Join us in the New Life Center Banquet Room for Newcomers Sunday on Oct. 5 following our 12:30 pm Mass. This special gathering is designed to help you connect with fellow parishioners, learn more about our vibrant parish community, and explore ministries, activities, and groups that might interest you. A light lunch is provided. To help us plan for lunch, RSVP to Rossana Alvarez, ralvarez@stmatthewcatholic.org. We look forward to welcoming you!

St. Matthew Counseling Center invites you to the second seminar in our four-part Wellness Series, featuring psychiatrist Dr. Jay Yeomans. This session will explore brain health and aging, including:

• Types of dementia and their impact on memory and thinking
• Lifestyle and health choices that may lower risk
• Current treatment options
• Support and resources for caregivers

Join us on Wednesday, Oct. 1, at 6:30 pm in the New Life Center Banquet Room to learn, ask questions, and find encouragement in caring for both ourselves and our loved ones. All are welcome!

Come Walk With Us!

For more than 1,000 years, pilgrims have walked the Camino de Santiago, a sacred 500-mile journey of faith, transformation, and discovery. In this Jubilee Year of Pilgrims of Hope, proclaimed by Pope Francis, we are invited to rediscover the meaning of pilgrimage – not only across landscapes, but also in spirit, as we seek renewal and deeper faith.

Join Father Cahill and guest speakers on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, for Divine Mercy: A Pilgrim’s Journey, a morning of reflection, prayer, and community. Together, we will explore the connection between pilgrimage and Divine Mercy, hear stories from those who have walked the Camino, and reflect on what it means to walk with Jesus and with one another.

The morning begins with Mass at 9 am, followed by a Camino-style pilgrim breakfast. From 10 am – 1 pm, the program invites us to embrace the signs that guide our way, the pilgrim’s scallop shell that unites us on the journey, and the call to holiness that leads us forward. Come walk with us as we take steps of faith together, shaped by the merciful heart of Jesus.

Schedule of the Day:

• 9 am  – Mass in the Church

• 9 am – Camino Pilgrim Breakfast

• 10 am – Divine Mercy Program Begins

• 1 pm – Program Ends

All are welcome. Take your first step on the Camino with us!

Sponsored by the Cenacles of Divine Mercy

Come celebrate our parish’s patron feast day on Sunday, Sept. 21, at the 10:45 am Mass. During this joyful liturgy, Bishop Michael T. Martin, OFM Conv., will install Father Patrick Cahill as our new pastor. Following Mass, everyone is invited to a festive reception in the New Life Center Banquet Room.

Join us for this blessed occasion as we honor our patron saint, welcome Father Cahill’s pastoral ministry, and look forward with hope and gratitude to the years ahead!

We need your help to make Father Cahill’s reception a success! Jobs include setting up cookies and lemonade, serving, and cleaning up. Thank you for helping celebrate this very special day for our parish!

This special day also marks the launch of Mission 40: A Year of Impact, as we begin our journey toward the 40^th anniversary of our parish in 2026.

More details to come.

Family, Faith, Fun, and Fellowship
Parish Children’s Mass and Family Sunday
Sunday, Sept. 28 at 10:45 am, main campus

Children’s Mass and Parish Pumpkin Patch
Join us for our upcoming Children’s Mass, where our young parishioners will help lead us in worship with the joyful theme of TEAM Jesus.

Immediately following Mass, we invite everyone to head over to our Parish Pumpkin Patch! Families can enjoy:

• Pumpkin painting 🎃

• Warm apple cider🍎

• Fresh donuts🍩

It will be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our faith, share fellowship, and enjoy some fall fun together. We hope to see you there!

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 or visit stmatthewcatholic.org/catholickids.

** Update as of Aug. 12: Times have changed for the Waxhaw Campus as well. Effective immediately, confessions at Waxhaw will be on Saturdays from 2:30 – 3:30 pm. Confessions will no longer be held on Sundays. **

Dear Parish Family,

As we enter this new chapter together at St. Matthew, I want to thank you for the warm welcome and your openness as we find our way together as a parish community.

Beginning immediately, we will no longer offer confessions at the main campus on Sundays. Instead, the Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available on Saturdays from 4 to 5 pm in the church confessionals. Confessions on Wednesday will remain from 9 to 10 am, and the confession schedule at the Waxhaw campus will remain unchanged. I and the other priests are, of course, still available by appointment as well.

This change allows both our priests and parishioners to give their full attention to the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist – the heart of our Catholic life. The change in location also aligns with our desire to celebrate the sacraments with reverence in the church.

I know that change takes time, and as I have said before, this new chapter will take us a while to wrap our heads around it. However, if we remain rooted in love and prayer, I truly believe the Holy Spirit will bear abundant fruit in our parish. Please be patient with one another and with us as we walk this journey together. 

I am grateful for your understanding and continued faithfulness.

In Christ,
Father Cahill
Pastor

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.

• Altar Guild
• Altar Servers
• Arts & Environment
• Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
• Hosts
• Mass Coordinators
• Mass Greeters
• Ministers of the Word
• Music Ministry
• Production Ministry
• Sacristans
• Seams of Faith
• Welcome Desk

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.