Posted on: November 12, 2015

Come, Encounter Christ!

Renew and energize your personal relationship with Jesus through a dynamic worship experience featuring inspirational preaching, uplifting live music, Eucharistic adoration, and opportunities for private confession!

Have you wondered what it's like to encounter the living Christ?
Have you longed to share your deepest concerns and hear Him speak into your heart? Come, Encounter Christ! will help you to experience the living Christ and inspire you to know Him more.

Dates - Times
December 13- December 15
Sunday 7:00- 8:30pm
Monday 7:00 - 8:30 pm
Tuesday 7:00 - 9:00 pm

Click image below to view the flyer.

Posted on: November 4, 2015

Sister Karen Eklund, IHM

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Sister Karen Eklund, IHM. Please remember Sister in your thoughts and prayers. Her many years of service to the parishioners and families of St. Matthew will never be forgotten. 

Go in Peace Sister, the Lord has called you home.

The Remembrance ceremony taking place on Saturday at 4 PM will be live streamed, and can be accessed at the following link:
 

http://livestream.com/accounts/6994635

Posted on: October 25, 2015

Priesthood Sunday

Priesthood Sunday is a special day set aside to honor the priesthood in the U.S. It is a day to reflect upon and affirm the role of the priesthood in
the life of the Church as a central one. It is designed to be an event led by the parishioners and calls us to the realization that there is a real need for vocations to keep the priesthood vital.

Today, we take this opportunity to honor our pastor, Father Duane Novelly. We thank him for his blessings and his prayers, for bringing us the sacraments, and for celebrating the highest prayer of all, the Eucharist, with us. We thank him for his wonderful teachings empowering us to a spiritual renewal and an understanding of the Scriptures.

We thank him for his dedication to our parish of St. Matthew and the many hours of care and concern he has spent on our behalf. We thank him for the growth of our community and for the times when we have played and laughed together. 

We wish Father Duane a long, happy, and healthy life as he continues to do his “Father’s work.”

God Love You, Father Duane,
from Your Parishioners

Posted on: October 25, 2015

SOCK Campaign

Dear Parishioners of St. Matthew:

Thank you for your support of our 43rd annual SOCK celebration memorial / signature drive ensuring the success of our Capuchin Soup Kitchen. Inspired by St. Francis of Assisi, people’s basic needs are tended to such as the need for food.

Your gift will help us continue to provide services which have benefited the people of our community for over 85 years. We are grateful to have you as a partner in this very special mission - feeding bodies, nourishing spirits, and strengthening communities.

Parishioners’ Cash Donations:       $660
Parishioners’ Check Donations:     $865
Total:                                                  $1,525

Gratefully yours,
Br. Jerry Smith, OFM Cap.
Executive Director

Posted on: September 20, 2015

Feast of St. Matthew the Evangelist

Tomorrow we celebrate the feast of St. Matthew. There is a passage in a homily of St. Bede the Venerable, commenting on Matthew’s call and the banquet that he then gave for Jesus.

“To see a deeper understanding of the great celebration Matthew held at his house, we must realize that he not only gave a banquet for the Lord at his earthly residence, but far more pleasing was the banquet set in his own heart which he provided through faith and love. Our Savior attests to this: ‘Behold I stand at the door and know; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.’

“On hearing Christ’s voice, we open the door to receive Him, as it were, when we freely assent to His promptings and when we give ourselves over to doing what must be done. Christ, since He dwells in the hearts of His chosen ones through the grace of His love, enters so that He might eat with us and we with Him. He ever refreshes us by the light of His presence insofar as we progress in our devotion to and longing for the things of heaven. He Himself is delighted by the such a pleasing banquet.” (Liturgy of the Hours) 

In the Gospel of Matthew, his name appears in the list of apostles and is identified at his call as a man named Matthew, sitting at his custom post, or as Matthew the tax collector. Other gospel traditions identify him as Levi. 

Tradition credits him as the author of the gospel that bears his name. We know nothing of his later life; however, it is thought that he preached in Judea and later in Ethiopia where he was martyred.

The Gospel of Matthew has a unique point of view, namely, to show Jesus as the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament. Matthew wants to make a point for a Jewish audience that “Jesus Messiah is the new Moses and the new Israel, and the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.” There are 41 references to the Old Testament in his gospel, and 37 of them are introduced with “that it might be fulfilled.”

Jesus is shown as a teacher who is superior to the rabbis. A long summary of the teaching of Jesus is given as the Sermon the Mount which is a kind of “catechism of Christian conduct.” The miracles show Jesus as the messianic wonderworker. The kingdom of Heaven / or of God is presented as a present and also a future reality, and is identified with eternal life. 

We ask St. Matthew to bless this parish as our patron hoping we will remain a beacon of light and a sign of hope on this eastside of Detroit.

Posted on: August 26, 2015

Welcome New Parishioners!

Please Welcome Our New Parish Family!

Brian and Barbara Scott

We hope you find a happy spiritual home here in our St. Matthew Parish community.

Posted on: August 16, 2015

Congratulations!

Congratulations!

The University of Detroit Jesuit High School & Academy Announces Its
Second Semester Honor Students.

St. Matthew Parish Congratulates Patrick Dunstone for Achieving Second Honors!

Posted on: August 2, 2015

From the Loft!

Hi, everyone! For those who haven’t had the chance to meet me, my name is Jim Renfer. I will begin this fall studying organ and vocal
performance at U of M, and I am very excited to be part of this community here at St. Matthew. I look forward to sharing my love of our Catholic Faith and passion for sacred music with all of you! If anyone has any questions/comments about the liturgical music, please come up and talk to me after Mass.

A note about the upcoming choir season. Choir season is almost upon us! Rehearsals will be held Sunday morning at 8:30 am. Rehearsals will begin on Sunday, August 23, to allow for a few weeks of practice before the choir starts to sing at Mass in September.

This season we will have a strong focus on polyphonic (harmonic) choral singing, and will include choral arrangements of the propers and ordinaries of the Mass, as well as anthems on important feast days, along with the usual hymn singing.

I would like to extend an invitation to join the choir. Choir is an excellent way to become more involved in the parish and to give our time and talent back to God Who gave them to us. 

The ability to read music is helpful but not necessary to join. I know that this congregation houses many good singers, and I ask all of you to prayerfully consider joining this wonderful ministry. Information will be posted on the parish website, so be sure to check under the “Music Ministry” section for updates.

I’ll be posting the weekly musical selections, so please check it out at stmattewdetroit.com.