In this edition:

Easter Mission in Dupont Circle

First Holy Communion

Mystical Word - What's it all about?

Blessing of The Holy Family Painting

Parish Council Update

Laudato Si' Week

& more!

Masses

Saturday, May 6 at 5:30pm (Vigil)

Sunday, May 7 at 7am, 9am (First Holy Communions), 11am,

1pm (en español) (Presentación) & 5:30pm (Interpreted for the Deaf) 

Online Offertory options | PayPal & FaithDirect

See Livestreams webpage for links.

Daily reflections & links to Mass readings, May 7 - 13

Jesus, Protagonist of our Lives

Pope Francis reminds us of Jesus' words in Sunday's Gospel: "'I am the Way' (v. 6). Jesus is the way to go up to Heaven: to have a living relationship with him, to imitate him in love, to follow in his footsteps. ... the way of humble love, of prayer, of meekness, of trust, of service to others. ... It is the way of Jesus, who is the protagonist of my life." (May 10, 2020, Regina Caeli)

First Holy Communion

Twenty children will receive their First Holy Communion at the 9am Mass on Sunday, May 7, celebrated by Msgr. Jameson. We are grateful to the First Communion parents for participating with their children in regular workshops led by our Faith Formation Coordinator over the past year.

Let us pray,

—for the sick, especially Patricia Castro, Michael Harrill, Eileen Elvin, Geralda Masi, Katie Roland, Peter Tan, Wayne Mullings, Theodore Merkle, Jr., Debbie Fairchild Harding, Vic Harding, Dr. Robert Ryan, Mary & Carl Milewski, Therese Fergo, Maria Gianino, Yolanda Mendez Acevedo, Anne Rader, Robyn Nishimi, Paul Gruber, and Blanca Rose Juarez;

—for the recently deceased, especially Ruth Corrin and Dolores de Armas;

—for our 20 First Communicants; and

—that ecclesial movements and groups may daily rediscover their evangelizing mission, and that they place their own charisms at the service of the world’s needs (Pope Francis' May Prayer Intention) WATCH THE VIDEO

Easter Mission

Fr. John Benson gives an Easter Mission on Sunday afternoons through May 14 in Dupont Circle, and on Monday and Thursday evenings in our East Conference Room from May 15 to 25. All are welcome! Come this Sunday at 2:30pm!

Faith Formation

Effortlessly Happy: The Way of Jesus

L.J. Milone teaches a new Tuesday night, in-person series that explores Jesus’ way of spiritual liberation, reflecting on Jesus' sayings, parables, and discourses in various translations and through the Greek original text. We meet in the East Conference Room from 7 to 9pm.

SEE THE FLIER

Meditation Sessions

Drop in for a meditation session with instruction and practice, offered by L.J. Milone twice a week on Zoom (Sunday afternoons at 1:30pm and Wednesday evenings at 8pm), and in-person in the St. Francis Chapel (Mondays & Wednesdays at 12:45pm).

June Book Club Selection

"Jesus Before Christianity," by Father Albert Nolan, a South African Dominican priest and theologian, is the subject of the Cathedral Book Club discussion on Thursday, June 29. First published in 1976, it inspired Sr. Helen Prejean who maintained, "This book, with its telling title, is the most compelling book about Jesus that I have ever read."

A Word on "The Mystical Word"

What are These Reflections All About?

L.J. Milone reflects on his weekly reflections:

"This week, instead of talking about the Gospel, it might help to discuss the nature of 'The Mystical Word.' This column reflects on the Gospel and contemporary life from a mystical perspective. Taking its cue from the way the Christian mystics have proclaimed God’s love for us, I have used unique, different, and provocative words to goad us into not only seriously thinking about what the Gospel means for us, but also to get us into following Jesus. As such, it inevitably comes into conflict with more conventional ways of understanding our faith." READ MORE

Ministerio Hispano

Misa del V Domingo de Pascua (en español) (Presentación en Misa)

7 de mayo a la 1pm

Vea nuestra página web de transmisiones en vivo para obtener enlaces a YouTube y al Programas.

Bendición del Cuadro de la Sagrada Familia

¡Gracias a todos los que han apoyado la misión del Comité de Servicio Comunitario y Justicia Social de la Catedral de San Mateo para incorporar obras de arte más diversas en nuestra hermosa parroquia! Venga, celebre con nosotros el jueves 11 de mayo mientras el obispo Esposito-Garcia bendice nuestra nueva pintura (ver arriba).

Más Eventos

• Picinic para familias de Catecismo y abierto a todos - este sábado 6 de mayo, 10am - 4pm, Área de picnic 24 de Rock Creek Park (5220 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20011)

• Grupo de Oración en español – los martes de mayo a las 7pm en el salón de conferencias del oeste

• Catecismo 2023 – 2024 para niños, adolescentes y adultos – para inscribir, envíe un email a Fatima Aybar 

• Clase de Bautismo en español – el domingo 21 de mayo a las 9am en el salón de conferencias del este (para inscribir, envíe un email a Fatima Aybar)

Para más información envíe un email a Fatima Aybar o Padre John Benson, o llame la oficina de la rectoría al 202-347-3215.

