Please take a few minutes each day to watch the video reflection, pray the Our Father at 3 pm, and look for ways to extend kindness.
Today’s reflection is offered by Carolyn Klika.
For past reflections, please click here to visit our YouTube channel.
Click here for a copy of the Lenten Companion Guide.
Family Prayer Service
Until we are able to once again gather for the celebration of Mass, please join us on MATTtv for the daily and Sunday Masses.
As an additional resource, the following prayer service is perfect for sharing prayer and the Mass readings with your family.
Begin in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Pray
I confess to Almighty God
and to you my brothers and sisters
that I have greatly sinned
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the angels and Saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
Read the readings of the day, which can be found at http:/usccb.org/bible/readings/, or in books like Our Daily Bread, Magnificat.
Pray the Apostle’s Creed
I believe in God,
the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
Prayers of Petition
Spend a moment offering prayers of petition for the Church and the Holy Father, the world and your family, for those you love and for those you know are in need.
Pray the Our Father
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Pray
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us. (two times) Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
Pray
Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
Make a Spiritual Communion
Close your eyes, picture Jesus standing next to you and pray: My Jesus, I believe that you are truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things, and I long for you in my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come now spiritually into my soul. As I await the next opportunity to attend Holy Mass and receive You sacramentally in Holy Communion, I wish for your indwelling in my soul. Amen.
Close by praying the Hail Mary and Saint Michael the Archangel prayers.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Saint Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do you, o Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
March 14, 2020
While we are unable to attend Holy Mass, please make an act of spiritual communion:
My Jesus, I believe that you are truly present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
I love you above all things, and I long for you in my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come now spiritually into my soul. As I await the next opportunity to attend Holy Mass and receive You sacramentally in Holy Communion, I wish for your indwelling in my soul.
A delayed stream of the Mass will be available beginning at 10 am each day, Monday through Saturday, and 9 am each Sunday at the following:
Parish Website www.stmatthewcatholic.org/mass
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/stmatthewcatholic
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stmatthewcatholic/
Sincerely yours,
Father John Allen
Parochial Administrator
St. Matthew Catholic Church
Hospital-grade medical disinfectant has been applied to all hard surfaces in the Church,narthex and narthex restrooms and will continue to be applied weekly. We will continue to evaluate all information and will increase the frequency of the application of the disinfectant as needed.
CATHOLICtV. During the COVID-19 pandemic, CatholicTV wants to make sure all Catholics have access to the Mass. They just launched a new, simplified website where you can watch daily and Sunday Masses from their studio chapel. English Mass Sunday-Friday, English and Spanish Mass on Sunday. Please share this resource! Watchthemass.com
FORMED: The Catholic Faith. On demand. Get thousands of movies, programs, audio, and books instantly.
Want to create a new St. Matthew FORMED account?
Already have a FORMED Account?
FLOCKNOTE. Register for a Flocknote account to stay in touch. Text SMCCC to 84576 or visit stmatthewcharlotte.flocknote.com. Flocknote also now gives you access to Word on Fire ENGAGE, with Bishop Robert Baron! Once you have a Flocknote account, visit World on Fire Online Digital from Flocknote to watch any of the videos whenever you want without ever having to login. Your have this button on your Flocknote dashboard once you register.
Have you tried connecting to Flocknote, only to become frustrated because you are told your record already exists, or perhaps doesn’t exist at all? Let us help! When data was imported from our current database to Flocknote, there was a good bit of conflicting information, including old, unused email addresses and phone numbers. Oh the blessings of a large, engaged parish, with so many registered families. Help us help you. Send us your preferred contact information for parish communications, and we’ll clean up our records. Please include: Name/Email/Cell Phone (One per adult, as two people cannot share the same contact information, or if you prefer one contact for your household, let us know who that should be.) It’s a big job getting a clean database, but once we do, Flocknote will provide a great tool to the parish, for everything from our monthly e-news to small group and ministry communications. You will be able to choose which ministries and groups you belong to, and what information you want to receive. Please send your contact information to communications@stmatthewcatholic.org and we’ll take it from there. Thank you for helping us do our best to keep our parish family informed and connected.
MAGNIFICAT. During this difficult time, many of the faithful may be unable to attend Mass. To help them sanctify their day and to keep walking in the liturgical rhythm of the Church, we are honored to make our online version of MAGNIFICAT temporarily available to everyone for free.
Please help us spread this message and share this link: www.magnificat.com/free with as many people as you can. Free temporary access is also available in Spanish:
www.magnificat.com/gratis.
Shared by the Diocese of Charlotte:
Criminals are using public concern over the COVID-19 virus as a weapon to entice you into clicking on a link or going to a website so they can wreak havoc, steal information, plant malware, etc. Be on the lookout for emails, text messages, phone calls, etc. regarding the Corona virus outbreak.
