SUPPORT YOUR PARISH – EFTs Some parishes need to ask their members for extra contributions to finish their fiscal year in the black. (Our fiscal year ends June 30, along with all other Catholic churches and schools in the Archdiocese.) Fortunately, we don’t have to do that at St. Matt’s this year. That’s because of […]
Parish Administrator’s Note – June 19, 2022
SUPPORT YOUR PARISH I’m continually impressed at everyone’s generous support of St. Matt’s mission, whether it be through gifts of time, treasure or talent—or some combination of the three. Mary Leibl’s column regularly addresses time and talent, so I won’t go into those here. Rather, I want to continue talking about money. Last week, I […]
Parish Administrator’s Note – June 12, 2022
PARISH FINANCES I’ve been promising to provide more financial reporting for a few months. Here’s a start, based on our monthly financial reports from our accountant at PASC (Parish Accounting Service Center). Total April contributions were $40,646.56. That’s well over our monthly budget projection of $20,133.33, largely because of Easter season contributions. Compare those results* […]
Parish Administrator’s Note – June 5, 2022
SYNOD AND SYNODALITY Synod is a word derived from synodus, a Greek word meaning assembly. In our Catholic tradition, it’s used to refer to special assemblies—such as the consultative series of gatherings currently underway in our Archdiocese. You might recall kickoff meetings about three years ago, dialed back during the start of the pandemic, and […]
Parish Administrator’s Note – May 29, 2022
APBA, etc. There are several ways St. Matt’s stays connected to the larger church of which we’re a part, i.e., the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. For example, we’ve been participating as a parish in the current synod process—the next step being next weekend, June 3-5. More on that in next week’s bulletin. For […]
Parish Administrator’s Note – May 22, 2022
COUNCILS This is a “Listening Weekend”. That means that members of our Parish Council stay after both Masses and, well, listen to parishioners. Feel free to say hello to the members, share your perspective on the parish, and ask any questions on your mind. I think these listening sessions are a great way to stay […]
Parish Administrator’s Note – May 15, 2022
More Council Reports Our Finance and Parish councils last met on Thursday, April 28. (Councils meet almost every month, normally on the 4th Thursday of each month.) Last week, I wrote a bit about the Finance Council, noting that our finances are generally in good shape. We are paying our bills. Thank you for your […]
Who will answer the call?
The Community of St. Matthew includes more than parishioners. Loaves and Fishes, St. Mary’s Clinic, Casa Guadalupana, People of Praise and Quantum STEAM Academy all benefit from St. Matthew’s presence on the West Side. And these programs serve many people, well beyond the parish membership. We need strong parish leadership to continue to be the […]
Social Media Policy
The Church of Saint Matthew has a website, a Facebook page, and a Twitter channel. In the future, the church may have a presence on other social media platforms. It is important that any and all things posted on the Church’s website or other social media platforms adhere to the policies and practices of both […]
St. Matthew’s Parish Pastoral Council
We invite all parish members to consider serving on the Pastoral Council. Serving on the council is a ministry to the whole parish. There are nine members who serve a 2 year term with a maximum of 6 years. We operate by consensus. Consensus decision-making is a group decision-making process in which group members develop, […]
Pentecost and Beyond! Part 4, Constitution and Bylaws of the Church of Saint Matthew
This past weekend we were blessed with the wonderful opportunity to commemorate the 50thanniversary of the 1968 fire from which a community emerged to regroup, rebuild, and resume their faith-filled lives. A sincere and abundant thank-you to Karen Thompson and all the people she worked with who made the remembering possible and “blazing forward” a […]
We Flourish! Part 3, Constitution and Bylaws of the Church of Saint Matthew
The warmth of spring is finally here! People are beginning to dig in their gardens preparing the soil for seeds and plants that will be watched over and cared for as they grow. It is likely this agricultural image that inspired Jesus to proclaim, “I am the vine you are the branches. Whoever remains in […]
Still “Blazing Forward!” Part 2, Constitution and Bylaws of the Church of Saint Matthew
The mid-April Snowstorm of 2018 may have dampened but it did not extinguish the “Blazing Forward” spirit of organizers and volunteers led by Karen Thompson to commemorate the 1968 Easter Monday fire that destroyed the Church of St. Matthew. It is the same spirit that joined parishioners, including many of you, to rebuild a brick and […]
Our Mission: Part 1, Constitution and Bylaws of the Church of Saint Matthew
Over the next few weeks, we celebrate the life-giving resurrection of Jesus, look forward to the eternal promises of Easter, and welcome the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. During this time, I believe it is important for us to take a look at the Constitution and By-Laws of the Church of St. Matthew ratified on April […]
Parish Pastoral Council
Parish Pastoral Council The Parish Pastoral Council is a group of lay leaders who gather with the pastor to guide and oversee the pastoral direction of the parish. The Council meets monthly and operates on the principle of consensus to conduct its work. Send your comments and suggestions to the Parish Pastoral Council via the […]
