Church of St. Matthew – Bulletin Insert
October 6, 2024
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time
St. Matthew Welcomes All to Our Parish!
New to the area, joining us for the first time or coming home again? Please consider registering with our parish. You can download the registration form from our website or contact Angela () at the parish office.
Confirmation and First Communion for COS Students
Community of Saints students in Grade 8 who would like to receive the sacrament of Confirmation are welcome in the St Matthew program. Parents/guardians should complete a one-page registration form that can be downloaded from www.st-matts.org/faith-formation/. The first class for COS 8th graders is in the St Matthew Parish Center on Wednesday, October 23, at 6:45 PM.
Community of Saints students in Grades 2 and up who would like to make their First Communion may do so through the Church of St Matthew. Parents/guardians should complete a one-page registration form (downloadable from the web address above) and mark their calendars for Wednesday, November 6, 6:30 PM, when parents and children have a meeting and class in St Matthew church.
Coffee Sunday
Our next Coffee Sunday is October 13 after the Sunday 10:15 AM Mass, hosted by the Parish Council. Come down to the Social Hall and visit with your fellow parishioners. We hope to see you there!
Monthly Scripture Study – Gospel of Luke
St. Matthew is offering a monthly Scripture Study, centering on the Gospel of Luke, facilitated by Zach Czaia. The first meeting is on Tuesday, October 15, from 5:30 to 7:00 PM in the Parish Center Community Room (first floor).
Zach is in touch with Fr. Steve Adrian for reflections for each of the meetings and will work to incorporate those into the prayer and conversations together. As the meetings will be over the dinner hour, please do bring a dish/item to share.
Let Zach know if you’re planning on coming, or if you have any questions about the meeting at .
Attention Parents: ECFFF
Are you interested in an opportunity to connect with other parents in our community? Would you like to deepen your relationship with your child through playful worship and faith sharing? How about helpful discussions on parenting and early childhood?
If so, consider ECFFF: Early Childhood Family Faith Formation. St. Matt’s is starting an ECFFF program, and it welcomes families with children birth to five years old.
An ECFFF Advisory Committee met on September 16 to plan our program before it begins in January.
To help it succeed, we need:
1. Parent Leaders, to facilitate parent conversations. Parent leaders are expected to attend two two-hour online training* sessions. The first opportunity is on October 19.
2. Early Childhood Leaders, to facilitate parent/child group time, circle time, and children’s play. Early Childhood Leaders are also expected to attend two two-hour online training* sessions. The first opportunities are for one session on October 19 and the other on October 26.
3. Early Childhood Assistants, to assist the leaders. Assistants must be age 12 or older.
*Training is free and online, sponsored by St. Matt’s and run through the Early Catholic Family Life (ECFL) program. There is no cost to you.
For more information or to sign up, please contact . Other training dates will be available.
Cristina Czaia
Director of Music and Liturgy
Boy Scout Wreath and Popcorn Sale
Boy Scout Troop 288, chartered by the Community of Saints Regional Catholic School, will be taking orders for their annual Wreath and Popcorn Sale from now through Sunday, October 27, 2024.
Your order will be distributed before and after the Masses the weekend of November 23 and 24. Payments will be collected at distribution.
You can find the order forms and contact information at the back of the church. Please see flyers in the church for pictures of the wreaths.
Baptism Preparation Meetings
At St. Matthew, Baptism Preparation meetings are offered on a regular basis — usually the third week of every month.
The next meetings are on:
- Tuesday, October 15 at 7:00 p.m.
- Saturday, October 19 at 10:30 a.m.
Preparation meetings are required for parents and guardians with children aged six or younger. If you have had a child baptized at St. Matt’s in the last five years, you may waive this requirement — but you’re invited to attend a meeting if you wish.
Registration is required, at least one week in advance. To register — or for more information —please contact Cristina Czaia or call the Parish Office (651-224-9793).
Strawberry Cleaning
It was another successful year for our annual Strawberry Cleaning that took place during the 12 days of Minnesota State Fair. Thanks to the work of many volunteers, the parish earned $4,940.00!
The parish is grateful to all the volunteers who gave time during busy summer schedule to participate in this event.
We especially thank Mary, Kathy, Al, and Tim for coming each morning at 5:00-6:00 AM to receive, organize and set-up for the day.
Eternal Life
Funeral Mass for Peter George Willems was held at St. Matthew on Friday, September 27, 2024.
Please remember Peter and his family in your prayers.
Parish Mailing
We recently mailed our Giving Thanks in November mailing. If you did not received it and would like to be on our parish mailing list, please notify Angela in the parish office (651-224-9793 or ). We want to make sure everyone’s address is up to date.
Prayer Requests
Due to a long list of names on our prayer list, the names are divided into groups and rotated weekly for Prayers of the Faithful. Email Angela () or call the parish office
(651-224-9793) with changes to keep our list up to date.
When requesting to add a loved one’s name to our bulletin and Prayers of the Faithful, we kindly ask you obtain the individual’s permission. Thank you.
Our parish has several ways in which we can pray for others:
We include names of those who need our prayers in our bulletin.
We include names of those who need our prayers in the Prayers of the Faithful during Mass.
You can include names in the Book of Intentions, found in the back of the church.
The Sounds and Sights of Saint Matthew
The Bells of Saint Matthew will ring on October 5, 2024 in memory of John Sperl’s 100th Birthday.
The Bells of Saint Matthew will ring on October 6, 2024 in memory of Bill Brengman.
If you would like to schedule a day to ring the bells or a week to light the sanctuary lamp for your special memory, person or event, please contact the parish office at 651-224-9793 by 1:00 PM, Monday – Thursday.
The Center for Catholic Social Thought has two upcoming events for the Fall:
Love of Neighbor and the Fear of Beggars: A Spirituality of the ‘Common Good’ for our Streets with Professor Kelly Johnson (University of Dayton), Friday, Oct. 18, at 6:30 pm, and Saturday, Oct. 19, at 10:00 am at the Church of the Assumption, St. Paul, MN.
Dorothy Day and the Christian Revolution: Four Talks with Colin Miller on his New Book, We Are Only Saved Together. Tuesdays, Oct. 22, Oct. 29, Nov. 5, and Nov. 12 at 5:30 pm at the Church of the Assumption, St. Paul, MN.
Both events are free of charge. For more information or to register, visit catholicsocialthought.org.
Volunteering with Loaves & Fishes
Loaves & Fishes is a nonprofit organization with a mission to serve free, healthy meals to Minnesotans where the need is greatest. Loaves & Fishes has been serving free community meals from the St. Matthew Social Hall since 2006. Currently, St. Matthew hosts one of the largest free community meals for the organization.
Volunteers work with a Site Coordinator to chop fruits/veggies, complete salads, and finish entrees during the Preparation/Package shift. Throughout the Service Shift, volunteers pass out meals and greet guests in drive-up or walk-up service. They also assist with keeping service materials organized and light cleanup.
Loaves & Fishes is in need of more volunteers! To volunteer at St. Matthew, go to https://app.initlive.com:443/JE/sn85yp14q9vcal to sign up.
For youth participation guidelines, contact Loaves & Fishes Director of Volunteer & Outreach at .
See bulletins and inserts for additional news and events at the Church of Saint Matthew.
Leave a Comment