St. Matthew Catholic School

MESSAGE FROM OUR PASTOR

Dear Parishioners:

I am Rev. Nelson Libera, the parochial administrator of St. Matthew’s Parish and School, duly appointed by Bishop Thomas J Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix on April 9, 2016. I took charge of St. Matthew’s Parish and School on July 1, 2016. It’s with great joy and gratitude to God that I am assuming the responsibility of parochial administrator at St. Matthew’s.

It’s important to have a clear vision of the parish. The canonical legislation defines the parish as “… a certain community of the Christian faithful stably constituted in a particular church, whose pastoral care is entrusted to a pastor (parochus) as its proper pastor (pastor) under the authority of the diocesan bishop” (Can. 515 §1).

First of all, the parish is a community of the faithful with two features: it’s attachment to a particular church and it enjoys stability as an ecclesiastical organization. Another distinctive element of the parish includes its pastoral care in a dependent relationship with the diocesan bishop and is entrusted to a priest as its proper pastor.

Pope Francis reminds all of us: “The parish is not an outdated institution; precisely because it possesses great flexibility, it can assume quite different contours depending on the openness and missionary creativity of the pastor and the community. While certainly not the only institution which evangelizes, if the parish proves capable of self-renewal and constant adaptivity, it continues to be “the Church living in the midst of the homes of her sons and daughters”. This presumes that it really is in contact with the homes and the lives of its people, and does not become a useless structure out of touch with people or a self-absorbed group made up of a chosen few. The parish is the presence of the Church in a given territory, an environment for hearing God’s word, for growth in the Christian life, for dialogue, proclamation, charitable outreach, worship and celebration. In all its activities the parish encourages and trains its members to be evangelizers. It is a community of communities, a sanctuary where the thirsty come to drink in the midst of their journey, and a centre of constant missionary outreach. We must admit, though, that the call to review and renew our parishes has not yet sufficed to bring them nearer to people, to make them environments of living communion and participation, and to make them completely mission-oriented.” (Ref. Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), no. 28, 24th November 2013).

We want to buildup a family-friendly parish fully alive. Our parish is invited to become a family of brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. It is Christ who gives our parish community its identity and unity. St. Paul reminds us: “For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another” (Romans: 12: 4-5). In order to buildup a family-friendly parish fully alive, we need mutual prayers, trust, cooperation and collaboration. Let us put our heads and minds together. I am looking forward to working together for the good of St. Matthew’s parish and school. Oremus pro invicem (Let us pray for each other).

Our motto is: “Buildup a Family-Friendly Parish fully alive in Christ”.

Invoking God’s abundant blessings upon all my parishioners,
Rev. Nelson Libera
Parochial Administrator

Donations

St. Matthew school is heavily dependent on donations. As you will see in our finance portion of
our web site we are dependant on outside help. This help is often given as time, talent and treasure. Below are some ways you can help.

Click here to print the Arizona Private School Tuition Tax Credit Contribution Form

Back to school supplies

Our children’s parents often cant afford to buy their children school supplies. Thus, we gladly accept everything from back packs to pencils, pens, paper, crayons, note books, rulers, glue sticks, art supplies, etc.

Classroom supplies

Our teachers spend their own money on class room items every year. They could use items for their class rooms such as, electric pencil sharpeners, staplers, push pins, dry erase markers, construction paper, art supplies etc.

Computer equipment

We gladly accept used computers as long as they can run windows XP or higher. Our network will not run anything below that operating system and although we appreciate you thinking of us we simply can’t use anything less. Printers will be accepted if they are network compatible. This means they should have a network port in them. We can always use mice and keyboards if they are USB compatible.

Library and classroom books

Used books are always accepted for age appropriate groups. Preschool through JR. High help build our library and class room libraries. Books should be in good shape and in either English or Spanish.

Copy paper

Our teachers and staff use copy paper a great deal.

Christmas family adoption

As noted earlier, a lot of our families are at or below the poverty line. Providing a Christmas is often out of the question. So we could use help providing a Christmas to these families. Contact the school office for more information.

Cash or donation for a specific need

St. Matthew School will gladly accept a cash donation. Your donation will be used for the above outlined needs.

Click the button below to contact us to find out how you can donate today.

Or you may make a cash donation by clicking the "Donate" button below:

Welcome to St. Matthew Catholic School!

¡Bienvenidos a la Escuela Católica de San Mateo!

MESSAGE FROM OUR PASTOR

Donations