Suspicious communications might contain information regarding a vaccine, a cure, a chance to invest in a cure or vaccine, expert advice for protection or prevention, interesting facts or videos about the disease, links to products like hand sanitizers, soaps, masks, gloves, etc. Do not be fooled.
A good practice is to view all forms of communication from people you do not know with caution. This includes websites, web links in emails, email attachments, text messages with links, phone calls, etc. Another good practice is to avoid clicking links to information, videos, etc. presented to you on social media sites.
If you feel a need to find information about the COVID-19 outbreak, go directly to the source. Only use official websites from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Mecklenburg County Public Health Department, NC Division of Health & Human Services, etc. Be careful that you do not click on ads when searching for websites.
If you or your child are planning on pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree, check out the flyer below for several scholarship opportunities offered by our parish. More information can be found at the following links:
For the adult Journey of Faith scholarship application and information, click this link: 2020 Journey of Faith Adult Scholarship Application
For the teen Journey of Faith scholarship application and information, click this link: 2020 Journey of Faith Scholarship Application
The application can be returned via mail to the parish office or via email to journey@stmatthewcatholic.org .
For the Teen Stewardship Scholarship information and the application, visit: stmatthewcatholic.org/teenstewardshipscholarship
In response to the Covid-19 coronoavirus, please see the letter from Bishop Jugis, attached in the link below.
Your offertory giving supports more than just the 100 plus ministries of St. Matthew. St. Matthew is a tithing parish. Over 10% of our offertory collections are given away to charity to fund various national and international needs. In addition, St. Matthew extends a helping hand through our diocesan collections, Catholic schools tuition assistance and the Diocesan Support Appeal. Because of our parishioners’ generosity, St. Matthew was able to contribute a total of over $3,000,000 during 2019! Click here for the 2019 Tithing Report.
The Small Groups Team has opened online sign-ups for small groups! Look around on the Small Groups page and see if you can find a group that would be right for you!
If you need help, email the Small Groups Team at smallgroups@stmatthewcatholic.org!
We’ve got three different children’s choirs, and we need YOUR child to come join us for the fun! We raise our voices in praise of our God and sing at Masses several times throughout the year. For more info and links to each choir, see below .
Boys’ Choir (3rd – 8th grade boys) New this season!!!! Our Boys’ Choir welcomes older boys who love to sing, and who will thrive in a fun community of like-minded friends. The Boys’ Choir co-leads the congregation in song (with the Girls’ Choir) at 9 a.m. Mass every second Sunday of the month from October through May. Rehearsals: Every second and fourth Thursday, September through May, from 6 to 6:50 pm, in the choir room at the main campus. Just come to the choir room and get ready to sing! Time commitment: 50 minute rehearsals twice monthly, plus 1.5 hours for Mass once a month.
Girls’ Choir (3rd – 8th grade girls) Calling all older girls who love to sing and want to become part of a fun ministry of friends. The Girls’ Choir co-leads the congregation in song (with the Boy’s Choir) at 9 a.m. Mass every second Sunday of the month from October through May. Rehearsals: Every first and third Thursday, September through May, from 6 to 6:50 pm, in the choir room at the main campus. Just come to the choir room and get ready to sing! Time commitment: 50 minute rehearsals twice monthly, plus 1.5 hours for Mass once a month.
The Grace Notes Children’s Choir (K – 2nd grade children) This choir is a fun, uplifting, and positive way to introduce the young child to the church choir. Your child will strengthen his or her relationship with Jesus, while having a great time singing, dancing and playing through music. The Grace Notes sing a prelude to four Sunday Masses during the choir season. Rehearsals: Every first and third Thursday, September through May, from 5 to 5:30 pm, in the choir room at the main campus. Just come to the choir room and get ready to sing! Time commitment: 30 minute rehearsals twice monthly, plus 1.5 hours for Mass four times during the choir season.
It is time for an update!
How long have you been a member of St. Matthew? Our parish records are showing signs of age. Most of the information in our database was provided when you registered at St. Matthew. Much of it is outdated, particularly phone numbers and email addresses. We have reached out via email to as many households as possible, but if we have not reached you, please take a few moments to to complete the census electronically. Click here to access the census.
We want to stay in touch. Thank you!
The purpose of the Diocesan Support Appeal (DSA) is to help provide the annual funding necessary to carry out the mission of our diocese – namely to fulfill our call to “grow ever more perfectly into a community of praise, worship and witness, and to become a leaven of service and sign of peace through love in the Piedmont and Western North Carolina.” The DSA provides funding for the ministerial arm of the diocese.
The DSA provides support for more than 20 services that Catholic Charities of Charlotte offers throughout the diocese. The appeal also provides funding for the Housing Ministry, Education Ministries (providing over 30 different services), Multicultural Ministries, Eucharistic Congress, and Vocations. Some of these ministries provide services beyond the scope of individual parishes and some exist for the sole purpose of assisting parishes in their own mission to teach, evangelize and serve.
To make your pledge, click here.
