Patron Saint of Cancer

Our solemn prayer service, offered on the fourth Thursday of each month at 7:30 pm in the church, includes the blessing with the relic of St. Peregrine.

St. Peregrine has been called the wonder worker for his intercession on behalf of those living with serious illness. He is the patron saint of all who are afflicted by cancer, leg ailments or any life-threatening disease. He is also the patron saint of youth at risk.

 

Thursday, Nov. 1, is All Saints’ Day, a holy day of obligation.
Mass times are Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 7:30 pm and Thursday, Nov. 1 at 7 am, 9 am, 12:10 pm and 7:30 pm. Also on Thursday, there is a 7 pm Mass in Waxhaw. While many saints have a specific feast day on which we celebrate their lives and work, the vast majority of the saints do not. On All Saints’ Day, we honor the obscure as well as the famous, and the saints each of us have known.

All Souls’ Day is Friday, Nov. 2.
All Souls’ Day Masses are on Friday, Nov. 2,  at 7 am, 9 am, 12:10 pm and 7:30 pm in the church. There is a special commemoration at the 9 am and 7:30 pm. We look forward to seeing you. In remembrance of your loved ones, please use the All Souls’ Day envelope that came with your October. We also encourage you to inscribe the names of your loved ones in the Book of Remembrance located near the tabernacle. Special remembrance is given during November.

 

The next Divine Mercy holy hour is Thursday, Nov. 8, at 7:30 pm in the Daily Mass Chapel. The intention this month is for Divine Mercy Cenacle groups. The celebration is lead by Deacon Gary Schrieber and includes a scripture reading, reading of an entry from St. Faustina’s diary, singing of the Divine Mercy Chaplet and veneration of
St. Faustina’s first- class relic. The celebration is sponsored by Cenacles of Divine Mercy.

 

2019-21 Pastoral Plan Executive Summary

2019-2021 Pastoral Plan

Get involved! Click here to see how you can help make the Pastoral Plan a success!

To the faithful disciples of St. Matthew Catholic Church,

I am pleased to offer for your consideration the 2019-2021 Parish Pastoral Plan for our parish family.

I was appointed as the pastor of this amazing community shortly over one year ago. In that time, I have experienced great joy in the fruits of the Holy Spirit that have been at work here since 1986.  The vibrant liturgies, the sacrificial service, and the spirit of evangelization that is so evident here draws all who pass through our doors into a large, yet intimate, parish family, but most importantly, into a personal relationship with the Lord.

We are not unaware, however, of the challenges that we face in today’s world. Secular experts have declared the current times as the beginning of the “post-Christian” era. God is seen as no longer relevant in a culture that has determined truth to be subjective and the individual to be the only true god. Mass attendance is in decline, reception of the sacraments has become less common, and young people are leaving the Church in alarming numbers. Our parish community is no exception to this trend.

But we are not the first to confront a world that rejects Jesus. The first disciples, in fact, were met with skepticism, hostility, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Alone, they were powerless.  And so they did what Jesus taught them to do—to seek an intimate relationship with the Father, who would fill them with the power that would transform the world.

Our 2019-2021 Parish Pastoral Plan, then, is based on that simple model. By fostering a deeper spirituality in our parish community, and by using the gifts we are given in our encounter with youth and young adults, we allow the Spirit to speak and act through us.

It worked 2000 years ago. With God’s help, it will work for us today.

I look forward to our future together.

Faithfully,

Patrick T. Hoare
Pastor

Inspirational talks, small group discussion, fellowship, prayer, music, great food and the celebration of Mass and reconciliation are all part of this powerful experience that will help you feel a welcome part of the St. Matthew community.

“CRHP made a very large parish become smaller. The talks showed me that there are other Catholic men searching for God’s call just like me.”
   Bob Miles

 “I was feeling spiritually ‘numb’… going through the motions of my faith and wanted to connect with other women at St. Matthew. CRHP gave me the opportunity to hear women speak about their faith journeys. It was an inspiring and amazing 24 hours.”
Roseann Everett

 

Are you new to St. Matthew?
Recently completed RCIA?

Long-time parishioner looking for new ways to connect?

Has your faith life taken a back seat to the busyness of life?

 Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) may be your ANSWER!

Join us for this 24-hour parish renewal
in the peaceful setting of the Waxhaw campus of St. Matthew.

 

WOMEN: October 12-13, 2018

 MEN: November 9-10, 2018

For more information, or to register, click here.

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Prayer is the key to all we do here at St. Matthew. If we are not praying for each other, and for our parish, we can’t hope to serve the Lord and his people to the best of our ability while drawing on his grace. I invite you to join in prayer for our parish and for each other every day at 3 pm. Set your cell phone alarm for 3:00 and stop…no matter what you’re in the middle of….and pray an Our Father for our parish and for intentions.

Let’s count on one another’s prayers!

The release of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report this past week reminds us once again of the terrible crimes that were committed by some members of the clergy, and reveals inexcusable instances of poor judgment, deception, and negligence in the pastoral care of the victims of sexual abuse.  This, and the recent accusations against former Cardinal McCarrick, once again open wounds that cause many of us great pain, and have led some to question our faith and trust in the institution of the Church founded by Christ Himself.

I have had multiple discussions over the past several days with priest friends of mine, and also with the clergy here at St. Matthew.  These reports cause us great pain and in some cases anger toward those entrusted with the authority to administer justice and to keep vulnerable children and adults out of harm’s way.  The priests that I know well answered the call to the priesthood to serve you, to share with you God’s love and mercy, and to bring you the power of the sacraments, and we can’t understand how such abuse and injustice was tolerated by those with the power to stop it.

I humbly ask you to pray with us above all for healing and consolation for those who have been harmed, for justice to be done in each case of abuse, and that the hierarchy would decisively institute additional reforms to prevent this from happening again.  While the Grand Jury report itself acknowledges that much good work has already been done in the last 20 years in responding to reports of abuse, much more is still necessary at the highest levels of the Church to root out any element of evil from among us.

I also ask that, as you pray with us, you also pray for us, the priests and deacons who serve you at this parish, and for all clergy, that we would always live up to our high calling of serving you, the people of God.

 

Prayerfully,

Fr. Patrick T. Hoare

Pastor

Attached you will find a letter from Bishop Jugis and Bishop Zarama in support of immigration reform and the Dreamers. This is the first collaborative letter between the two bishops since the installation of Bishop Zarama in 2017.

Please take a moment out of your busy day to read and stay informed on the stated positions, formed by Catholic social teaching, of the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB).

Bishops’ Letter