Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle 
Washington, D.C.
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My dear parishioners,

What a wild and wonderful summer!
First - time to get to know our new Archbishop, Wilton Gregory - a fantastic experience. He is down to earth, approachable, pastoral, compassionate, and simply enjoyable. He really wants to get to know us and help us to heal from all that happened last year, and before. I hope you will experience his presence when he celebrates Mass at St. Matthew's this fall or winter.
Clergy Changes & More New Faces in the New Year
Then the bittersweet - sending off Fr. Conrad Murphy as the Archbishop's priest-secretary and Fr. Agustín López as a missionary with Neo-catechumenal Way, and welcoming newly ordained Fr. John Benson , and Fr. Martino Choi . I spent a few days helping them to acclimate before heading off for a great 20th vacation with Msgr. Amey and Fr. Gardiner in Emerald Isle, NC! I hope you, too, made time to relax, recreate and renew with family and friends this summer.
Soon we will see more smiling faces - two Sisters from the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara community, and 11 seminarians begin ministries here this month! The latter are assigned from Theological College (my alma mater), the Dominicans , the Paulists , and the Institute of the Incarnate Word . We all enjoy these enthusiastic young people as they spread the Gospel message in new ways. Thank you for greeting and welcoming them!
Another change - after many years of faithful service chairing our parish Finance Council, Aldona Robbins has stepped down as she and her husband move further out in Virginia. Aldona's skills as an economist have been a great asset to the parish; we send her our thanks, prayers and best wishes. Council member Jim Holm , who knows our parish and its finances well, takes over as chair. Let's keep the Finance Council and Business Manager, Pam Erwin, in our prayers as they face real challenges ahead.
Sacramental Life
Each August parishes share with the Archdiocese statistics on sacramental life. Take a look at the summary below - believe it or not, the 63 Cathedral weddings this past year do not include the many couples we prepare for marriage elsewhere. The hours that Fr. John and I spend each week with engaged couples are so rewarding - we love it! And even after 24 years at St. Matthew's, baptism requests and surprise visits from 'my couples,' often with children in tow, are still a delight. Be assured that our sacramentally and spiritually vibrant parish adds so much to your priests' lives!
Financial Health
Our financial picture, unfortunately, is not as vibrant, though with God all things are possible!

To summarize from the Collections chart below, our major income sources this past year were consistently down from the previous year - the weekly offertory, the monthly second collection for Cathedral maintenance, Christmas and Easter collections, and our Christmas Friends of the Cathedral appeal.
While the past year's income declined, expenses went up , particularly amounts due the Archdiocese. In response we enacted substantial expense cuts to balance the budget, and ended the year with a small surplus (1.3% of actual expenses). See the Income and Expenses chart below, which lists the past year's figures from the 2018-2019 financial statement recently approved by the Finance Council. 
The declines in the offertory collection and other income sources are continuing . The Finance Council and the Parish Council's Stewardship Committee have been tasked with addressing the income decline. Without a reversal of the downward trend, we will run a large deficit this year. The Finance Council recently approved our 2019-2020 budget , which totals $2,733,992, reflecting a projected deficit of $91,563 . Note that these figures emerged after several rounds of additional expense cuts during the 2019-2020 budget process .
Participation in the Abundance of God
While the Finance Council and Stewardship Committee take up their work, a reminder - just as grace is a participation in the life of God, so stewardship is a participation by all of us in His abundance. Just as we receive from God's abundance, so we must give from it.

Here's a fact: over the course of a year, only one-third of our parishioners give an identifiable offertory gift . If the rest of our households would give even $5 weekly, we could erase our deficit. I ask you - please assess what you can afford to give and enroll in Faith Direct , our e-giving program. Currently, 795 parishioners already give through Faith Direct. Thank you for considering the use of this lifeline between you and the body of our parish community!
A Taste of What's Coming up at St. Matthew's
Below are a few late summer and early fall highlights.
Health & Wellness Fair, Sunday, September 15 - Free blood pressure, cholesterol, HIV/AIDS and vision screenings are among this year's offerings, from 9:30am to 3:30pm in the North and East Conference Rooms.
Great Organ Dedicatory Recital & Reception, Friday, September 20 - Our Great Organ Inaugural Concert Series begins on the Vigil of the Feast of St. Matthew with a 7:30pm recital by Nathan Laube, one of the finest young organists in the world. Join us for the recital and reception following.
Parish Patronal Feast, September 21 - 22 - We celebrate the Feast of St. Matthew , our parish patronal saint and patron saint of civil servants, at the 8am and 12:10pm Masses on Saturday, September 21 (his actual feastday), and on Sunday, September 22 at the 11:30am and 1pm Masses. A special blessing for civil servants will be given at the 11:30am Sunday Mass. Join us for hospitality receptions after the 8:30am, 10am (Latin), 11:30am and 1pm (Spanish) Masses!
Bilingual Mass for Migrants and Refugees, Sunday, September 29 - Bishop Mario Dorsonville will celebrate the 1pm Mass at the Cathedral - a special bilingual Mass in prayer for migrants and refugees on World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2019. Please invite your colleagues, family and friends to join us in prayer for this cause.
"Healing our Church" Series, starts Sunday, September 29 - Franz Kuo and Theresa Prymuszewski will lead this 6-session series by RENEW International that responds to the sexual abuse crisis in the Church and aims to help the faithful with the healing process.
Guest Speaker - Author and Survivor of Clergy Sexual Abuse, Thursday, October 20 - Teresa Pitt Green, author of "Veronica's Veil: Spiritual Companionship for Survivors of Abuse," will speak at the Cathedral at 7pm. Ms. Green addressed the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at their annual meeting in November 2018.
Call for Adopt-a-Family Christmas Sponsors - Last year 66 needy families, 100+ guests of our Homeless Ministry, L’Arche community residents, and children from DC General family shelter received Christmas gifts through this communal effort. Find out how you can "adopt" a family or individual this year.

Wow - so much is happening! Please be with us when and where you can. See you in and 'round the Cathedral!

I look forward to our working and praying and building an even better parish community.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Rev. Mgsr. W. Ronald Jameson
Rector, Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle
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