Saint Matthew's Church
A Roman Catholic Community
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You Belong Here

 Due to restrictions imposed as a result of the Coronavirus Pandemic, reservations are required for weekend Masses.  A distance of THREE empty seats between unrelated parties will be utilized.  Reservations can be made at iTickets.  Please click HERE to be directed to the iTickets website to make your reservation.  
Weekend Masses are as follow:
Saturday Vigil at 5:00 PM
Sunday Morning at 9:30 AM
Effective with Masses on November 14 and 15, 2020, reservations can be made beginning 8:00 AM Monday until 12 Noon on Thursday.  This is a new deadline but is necessary to insure your safety with proper spacing and contact tracing reports.  Tickets are available through iTickets as noted above or by contacting Peggy McQuade at 518-765-2805 Ext. 14 to register.   
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Full Schedule of Services
Weekly Bulletins
Ministry Schedule

 CELEBRATION OF THE EUCHARIST

Click HERE to be directed to the St. Matthew's website ​Services page that contains links to St. Matthew's Celebration of the Eucharist.

ADVENT PRAYER EXPERIENCE

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This Advent, let your imagination take you on a journey of hopeful, prayerful and spirit-filled waiting…
“Using the imagination in prayer has been a treasured tradition in prayer for centuries. It prompted St. Francis of Assisi to encourage people to create nativity scenes at Christmas, to imagine the Holy Family as people like we are. Four hundred years later, St. Ignatius of Loyola used imaginative prayer as a key part of his life-transforming Spiritual Exercises.”
–From “How do We Pray With Our Imagination” at onlineministries.creighton.edu
 
Advent Week One
 “Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn.” —Mark 13:35
 
Preparation
As we begin this time of quiet prayer, I invite you to find a comfortable place to sit with your back straight and your legs planted on the ground. Allow yourself to notice your breathing as you breathe normally. Breathe in. Breathe out. Take a few moments and close your eyes, preparing yourself to listen to what God may be saying to you during this prayer. As you sit with your eyes closed, use these or similar words: “Here I am, Lord. Here I am.” When you are ready, open your eyes and pray.
 
Inviting in the Visitor
Imagine you are sitting in a small room in a house that is surrounded by farmland and woods. You have come here to seek the quiet and calm. The busy life of work, family, and the city have made you feel anxious and unfocused. You know you need something; you need some time to let your mind be quiet and your heart open. Quiet and open—those words sound so peaceful and desirable but unreachable. The room is simple: a bed, a desk, and a wooden chair. The walls are bare. You’ve brought books to read and a journal to write in, but you can’t seem to do anything but sit on the chair and absorb the silence, even as you feel restless.
 
As you sit in the silence, you hear a faint sound like a knock on the door. Your heart races, Who knows I’m here? I need to be alone, you think. The knocking becomes louder. As much as you want to stay in the room, something moves you to go to the door. The knock comes again, but it’s a soft knock. As you approach the door, you see a light streaming under it. “Hello. Can I help you?” you say without opening the door. A soft voice says, “It’s me. I’ve been looking for you.” Something deep inside you stirs, but you are confused. “Who are you? Do I know you?” you say. “Yes. But we have not talked in a long time. I’ve missed you,” he says. You open the door.
 
Standing there is Jesus. His eyes look at you with such tenderness. He carries a small lantern that gives off a bright, warm light. You stand there, unable to speak at first, allowing yourself to take in his presence and his light. You speak to Jesus. What do you say to him? How does Jesus respond to you? You invite Jesus into the house. You sit and tell him of the restlessness you feel. As you talk to Jesus, a wave of peace and calm washes over you like the warm light streaming from his lantern. “Rest. Be still. You opened the door. Now let me take care of you,” Jesus says. You close your eyes and let his words embrace you. Your heart is at peace, and your mind is still. When you open your eyes, Jesus is gone. Sitting beside the chair where he sat is the lantern, still emitting that bright, warm light. You smile and rest in the glow of the light.
 
Concluding Prayer
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
 
-This week’s imaginative prayer experience is brought to you by ingatianspirituality.com

Seasonal Messages

REMEMBERING OUR BELOVED DECEASED

In the month of November, as a church family we celebrate all those saints and souls that have gone before us.  This year, we remember our dead with a special Memorial Page.  Please click HERE to be directed to this page.

HOLIDAY GIVING TREE

​​Catholic Maternity Services (CMS), Birthright, and Mary's Corner’s still need our help this year during the Christmas season. Because of COVID, we will not put tags on our tree for everyone to touch. Instead, we will provide you a list of items these agencies need.  Please buy a gift from our list and bring the unwrapped gift to St. Matthews social hall lobby by 2pm on Sunday, December 13, 2020. Please see the attached for a full list of items needed.
giving_tree.pdf
File Size: 166 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

MAYAN HANDS

This year, due to COVID 19, we will be unable to host an in person sale of fair trade goods offered by Mayan Hands.  Please see the attached for information about how you may still obtain their handcrafted items for your holiday gifts.
mayan_hands.pdf
File Size: 423 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Visit our new Facebook Page.  You can view it by clicking on the facebook symbol below even if you are not currently on Facebook.

OFFERTORY COLLECTIONS

In this time of social distancing and isolation, please remember that the needs of your parish continue.  You can continue to support your parish through traditional methods (envelopes) or it may be more convenient for you to make your offertory contribution electronically through St. Matthew’s E-giving program.   Please see St. Matthew’s E-Giving page for more information.  We are truly grateful for all who have remained faithful with their financial assistance during this time of uncertainty.