrew's keeps a full liturgical calendar. The most heavily attended services each year are the Christmas Eve liturgies (a 3:00 p.m. Nativity of Our Lord service designed for families, and 5:00 and 10:00 p.m. Festival services on Christmas Eve), the Christmas Day Eucharist, the Great Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, the Easter Sunday services, and the Feast of St. Andrew in late November. Lenten disciplines include a parish-written Lenten Meditation Guide, distributed daily through the season. Advent is marked by weekly Taizé-style meditative services on Sunday evenings, an Advent Lessons and Carols service, and the annual Christmas Pageant on the Third Sunday of Advent.

Conclusion

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church is at once a long-established parish and a busy working one. It draws on the deep well of Anglican liturgy, the Anglican choral tradition, the Book of Common Prayer, and a Sunday rhythm that has changed little in a century. It surrounds that rhythm with an extensive church school, a robust adult formation program, a music program anchored by the Juget-Sinclair organ, an acolyte corps that puts teenagers in front of the altar, and an outreach program that sends dried meals to local food pantries by the tens of thousands. For a newcomer to Wellesley or a long-time resident of one of the surrounding towns, it is a parish that takes both tradition and welcome seriously.