Welcome to the Church of Saint Matthew, a faith-filled community located in Tolland, Connecticut. We are a Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Norwich.
We extend a warm welcome to all who attend our church. We hope that you will find our parish community a place where your life of faith will be nourished. We also hope that you will share your special talents within the community.
Your prayers, your presence and your talents are most welcome. Please introduce yourself after Mass.
May God bless all of us.
PASTOR'S REFLECTIONS
January 29, 2011
My Dear Friends in Christ:
Our recent Parish Trip to Haiti was a wonderful
experience for all. There were four of us on the trip this
year: Carol Freedman, John Bouley, Michelle Bouley (John's
daughter who is a school teacher in Florida) and myself. We
arrived on Wednesday, January 18th and returned home this
past Tuesday, January 24th. While in Port-au-Prince, the
capitol city, we stayed in the Norwich Diocese Outreach to
Haiti Mission House. Since the devastating earthquake on
January 12, 2010 which destroyed the previous house, the
Diocese has been renting a house in the Petionville section
of Port-au-Prince. It is quite comfortable and the Haitian
staff make it a very enjoyable place to stay. One of our
Norwich Diocesan priests, Father Frank Rouleau, was there
to host us and he traveled with us during our visit. Father
Frank is assigned to our Haiti Outreach in Port-au-Prince as
Director of the Twinning Program. The new pastor of St.
Pierre Parish, Father Antoine Rene, hosted us for the
weekend. When we arrived there on Friday we visited all the
classes at St. Pierre School. To our amazement the
enrollment has increased to 634 students. The St. Pierre
Parish complex sustained minimal damage from the
earthquake. Father Rene is a wonderful man and a
dedicated priest. We hope to have him come to Tolland for a
visit early this fall. We were able to meet up with two
gentlemen from River Falls, Wisconsin, Patrick O'Malley and
Curt Larsen. They were instrumental in raising the funds for
the construction of the new St. Pierre School. They are also
raising money to pay teacher salaries in the same way we
are doing. Their focus is on the secondary level while ours is
with the primary grades. We want to be able to increase our
funding because the teachers are not being paid at the
proper level for teachers in Haiti. By cooperating with the
Wisconsin effort we hope to remedy this situation. If you
would like to help by sponsoring a child, a teacher or an
entire class at St. Pierre School please see the details on our
web site (www.stmatthewct.org) and donate online or make
a check out to St. Matthew Haiti Fund and mail it to the
parish office. We Have A Mission in Haiti!
Sincerely,
Haiti Earthquake ________________________
For the immediate and desperate needs of the people of Haiti, we recommend direct donations be made online, by mail or by phone to either the Haitian Ministries for the Diocese of Norwich or to Catholic Relief Services by clicking one of the buttons below:
For one-time or recurring donations directly through St. Matthew to St. Pierre Parish and School, please click the link below and choose "Haiti Fund":
Haiti Mission Help a Child in Haiti The St. Matthew Underwriting Campaign for Haiti Mission gives parishioners the opportunity to help a child go to school. Parishioners who would like to support our mission to St. Pierre School in Ganthier may pick up a flyer on our windowsills or at the entrance to the Parish Center, or download a contribution form here. While these are tough economic times in our country, many children in Haiti have no opportunity for an education and don’t know where their next meal will come from. Help us help them! Now!!
Thoughts on Stewardship 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jan. 29, 2012
"Brothers and sisters: I should like you to be free of
anxieties-I Corinthians 7:32
How many anxieties do we bring upon ourselves by
constantly worrying about attaining ever more material
possessions? Yet, God tells us that only the hand that is open
to give can also be open to receive His peace and joy. A heart
or a hand clenched in anxiety and greed can never truly
receive anything.
FAITH FORMATION NEWS
Youth Ministry On January 7th we had our rescheduled Celebration for the 7th and 8th grades.
Back in October and November the kids held a paper turkey drive and raised $1580 for the Tolland Food Bank!
Last night we came together to celebrate their good works.
We had a nice dinner, then we had our own rendition of "Little Red Riding Hood".
We also had a blast playing indoor dodge ball and other fun games!
Our Next Saturday Celebration of Fun for the 7th and 8th Grades will be on March 24th! _____________________________
Habitat for Humanity - Norwich
If you would like to donate to the Habitat for Humanity - Norwich on behalf of St. Matthew's Youth Ministry, please send your donation to:
St. Matthew Youth Ministry
P.O. Box 100
Tolland, CT 06084
For more information please feel free to contact Bridget Thurston at 860-872-0200 x321.
Thank you for supporting St. Matthew's Youth Ministry in their service efforts.
2011 Annual Collection
Every parish family should have received a letter from Father this week asking for a contribution to our Annual Collection to help balance our budget and save for future improvement projects.
The participation of ALL parishioners is essential for the success of this effort.
Many Catholics have inherited their faith without a conscious choice. Many of us have never been exposed to the solid faith formation provided by the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Why Catholic? uses small faith community sharing (or individual study) to reference, read, pray and treasure our rich Catholic heritage. Together we explore the rich history of our Catholic Faith and share out own experiences. You will find you are not the only one who is curious and who wants to explore their Faith.
Come explore why we are Catholic.Our next session starts the week of February 19th and runs for six weeks. This is a great way to observe Lent. The programs meet once a week, and we have days, afternoons and evening sessions available. We will be covering one of these topics each week:
- The Public Life of Jesus
- The Paschal Mystery
-
The Holy Spirit and the Church
- One Church with Diverse Roles
- Mary, Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church
- We Believe in Everlasting Life
Won't you join our small faith communities to share your faith experiences? There is no need to have attended other sessions. If you are part of a group already, please let your Leader know if you plan on returning.
If you would like to experience this faith enriching program, please contact Brenda Falusi at (860) 871-4494.
We will also be having a registration weekend in February, date to be determined, if you would like more information.
We are in need of a few more group leaders. If you would consider helping one of our groups please let Brenda know.
St. Matthews Preschool will be accepting applications for our 3 and 4 year old preschool classes for the 2012-2013 school year. Your child is eligible for these programs if he/she turns 3 or 4 prior to January 1, 2013.
Registration for Parish members begins on Monday, December 19, 2011, and on Monday, January 12, 2012 for non-Parish members. Application forms can be picked up in the Parish Office or downloaded here.
If you have any questions, please contact the Preschool Director, AnnMarie Galdau, by email or by phone at (860) 872-0200.
On January 7th we had our rescheduled Celebration for the 7th and 8th grades.
Back in October and November the kids held a paper turkey drive and raised $1580 for the Tolland Food Bank!
Last night we came together to celebrate their good works.
We had a nice dinner, then we had our own rendition of "Little Red Riding Hood".
We also had a blast playing indoor dodge ball and other fun games!
St. Matthews Preschool will be accepting applications for our 3 and 4 year old preschool classes for the 2012-2013 school year. Your child is eligible for these programs if he/she turns 3 or 4 prior to January 1, 2013.