Sunday, Dec. 21
10:15 am and Noon
Banquet Room, Main Campus
Step into the wonder of Christmas! Our parish children will bring the Nativity to life with a joyful musical performance, followed by warm cocoa and a sweet Christmas treat. Come celebrate the season with us!
4 pm* Main Campus Church (Children’s Mass)
4 pm Main Campus Parish Center
4 pm Waxhaw Campus Worship Space
4:30 pm Charlotte Catholic High School Gym
6 pm Main Campus Church
6 pm Waxhaw Campus Worship Space
8 pm Main Campus Church
Midnight** Main Campus Church
7:30 am Main Campus Church
9 am* Main Campus Church
9:30 am Waxhaw Campus Worship Space
10:45 am Main Campus Church
11 am Waxhaw Campus Worship Space
12:30 pm Main Campus Church
* Live streamed
** Incense used
Wednesday, Dec. 31 – Vigil Mass
4 pm Main Campus Church
4 pm Waxhaw Campus
Thursday, Jan. 1
9 am Main Campus Church
12:10 pm Main Campus Church
Calling All Future Altar Servers!
Being an Altar Server is a wonderful way for children to take an active role in the Mass. Any child in 5th–12th grade who has made their First Communion is eligible to serve.
Training Session:
Friday, Dec. 19, 6-8 pm
main campus church
Attendance and pre-registration are required.
For more information, please contact Donna at dsams1319@gmail.com
New to volunteering at St. Matthew? Please read our Safe Environment Policy.
Children in third to fifth grade are welcome to serve as lectors, greeters, and gift bearers as we celebrate Mass at the Main Campus. Children in third grade or older are also invited to participate in our Children’s Choir, which sings at each monthly Children’s Mass. After Mass, we invite you and your family to come together for Family Sunday.
If you are not receiving the monthly signup emails and would like your child to participate, please email Michelle Lyberg at mlyberg@stmatthewcatholic.org.
We’re celebrating 40 years as a parish with Mission 40 – A Year of Impact!
This year, we’ll mark every year of God’s blessings with 40 ways to be the Church. Each quarter, join us to serve, pray, and grow in fellowship.
Family Adoration
Friday, Nov. 21 | 6–7 pm | Main Campus Church
Join us for a peaceful family evening of prayer before the Thanksgiving holiday. Take a moment to pause, reflect, and give thanks during this special time of guided Adoration and music. We’ll end the night with a sweet treat to share together.
Thanksgiving Day Food Collection
Thursday, Nov. 27 | During the 9 am Mass
Bring non-perishable food items to support those in need in our community. Donations may be placed in the collection bins as you enter the church.
Advent Wreath Making
Sunday, Nov. 30 | Following the 9 am and 10:45 am Masses
Create a beautiful Advent wreath for your family! Please register and pre-pay in advance for candles and a brass ring (or just candles if you already have a ring).
For details and to sign up, visit stmatthewcatholic.org/faithfamily.
Daily Prayer Reminder
Let us continue to pray the Our Father at 3 pm each day to remember the Hour of Great Mercy, when Jesus died on the cross.
The 2025 Diocesan Support Appeal (DSA), themed Reflecting God’s Light, provides essential funding for over 50 ministries and programs that help fulfill our mission to grow as a community of praise, worship, and service in the Piedmont and western North Carolina. Bishop Martin invites us to prayerfully consider a “stretch” gift to the DSA, serving Christ by supporting thousands of Catholics in our diocese. To contribute online, visit www.charlottediocese.org/dsa and select “Saint Matthew” as your parish to ensure your gift counts toward our parish goal.
Our parish community thrives when everyone shares their gifts in service to the Church. We invite you to consider serving in one of our liturgical ministries! Whether you have a warm smile to welcome others as a greeter or host (usher), a deep love for the Eucharist as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion (EMHC), a calling to proclaim God’s Word as a lector, or a heart for reverent preparation as a sacristan, your service makes a difference. We also need altar servers to assist at Mass, choir members to lift voices in praise, and parishioners to serve in our production ministry to enhance our liturgies. Join us in making our worship beautiful and welcoming. Your parish family needs you! Please follow the links below to visit the individual ministry pages.
Need Help Finding a Place to Serve?
Do you want to be involved at St. Matthew but aren’t sure where you best fit? We would love to talk to you! Take a minute to fill out the form below to get started or contact Rossana Alvarez, at ralvarez@stmatthewcatholic.org.
Did you know the Catholic Church supports organ donation as an act of love and self-giving? Both Pope Francis and St. John Paul II have encouraged this life-saving practice, describing it as a meaningful way to show charity and solidarity. St. John Paul II described it as “a genuine act of love,” while Pope Francis called it “a testimony of love for our neighbor.” By offering the gift of life to those in need, organ donors live out Christ’s call to love our neighbor in a tangible way.
Right now, Joe Buonanno, a long-time member of our parish community, is in urgent need of a kidney transplant. If you feel called to help, please visit http://www.giftforjoe.com/ for more information.
Let us keep Joe and all those awaiting transplants in our prayers, and may we strive to embody Christ’s love through acts of kindness and generosity.
Please click the document below to download and view the complete letter.
“We find ourselves longing for a real presence – that is, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that unites us with Christ really present in the Eucharist.”
“So what do we do as the People of God? What do you and I do as a community of faith that desires not only to be really present, but desires to come to know our God, who is really present?”
“In order for us to be really present, we have to be together in communion. Present.”
“We will follow the Lord. May we begin to realize that. This journey of real presence isn’t and can’t be done alone. It has to be done with one another. So we come and worship as one – with one voice, but not alone. That’s how presence is experienced, because we’re social beings at the core.”
“The work of faith requires preparation. You don’t just show up, I’ve told my parishioners all the time: there are two ways to come to church – you’re either a host or a guest. Too many people walk into church as guests. The hosts realize that they’ve been given a gift and they want to share it. They’re looking for ways to help people experience that gift, to help people be really present. Are you a guest or are you a host?”
Excerpts from Bishop Michael Martin’s homily – Corpus Christi 2024 Ways We Can Be Hosts
Join Us as Hosts! Think about how you and your family can actively contribute to our parish community, bringing the True Presence into our daily lives and the lives of others. There’s more for us to do than sit in the pew.
