A big thank you to Alex Lamp and family for sharing a puzzle with our Jaguars in the library!  We love puzzles! 

This weekend we will have Coffee & Donuts after our Sunday morning Masses in Kearn Hall.  Please consider signing up to help serve and clean up this Sunday or at one of our future Coffee & Donuts.  Instructions on what to do are provided and sign up is included below.

During the remainder of January through February (and potentially March), the St. Matthew Community News will introduce you to some of our key staff members.  These are the folks that, behind the scenes and oftentimes unnoticed, offer spiritual guidance, education, and administrative skills to keep our St. Matthew Catholic Community running smoothly. 

We believe it is important for you to know what programs and services are available to you, especially with so many new programs being implemented.  It is also important for you to physically see who your contact person is.

We will be inviting staff members to speak at Mass and share their stories with you.  If you happen to miss their message at Mass, you will also find a copy of their presentation included in the Jaguar Journal, the Matt’s Messenger, and in the bulletin.

Programs under the direction of Megan Moore:

Dear St. Matthew Community Members,

My name is Megan Moore and I am the Director of Faith Formation here at St. Matthew. You may be wondering, “What does Director of Faith Formation even mean?” Oftentimes it means “duties as assigned” by Fr. Loecke, the main part, though, is that I create and execute a vision and plan to help every person in this community grow in their faith and as disciples of Jesus Christ. That’s a pretty big job.

While I have only been at St. Matthew for a little over a year and a half, I have almost ten years of experience in ministry, both in parish settings as well as in the classroom as a middle school and high school theology teacher. I came to St. Matthew in July of 2020 at a time when we were very much dormant as a parish in the pandemic. A majority of the programs and ministries run by my predecessors had all but ceased and so I had a blank canvas to work with.

At that time, most programming was virtual, lacking in a communal aspect and the fellowship that we crave. Family formation for elementary students and their parents was a packet sent home once per month, as was preparation for the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Communion. Youth ministry for middle school and high school students alternated between meeting in person and online, and when we met in person only about 6-8 students attended regularly. Preparation for Confirmation was completely online, and the only adult formation opportunities were virtual or on your own. I think it’s safe to say that things were kind of bleak, but I’m nothing if not a go-getter, so I took that blank canvas and worked to build a fairly comprehensive program that is continuing to grow and improve with each month that passes.

The first and most obvious issue to tackle was meeting in person. Every program we run this year has been able to meet in person (for the most part) and it has made all the difference. We are not meant to be alone. We are meant to be with others walking on our journey of faith together. Secondly, I identified gaps in the programming we offer to this community. After children receive the Sacraments of First Reconciliation and First Communion in second grade, they basically disappeared until sixth grade when we invited them to participate in middle school youth ministry. To fill this void we created Pre Youth Ministry, a once per month gathering for students in grades 3-5 to engage with their peers and continue to grow in their faith in those in between years. This program did not exist prior to the Fall 2021, and we have had 13 students in grades 3-5 attend each month since it began.

Over this past Summer, we transitioned our middle school and high school youth ministry to our new youth room (formerly the faith formation room). I can’t quite articulate how awesome it is to see these young people come alive in a space that is entirely their own. Our youth ministry program has grown by approximately 400%. That’s not an exaggeration. Last year, we had an average of 6-8 young people attending each week, and this year, we have upwards of 40 students in grades 6-12. Gathering with them on Wednesday nights is, without a doubt, one of my favorite parts of my job. These young people are awesome.

We’ve also begun to plan and implement more opportunities for our young people to grow in their faith and become leaders. Students in tenth grade prepare to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, however, engaging these young people after they are confirmed has been severely lacking. Last year, one recently-confirmed teen returned to help with Confirmation, and this year, four recently-confirmed teens returned to help with Confirmation. Beyond assisting with this preparation process, we have plans in the works to engage these juniors and seniors in opportunities that we are actively rolling out to grow in their faith and grow as leaders, including discipleship small groups, service projects, and trips over the summer months to Kansas and Colorado. I firmly believe that it is crucial to invest our time and efforts in these young people as they grow up so that they have a firm foundation of faith and community as they venture into the world beyond high school.

The third and final element of faith formation that I would like to mention is adult faith formation. The pandemic halted most of our adult opportunities for education and fellowship. Thanks to some very dedicated volunteers, we have been able to offer a few opportunities including some Bible studies from Ascension Press and some book study/faith sharing opportunities for the women of our community. However, given that a majority of our population here at St. Matthew are adults, I think it is high time that we offer more opportunities for our adults to grow in their faith and connect with one another in this community. As 2022 continues to unfold, my plan is to work with other staff members and volunteers to provide quality offerings for the adults of St. Matthew Catholic Community. While I have lots of ideas bouncing around my brain, I personally thrive when I am collaborating with others, so this is my invitation to you, the people of St. Matthew, to work with me to establish the programming that nourishes you and your fellow community members. We have a good foundation, and I plan to offer more opportunities for adults in our community to be engaged. Let’s do this together. As our new mission statement clearly conveys, we are joyfully transforming lives, and it is truly fulfilling work. I look forward to what the future holds for this faith community. Thank you for your time and God bless you.

Peace & Prayers,

Megan