Our journey at St. Matthew the Apostle Parish began in April 1959, when Bishop Clarence Issenmann of the Diocese of Columbus purchased 11.5 acres of land on Havens Corners Road in Gahanna, Ohio. From that day forward, our parish mission became our parishioner’s life work. As we move forward and plan for the future, we can reflect joyfully at an inspiring past. In the disciplines of Worship, Outreach, Education, and Fellowship, the parish has responded to the needs of a growing community of faithful Catholics throughout its forty-five year history.

St. Matthew Parish is more than just a name, a location on a map, or just a group of buildings. We are a family of faith made up of individuals that love God and their fellow human beings. This is evident by the wide variety of ministries, services, and programs sponsored by our parish. These programs are here because St. Matthew parishioners have a strong commitment to their faith and their neighbors. This commitment to God and family is the lifeblood of St. Matthew.

As Catholics, our journey has a definite objective. It begins in baptism and continues through our participation in the sacraments. Along the way, we are nurtured by our prayer life and love of God. We take comfort in knowing that God has a plan for us as we journey through life. But we, too, have a stake in this plan. For that reason we cannot just sit and wait. We need to take an active role in helping build the kingdom of God while here on earth. In an effort to partner with one another in the same mission, our parish is making every attempt to improve ministries, prayer life, as well as facilities.

In the waning months of the last millennium, St. Matthew embarked on a journey that would change our faith community forever. The road map for our trip is the Generations plan. This plan was announced to the parishioners of St. Matthew, coincident with a series of neighborhood meetings. It is a long-term plan for the parish and the neighborhood meetings were opportunities for our members to learn of the initial stages of the plan, and for those attending the meetings to have input into the plan development. As a follow up to the meetings, a parish wide survey was distributed to request additional input from all our members regarding faith formation, stewardship activities, educational needs, and capital projects. It is our hope that, by inspiring our parish to unify and take ownership of this plan, the Generations vision will become a reality.

Our plan is entitled Generations and our motto is: One Parish • One Family • One Journey.