Are you ready to discover more, or to develop your faith? Are you yearning to deepen your relationship with Jesus and our community? Please check out our many offerings and consider joining one, or more! We strive to include something for everyone!
If you are interested in becoming Catholic, or in completing the Sacraments of Initiation as an adult, you can find out about the OCIA by clicking the button link below or by emailing Diane Kiradjieff, at dkiradjieff@stmatthewcatholic.org
Adult Faith Formation Programs
If you are interested in participating in one of our classes or events, please see below for the current and upcoming offerings. Registrations can be submitted as follows:
- online with a credit card: click on the title of the class and you will be redirected to Faith Direct. You may check out as a guest without creating a Faith Direct account, should you so desire. If troubles come up with Faith Direct, please contact them directly so that they can assist you in completing your registration.
- in person: complete a paper registration in the Saint Matthew church office and pay by cash or check (we are only able to take credit or debit payments with online registrations at this time).
Fall Programs
ACTS: THE SPREAD OF THE KINGDOM
ACTS: THE SPREAD OF THE KINGDOM is the story of how a few Christians, empowered by the Holy Spirit, were chosen to bring Christ and the Good News to the ends of the earth. They faced secular forces, internal strife, and hostile crowds, and despite all of this, they brought the kingdom of God to a broken world and the love of God to the hearts of men. The program traces how the Gospel witness spread outward in waves from Jerusalem, and reveals how the seeds of Church structure and authority took root. It shows how the joys and struggles of the early Christians in living the life of Christ apply to us today.
Mondays 7 to 8:30 pm – Sep. 9 to Mar. 17 – RM 234/235 – Facilitated by Karen Rubbo – Cost $35
THE BIBLE TIMELINE
The Bible Timeline® study program takes you on a guided journey through salvation history. Presenter Jeff Cavins will show you how fourteen of the Bible’s narrative books tell the biblical story from beginning to end and will give you the keys to understanding the amazing story woven throughout Scripture. The Bible Timeline divides the Bible into twelve color-coded time periods that make the narrative thread easier to follow. Using a unique color-coded chart, you will learn the major people, places, and events of the Bible and discover how they all come together to reveal the remarkable story of our Faith. The Bible Timeline will teach you how to read and understand the entire Bible and introduce you to the wonderful narrative of Scripture in a way that will transform your life.
Tuesdays 7 to 8:30 pm – Sep. 10 to Dec. 17 – RM 203 – Facilitated by Ron Groover – Cost $35
JESUS: THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE
Jesus: The Way, the Truth, and the Life by Marcellino D’Ambrosio is a book of approximately 280 pages that stands alone but also accompanies the 10-week video study program presented by Marcellino D’Ambrosio, Jeff Cavins, and Edward Sri. In this book, Catholics walk step by step with Jesus from his infancy to the Ascension. Anchored in the life of Christ as presented in the Gospels, it explores the entirety of Jesus’ life—who he is, what he is really like, what he taught, what he did for our salvation, and what this means for us as Catholics today. This study shows, in a simple way, how Jesus, the Incarnate God, is both fully divine and fully human—his intimacy with the Father, his revelation of the Father’s love, and his extraordinary influence on his disciples, his followers, and even his enemies. Most importantly, this encounter with Christ will inspire and empower you to center your entire life in him as you come to know and love him in an ever-deeper and more intimate way.
Thursdays 7 to 8:30 pm – Sep. 12 to Nov. 21 – RM 239/240/241 – Facilitated by Karen Rubbo – Cost $28
REVELATIONS: THE KINGDOM YET TO COME
Revelations: The Kingdom Yet to Come…Perhaps no book of the Bible fascinates people more than Revelation. Yet relatively few people have studied it, especially from a Catholic perspective. Revelation: The Kingdom Yet to Come is an intriguing eleven-session study program that shows how the kingdom established by Christ in his Church is intimately connected with the kingdom of heaven. In this study, presenter Jeff Cavins pulls back the veil on the rich symbolism present in Revelation. Discover what the mysterious figures and images of Revelation mean and see how Revelation is more than an apocalyptic vision of the “end times.” Explore the Church’s teaching on the second coming of Christ and the Last Judgment. Understand how God, the Divine Bridegroom, and the Church, his spotless bride, enter into a heavenly, holy, and mystical marriage every time we celebrate Mass.
