Instead of giving up something for Lent this year…

Why not try the 40 DAYS – 40 ITEMS CHALLENGE?

Each day of Lent, remove one item or more from your closet or house, which you don’t use or wear anymore and place it in a bag.

Every Sunday from March 7th through April 25th, we will be collecting “soft items.” Why? Because we can get money for them for our operating expenses!

Bring bagged items to the designated area in the Church Office Lobby. These items are tax deductible and receipt will be available upon request.

Examples of needed items:

• Used clothes
• Linens
• Sheets
• Towels
• Tablecloths
• Hats
• Scarves
• Shoes
• Purses
• Backpacks

To reach our goal of $500.00, we’ll need approximately 110 Large Plastic Bags or 275 Kitchen Plastic Bags.

Please contact the Community Life and Fundraising committee with any questions at FnvagZnggurjPbaarpg@tznvy.pbz

Thank you!

View the flyer (PDF)

Watch past videos and download handouts at our Bible Study Media page.

Join live on Zoom

Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81556040615?fbclid=IwAR3aB2cl1fQXipteUwTW8fooT13jxTAkXtEJu-7gtZ533v7DIUDhCmm1iYI
Meeting ID: 815 5604 0615
(no password needed)

Join the Saint Matthew Bible Study group on Facebook (and view the Bible Study recording at a later time)

Search for “Saint Matthew Bible Study” or visit facebook.com/groups/2790944940960983/. The group is open to Saint Matthew members and anyone else from all over the world who would like to participate.

Description

The lion represents Jesus’ resurrection because lions were believed to sleep with open eyes, a comparison with Christ in the tomb

The African Memory of the Gospel of Mark

This Bible Study will focus on the New Testament Gospel of Mark, which is thought to be the earliest gospel. There is a substantial amount of evidence preserved from tradition, much of it not known outside of Africa that Mark himself was from North Africa. He and his mother moved to Jerusalem while he was a youth. He was an eyewitness to the Last Supper and Pentecost. He was related not only to Barnabas but to Peter as well, accompanying him on many of his travels. He later returned to North Africa and founded the church in Alexander. Africa has played a decisive role in the formation of Christian culture from its infancy. Some of the most decisive intellectual achievements of Christianity were explored and understood in Africa long before they were in Europe: The pattern of influence was not from north to south as westerners have assumed, but the other way around. We will study this gospel along with these new sources of information. Additionally, we will consider the early Jewish religious and cultural influences that influenced the writing of Mark. Our goal is to come closer to understanding this gospel, how it was understood by its earliest listeners and its account of Jesus in its first and second century milieu.

In Year B of the Catholic Liturgical Calendar (which is also followed by several protestant churches) the Gospel of Mark is the gospel of the year, beginning with Advent in 2020 and running through 2021, up to Advent 2021. Please go to the FB group, Saint Matthew Bible Study, and join the group. You do not have to be a member of Saint Matthew and there is no cost. There will be a set of handouts made available at the group for the Saint Matthew Facebook prior to the class beginning, and weekly handouts thereafter. No books are required but if you have the resources, we recommend obtaining The Jewish Annotated New Testament, 2nd Edition if you are an ongoing student of the NT. And the book by Thomas Oden (2011), The African Memory of Mark is a key resource for this study.

View the flyer (PDF)

Visit https://zoom.us/join (or open the Zoom app) and enter:

Meeting ID: 836080145
Password: 398430

Join the Saint Matthew Rosary Group on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/670051853800743/

Attend Mass in Person (inside the church)
English and Spanish

Beginning Sunday February 14th, all are welcome to attend Mass indoors again. Please note that Mass will no longer be held outdoors, only indoors and online. Join us at 9:30 a.m. (English) and 12:30 p.m. (Spanish). We will be keeping with the recommended practices listed below for everyone’s safety and as per California COVID guidelines. We look forward to seeing you all again inside our beautiful church sanctuary!

Please remember:

• Please stay home if you are sick, and join us at church when you are well again.
• Please wear a mask that covers both your nose and mouth. We will also be checking temperatures.
• Please continue to keep a distance of 6 feet from those not in your household.
• We will continue to have our food drive every Sunday.

Watch on Facebook Live
English and Spanish

Click on the link below at 9:30am PST (English) or 12:30pm PST (Spanish). Please note that you may need to refresh the page to see the live video.

Click here to join the service on Facebook Live

Click here to access the Liturgical Aids (scroll down to “Liturgical Aids for Online Mass”)

Mass Recordings

St. Matthew’s Social Justice and Outreach ministry will begin collecting food and toiletry donations weekly at the 9:30 am and 12:30 pm masses. Donations can be left at the church door closest to the outdoor-mass tent. Donations needed include healthy canned and dried food, toiletries, sanitizing and cleaning supplies, diapers (adult and children) and baby wipes. This collection supports working-poor families of our community and is distributed by Western Service Workers Association of Santa Ana.

• Fr. Art will take pictures of all donations and pass them on to appropriate members of the PC.
• Fr. Art will work with volunteers from the 12:30 mass to assure donations are dropped off at WSWA in a timely manner.
• In the event there’s a Sunday without volunteers for drop off, Fr. Art will place donations in the confessional until we can find time/volunteers for drop off.

