From the Desk of the Pastor

Dear Family,

       I wanted to take a moment to send this letter to let you know how much we missed meeting together as a church family during this time of battling Coronavirus. My gratitude goes to all our faithful stewards of St. Matthew’s, sharing their time, talent and treasure, during this tough time. You have kept St. Matthew’s alive.

       This year has been a year we will never forget for the rest of our lives, as the coronavirus captured the attention of the world. So many of our traditions have been interrupted in ways we never dreamed possible. It has affected the way we meet together as people; many of our families have experienced separation from loved ones, even if the illness is not associated with coronavirus; there have been many health workers who have gone above and beyond the expected as they strive to help those in need. I am extremely grateful to our civic and church leaders who trusted the people enough to reopen the activities including the church with caution and ongoing commitment.

       As we are approaching the Feast of Pentecost, the commemoration of the coming of the Holy Spirit on the early followers of Jesus, we need to pray, “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your people, rekindle the fire and renew the face of the earth.”  This is a new beginning not only for the early Christians, but for us as well.  Pentecost invites us to consider our own participation in the fellowship, worship and mission of the Church. it is a time to renew our commitment to live as essential members of the Body of Christ using our gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit to build up St. Matthew’s into the best version of itself. We are Resurrection people, we are people of hope. Nothing can stop us from experiencing the joy.

      My congratulations go to the 11 catechumens who are going to be baptized and confirmed, and the 8 who will be received and confirmed on Pentecost Sunday at a special Noon Mass. On June 14^th, during the noon Mass, our 19 holy communicants will be intimately united with Jesus through the reception of the Holy Eucharist.  I am looking forward to sharing the joy of the little holy ones. On June 28^th, we will be graced with the presence of our Bishop Estévez to confirm 24 of our young men and women. They will be anointed to be a blessing to many.

      A word to our graduates of St. Matthew’s and all other schools: Congratulations. Go forth in life to achieve your dreams, but always remember the reasons and people who make your journey worth the trouble.

     Rather than live in fear, let us together approach this challenge in faith. Instead of living in panic and in fear, being reactionary and being self-centered in our response, we have a chance to remain rational and reasoned and to approach this pandemic in a spirit of trust.

 Let me conclude with four ways we can continue our solidarity:

• Pray to God to aid scientists and leaders.
• Act Responsibly. We have a responsibility for each other.
• Respect the space of others.
• Rest in God.

“Behold, I will bring health and healing; I will heal them and reveal to them the abundance of peace and truth-“ - Jer. 33:6

Yours in Christ,

Father Jose

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During these times of uncertainty, our parish continues to spread the Word of God and help those in need in our community. We appreciate your faithful support of our parish efforts. Several of our parishioners have asked how they can continue to support our church since Masses have been suspended. Please consider the options offered here, or our PayPal account linked to the left: Faith Direct: Visit www.faithdirect.net or call (866) 507-8757 Enter our church code: FL655 Enter personal information Add us on Venmo: @StMatthewsJax You can also still send your offertory envelopes by mail to our church office at 1773 Blanding Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32210.

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As we begin to develop plans to start reopening our parish, we must also continue to prepare for Pentecost. Fortunately, Dynamic Parish has provided a series of online weekly events and resources entitled “Path to Pentecost” to help us. We invite you to participate in these activities at home, and share your experiences with us online. This is one of the many benefits we enjoy at part of the Dynamic Parish program, working to become the Best Version of Ourselves. Each week we will engage with you through our website and Facebook page as we continue on our journey through the Easter Season. Below you can find a schedule of these weekly activities, and a link to our "Path to Pentecost" page, where you can find our interactive weekly posts. We truly hope to see you get involved!

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LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
TO THE FAITHFUL FOR THE MONTH OF MAY 2020

From the USCCB

Additional Resources
As a reminder, additional resources for the coronavirus crisis are available. Click here to learn more.

Daily Mass readings can be found at this link:

http://www.usccb.org/calendar/index.cfm?showLit=1&action=month