Tuesdays 9:45 to 11 am – Sep. 10 to Dec. 17 – RM 203 – Facilitated by Ron Groover – Cost $28
THE CATHOLIC FAITH AND SCIENCE
Never have the scientific proofs of God’s existence been seen as clearly as they are today. God is revealing Himself, the beauty of His Creation, and the validity of Scripture and the Catholic Church, as never before. Enormous advances in technology have enabled sophisticated scientific research uncovering verifiable evidence of all God has told us.
Join us for this 10-week video and discussion course as Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D., provides mind-boggling findings from quantum physics, cosmology, astronomy, biochemistry, medicine, philosophy, theology and more. Fr. Spitzer is a renowned physicist, author and genius who successfully debated Stephen Hawking on “Larry King Live.” He has made numerous TV appearances answering questions about God, creation, science, suffering and human happiness. He appears regularly on EWTN’s “Father Spitzer’s Universe.”
Pope John Paul II said, “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth.” (Fides et Ratio). This course will enrich the faith of believers, and challenge non-believers, at the deepest levels. Click below to see the titles of each class.
Tuesdays 7 to 8:30 pm – Sep. 17 to Nov 19 – Banquet Room – Facilitated by Deacon Joe Becker and Angie Jeffrey – Cost $18
CATHOLIC SCRIPTURE STUDY: MATTHEW
Catholic Scripture Study: Matthew… Scott Hahn, Mark Shea, and Fr. Matthew Kauth pull you into the world of this New Covenant with years of experience and insight. In 28 fascinating lessons with a 1,000+ verse exegesis, you will learn:
- Why the long genealogy from Matthew 1 is so important
- The strategy Jesus gave us to fight Satan in the deserts of our own lives
- How the Beatitudes are Heaven’s response to our earthly desires
We hear the Gospels so much at Mass that it can be hard to look at them with fresh eyes. In this study, however, you will read Matthew’s Gospel as you have never read it before—and in the process, come one step closer to knowing what a priceless gift we have in the Holy Spirit and the works He inspired.
Wednesdays 10 am to 12 pm – Sep. 11 to Apr. 30 – RM 239/240/241 – Facilitated by Terri DeMao – Cost $47
CHURCH AND THE SECULAR WORLD THROUGH HISTORY
Church and the Secular World Through History…The historian James Hitchcock writes in his History of the Catholic Church (2012): “Left entirely to men, the Church ought to have perished at many points in her long history.” However, Christ has promised his protection of the Church for all time. This course will examine some of the more salient –and recurring— existential challenges that faced the Church throughout its history and its response –and God’s– to those challenges. These include, among other things, the Church’s struggles with the secular state, intellectual and scientific materialism as well as shifting societal trends from the Early Church to the present. The course will also touch upon how these struggles have helped shape the modern world.
Mondays 7 to 8:30 pm – Oct. 7 to Nov. 11 – RM 239/240/241 – Facilitated by Joe McVeigh – No Cost
Defend Your Faith
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.” 1 Peter 3:15
If you have ever felt unable to give an answer for your faith, then this is the class for you. In this 8-week course, we will not only cover topics like: reasons for belief in God, the historicity of Jesus, how we can trust the Bible, and objections from Protestantism, but we will practice techniques and tactics to help you remain gentle, and respectful while grounded in Truth.
Wednesdays 10 am to 12 pm – Sep. 25 to Nov. 20 – Waxhaw – Facilitated by Christine Corbly – Cost $20
ONGOING PRAYER GROUPS/CLASSES:
Men’s Bible Group
Tuesdays, 7 to 8:30 pm – no fee
Develop fellowship as you delve into God’s Word and how to apply it to your daily life. Encourage and support each other as you reflect on the Scriptures. Join us starting Tuesday, July 26, from 7 to 8:30 pm in the New Life Center. It’s recommended that you bring a Bible and a pen and notebook with you so you can really dive in to the Word of God.
RESOURCES AND MINISTRIES:
