The mission of St. Matthew Catholic Church is to gather the faithful into the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church, to proclaim and teach the saving message of Christ, and to practice the charity of the Lord in all circumstances of life, especially to the least, the poor, and the suffering.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). Our relationship with the vine, Jesus, is established with baptism and is nourished through Scripture, personal prayer, and especially through the sacraments. This occurs in relationship with the Church, specifically, the parish community. It is the responsibility of the parish to teach the important truths of salvation, to provide for preparation for reception of the sacraments and to enlighten the faithful on the rights and responsibilities of our baptism. Our individual homes are the domestic Church. The Gospel message is primarily taught in the home and children learn the doctrines of the faith. Parents are living examples of the Gospel message through a life in communion with God.

Pope Benedict XVI encourages us to take an active, conscientious, and responsible part in the mission of the Church. He directs us to see our daily activities as opportunities to join ourselves with God, to fulfill His will, to serve other people and to lead others to communion with God in Jesus Christ. As members of the Church we are called to spread the Gospel to others. In this way, the Gospel can reach as many places as there are daily lives of the individual members of the lay faithful.

Not only are we called to teach and proclaim, we are also called to live the commandment of love. Christ manifested the love and mercy of the Father through His passion and death. He lived as a servant to others. In imitating Christ, we reach out to others, especially to the poor and the suffering. Our hands become Christ’s hands in our community. By serving others, we serve Him. St. Matthew, our patron, tells us that Jesus instructed His apostles, “Teach them to carry out everything I have commanded you. And know that I am with you always, until the end of the world!” (Matthew 1:28:20). Guided by this directive and promise, we continue to live in relationship with Jesus in the liturgical and sacramental life of the Church, to teach and proclaim the good news of the Gospel to our parish and to the community, and to dedicate ourselves to serve God and one another.