Confessions

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is celebrated in the Cathedral weekdays from 11am to Noon, Saturdays from 4 to 5pm, and by appointment.

Weekday Adoration

The Blessed Sacrament is exposed on the main altar for adoration from 11am to Noon on weekdays (except on Holy Days and pubic holidays, and on First Fridays, when there is adoration following the 12:10pm Mass).

First Friday and First Saturday

First Friday Adoration is held on May 5 from 12:45 to 5pm in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, with chairs and kneelers available in the chapel. First Saturday Devotions are celebrated on May 6 following the 12:10pm Mass.

Eucharistic Holy Hours

Join us for a Eucharistic Holy Hour from 6 to 7pm on Monday, May 15, with Confessions available during the hour. At our Holy Hour on Monday, June 12, we will pray for those to be ordained priests, including six men from our archdiocese to be ordained on June 17, and for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.

Social Justice & Community Service

Blessing of The Holy Family Painting

Thank you to all who have supported St. Matthew's Cathedral Social Justice and Community Service Committee's mission to incorporate more diverse artwork in our beautiful parish! Come, celebrate with us on Thursday, May 11 as Bishop Esposito-Garcia blesses our new painting (see above).

SJC Meeting

Find out about the latest slate of Social Justice & Community Service activities at our next committee meeting! Interested parishioners are invited to attend - Monday, May 22 at 6:15pm in the North Conference Room.

Green Team Meeting

On Thursday, May 18 from 6 to 7pm, join the Creation Care Green Team May Zoom meeting as we celebrate Laudato Si’ Week 2023 - Hope for the Earth, Hope for Humanity.

Habitat Restoration Workday at Kingman Island

Kick off Laudato Si’ week with the Creation Care Green Team as they join the Anacostia Watershed Society and National Links Trust for a Habitat Restoration Workday, Saturday, May 20, from 9am to Noon.

READ MORE

REGISTER NOW

Screening of "The Letter"

On Friday evening, May 26, the Creation Care Green Team hosts a Zoom screening of The Letter, followed by discussion. The film tells the story of Pope Francis' call to care for our Mother Earth. Event details to come.

New on YouTube

Great Organ 2023 Concert Series

Enjoy a video of gifted young organist Daniel Carroll, who played works of Vierne, J. S. Bach, Rorem, Franck, Guilmont, and Demessieux at a May 3rd recital on our Lively-Fulcher organ, livestreamed from the Cathedral.

Save the date for a Sunday afternoon organ recital by Paul Fey, at 3:30pm on June 25!

2023 Annual Appeal Update

Thanks to the generosity of 246 parish households, St. Matthew's stands at 85% of our 2023 Annual Appeal goal with $212,421 committed. You may still make a gift by visiting appeal.adw.org. Help us reach our goal and support more than 70 ministries vital to the life of our local Church. The parish receives a rebate of 50% of gifts received above our goal. Thank you!

Always God's Children Meeting

Always God's Children holds a final meeting before summer break, in the West Conference Room on Sunday, May 21 at 3:30pm. READ MORE ABOUT AGC

Where are the Conference Room?

New to St. Matthew's? Check our FAQs for how to reach the three main conference rooms where activities are held.

Memorial Day at Catholic Cemeteries

You are invited to gather in loving memory of family, friends and fellow citizens who have given their lives for our freedom. Outdoor Masses will be held on Memorial Day, Monday, May 29 at 10am at Gate of Heaven Cemetery (3801 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD) and at Mt. Olivet Cemetery (1300 Bladensburg Rd., NE., Washington, DC).

Prayer List

To add a name to the prayer list of the sick or the recently deceased, email Msgr. Jameson. If asking for prayers for a person who is sick, please first get their permission.

Parish Pastoral Council Update

The Pastoral Council, which has met monthly since September 2022, started its work by discussing the declining attendance at Sunday Mass since we returned to in-person services. The Council recommended community building as one strategy to address these declining numbers.

Recently, and at the direction of Msgr. Jameson, the Council has been discussing the results of the Synod Listening Sessions held at the Cathedral in February of 2022. Parishioners who participated in these sessions identified community building and hospitality as the top issue.

The members of the Pastoral Council, after discussion, offered to Msgr. Jameson a recommendation concerning how the parish might respond to the issues raised in the Synod Listening Sessions.

The Council recommended instituting hospitality after Sunday Mass. With the knowledge that volunteers are needed to sustain hospitality after Sunday Mass, some Council members volunteered.

They suggested having coffee and donuts (or some other food and drink) two Sundays per month and only after one Mass for an individual Sunday. They suggested that we rotate hospitality among the 9am, 11am, 1pm and 5:30pm Sunday Masses.

Next up on the agenda, the Council will discuss the various areas of ministry at the Cathedral in relation to the Cathedral mission. They will begin with the area of Faith Formation.

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