A Little Information About WSWA

Western Service Workers Association (WSWA) is a free and voluntary, private, unincorporated membership association which operates on an all-volunteer basis and does not accept government funds. WSWA serves Orange County’s lowest paid workers; domestic workers, temporary and part-time workers, “workfare” workers, independent contractors, landscapers, and other low-paid service workers.

WSWA members join together to provide a means of survival through a benefit program including emergency food and clothing, non-emergency dental care, preventative medical care, job information and more. To help please call 714-835-9961.

Special Request from WSWA: Western Service Workers Association needs volunteers with cars to help pick up and distribute food donations to hungry people in need who don’t drive. Days/times they need help with include Fridays at around 10:30 am and Sunday mornings to pick up perishable food (no later than 10:30 or 11:00 am) and other volunteers to deliver food to hungry folks in the community Sundays 12-3 pm. Even if people can volunteer once in a while, not necessarily every Sunday, that is helpful. Distribution is done in a no-contact manner. If you can help, please contact WSWA at 714-835-9961.

Update 9/20/20: Please note that the meeting ID and password have been updated. Thank you!

Visit https://zoom.us/join (or open the Zoom app) and enter:

Meeting ID: 831 5496 6817
Password: 395711

We invite you to attend the First Friday Mass / Sacred Heart of Jesus Novena in person or via Facebook Live.

Please keep in mind the following in-person church attendance guidelines:

• PLEASE DO NOT COME IF YOU ARE SICK!
• Enter through the main entrance that leads straight into the Church Sanctuary (the Gathering Hall entrance will be locked).
• Temperature taken upon entry. Face masks required.
• Only the first 25 people who attend will sit in the Church Sanctuary where we hold Mass. However, we will also have an overflow in place for attendees beyond the first 25 people. This will allow us to adhere to the county’s guidelines for building capacity. It also ensures that all who wish to attend church in person may do so.
• Maintain a six-foot distance from others not in your household.
• Stay seated when receiving Holy Communion (a deacon will bring it to you).
• Use a touch-free gesture (bow, wave, Namaste, Namaskar, etc.) during the Sign of Peace.
• When washing your hands, use soap and water for at least twenty seconds, or use hand sanitizer.

Learn more about the Parish Council here.

All are welcome to attend the open session (first part) of any Parish Council meeting.

During the Covid-19 crisis, Parish Council meetings are being conducted via Zoom at with the details below. Please email Parish Council Moderator Bob Moranno at obofzcpp2020z@tznvy.pbz to be given access to the meeting.

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89096114385?pwd=MWFkd2dmT0tBOTQxRTBiMkdSY2Z2Zz09
Meeting ID: 890 9611 4385
Password: 943986

These are unprecedented times, and shut-in seniors need our support now more than ever. Our church is supporting seasoned citizens throughout Orange County. We’re collecting donations for shut ins and especially need the following items:

– toiletries
– socks, including white cotton socks and skidless slipper socks
– slippers
– puzzle books
– underwear
– comfy clothes (pajamas, sweat pants, etc.)
– towel sets
– sheet sets
– adult diapers and bed protective pads
– OCTA bus passes
– grocery and pharmacy gift cards
– Boost, Ensure, and similar dietary supplements

All items must be new. We will be collecting these items along with our usual food drive for nonperishable food, which happens every first and third Sunday of the month.

Please note: Food donations will go to the Western Service Workers food pantry; donations for seniors will go to Orange County’s Senior Santa program.

Thank you for your support!

Saint Matthew Ecumenical Church is collecting food items that will be donated to WSWA to help with real problems of the working poor including poverty, low wages and lack of job benefits.

During the Covid-19 crisis, donations can be dropped on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month from 11am – 1pm at the church.

Greatest needs include peanut butter, jelly, rice, beans, tuna, mayonnaise, pasta and sauce, soups, canned fruits and vegetables, beverages, and hot and cold cereal. Fresh produce is also welcome if being donated on the same day as their purchase.

Western Service Workers Association (WSWA) is a free and voluntary, private, unincorporated membership association which operates on an all-volunteer basis and does not accept government funds. WSWA serves Orange County’s lowest paid workers; domestic workers, temporary and part-time workers, “workfare” workers, independent contractors, landscapers, and other low-paid service workers.

WSWA members join together to provide a means of survival through a benefit program including emergency food and clothing, non-emergency dental care, preventative medical care, job information and more. To help please call 714-835-9961.

Important Request from WSWA

Western Service Workers Association needs volunteers with cars to help pick up and distribute food donations to hungry people in need who don’t drive. Days/times they need help with include Fridays at around 10:30 a.m. and Sunday mornings to pick up perishable food (no later than 10:30 a.m. or 11:00 a.m.) and other volunteers to deliver food to hungry folks in the community Sundays 12-3 p.m. Even if people can volunteer only once in a while, not necessarily every Sunday, that is helpful. Distribution is done in a no-contact manner. If you can help, please contact WSWA at 714-835-9961.