Join us for our Lenten Parish Mission with Father Dalton Ervin and Father Samuel Miloscia, who will inspire us with messages of hope, renewal, and a deeper encounter with Christ in the Eucharist. Their reflections will encourage us to embrace the beauty of our Catholic Faith and grow in our Lenten journey of conversion and grace. Do not miss this opportunity to be spiritually refreshed as we prepare our hearts for Easter! Monday, March 24, through Wednesday, March 26, parishioners have a chance to share in the mission, either in the morning from 10 to 11 am or the evening from 7 to 8 pm. Both sessions are offered in the church on the main campus. Middle and high school youth of our parish also have the opportunity to participate each evening from 7 to 8 pm in the New Life Center Banquet Room.
As an option to school year programming, open to middle school youth beginning or in the process of completing the INVITED topics. Each topic is offered in a three-day intensive at our Waxhaw campus.
| WEEK ONE (July 22 to 24) | WEEK TWO (July 29 to 31) |
|---|---|
| 9:30 am to noon Sacraments, Morality or Trinity | 9:30 am to noon Revelation, The Church or Jesus Christ |
| 5:30 to 7 pm Revelation, The Church or Jesus Christ | 5:30 to 7 pm Sacraments, Morality or Trinity |
Registration for rising 7th or 8th grade youth opens on Sunday, Mar. 16 at 3 pm through the button link below. Registration for rising 6th grade youth opens on Wednesday, Mar. 19 at 8 am. Visit our Summer Invited webpage for more details and registration link.
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 is on a journey to know, love, and serve Christ as a faith community. To thrive and grow together, we must embrace Christ’s vision for missionary discipleship. The first step in this process is understanding our strengths and opportunities – and that’s where the Disciple Maker Index (DMI) survey comes in. The survey will ask you to reflect on your own spiritual growth and provide feedback on how St. Matthew helps you grow in your relationship with Christ. All responses are confidential, and the parish will only receive collective data. Together, we must embrace Christ’s vision for missionary discipleship so our parish can thrive and be a place where others grow in faith.
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts – we are truly grateful for your participation! Please keep this effort in your prayers, asking for God’s guidance and protection over our parish. At St. Matthew, we are deeply blessed, and together, we will recognize our strengths and opportunities as we strive to grow in missionary discipleship.
How was the Disciple Maker Index survey created?
The Disciple Maker Index (DMI) survey was created by the Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI) with input from bishops, priests, diocesan leaders, and Catholic authors. After a two-day think tank on parish engagement, a smaller group refined the survey. It was then reviewed by 15 bishops before being launched in 2014. Since then, over 600,000 people have participated.
What about confidentiality? With whom will my parish’s results be shared? How about individual parishioners’ responses?
Your responses are completely confidential – even the pastor and parish staff will not see individual answers. Parish-wide results will be shared only with the pastor and key leaders he selects. Catholic Leadership Institute (CLI) will not share your parish’s data without written permission. However, if a parish excels in an area like liturgy or preaching, that may be noted in all reports to share best practices.
This survey looks like it is geared to people in the pews. Aren’t we supposed to be going after “the lost” or those not present in our pews?
The survey will most likely be completed by people who are coming with some degree of regularity to your parish. It helps us understand what keeps them engaged and what might cause them to drift away. This insight also guides us in reaching those who are no longer connected. By strengthening and equipping our current parishioners, we can better invite others into the Church.
Why is there no opportunity to write in comments?
The survey is designed to create a snapshot of the parish as a whole. In early versions, write-in comments often focused on personal concerns rather than overall parish life. Anonymity also sometimes led to unhelpful or hurtful feedback.
Lent is quickly approaching (March 5 – April 18), and we invite you to deepen your faith and walk this journey with us. You’ll find our full Lenten programming on our website at stmatthewcatholic.org/lent. We look forward to growing in faith together this Lenten season.
St. Matthew parish offers scholarship opportunities for high school seniors or adults continuing their education! Deadline to apply for either scholarship is April 15, 2025.
JOURNEY OF FAITH SCHOLARSHIP: Two $5000 Scholarships will be awarded. Adults and high school seniors may apply.
ADULTS: Registered St. Matthew parishioner; active in parish ministry; pursuing a degree and career in teaching, youth ministry, health care, military, religious vocations or social work.
SENIORS: Registered St. Matthew parishioner; active in youth ministry programs or serving as a Faith Formation volunteer; pursuing a degree and career in teaching, youth ministry, health care, military, religious vocations or social work.
TEEN STEWARDSHIP SCHOLARSHIP: $1000 Scholarship will be awarded.
Registered parishioner of St. Matthew, high school junior and senior applicant who demonstrates Catholic stewardship in their life, and who has completed a service project for a parish ministry or local community.
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.
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.
Antiqua et Nova
Note on the Relationship Between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence
