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St. Matthew Catholic Church E-Newsletter: January 2, 2026
Happy New Year!
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Information About Reporting Abuse. If you are a victim or know of anyone who is a victim of any type of sexual misconduct, please contact our victim assistance coordinator at (317) 236-1548 or (800) 382-9836, ext. 1548, or at victimassistance@archindy.org to make a report. You can also make a confidential report through our EthicsPoint reporting system by visiting http://www.archindy.org/abuse/reporting.html or by calling 888-393-6810.
The Feast of the Epiphany. This weekend, we celebrate the solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. We will have pieces of blessed chalk, and prayer cards with instructions for how to bless your home.
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Bible Study. Being Catholic takes more than simply believing in God or doing what He asks of us. Jesus wants you to be more than just a believer--He wants you to be His disciple and friend. To help you answer this call to deeper friendship with Christ, St. Matthew Bible Study will begin an 8 week study entitled: FOLLOW ME: MEETING JESUS IN THE THE GOSPEL OF JOHN this January. You may choose to attend either Tuesday evenings or Thursday mornings. Tuesday evening sessions begin January 13 at 7:00 P.M. and Thursday morning sessions begin January 15 at 9:00 A.M. We meet in the Community Room. Registration for both sessions will be held after all Masses in the narthex January 3-4.
Cost for the book is $25 (physical copy) and $5.95 (online version). Please contact Amy or Jim Barbar at 317.529.0141, amybarbar958@gmail.com, or jimbarbar@ymail.com for further information.
Click here to download a copy of the registration form.
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St. Matthew School Enrollment. Enroll Now to Join the Warrior Family at Our Parish School!
Registration for the 2026-27 school year is now open for Preschool, Pre-K, and Kindergarten through 7th Grade! Give your child the gift of a faith-filled, academically sound education rooted in community and Catholic values.
Parishioners receive priority registration until January 31, 2026—don’t miss your chance to secure a spot!
Join us in shaping bright minds and joyful hearts. We can’t wait to welcome your family!
Please click below for the application
Saint Matthew School Enrollment Application
SGO: Scholarship Granting Organization. Dearest Parishioners, the Scholarship Granting Organization grants financial assistance to eligible families to help them pay for their student's tuition. Programs like this help our educational systems stay strong, and we cannot stay strong without support from our community. Therefore, we would be extremely if you would consider making a donation to SGO for St. Matthew School. Donations can make you eligible for a sizeable state tax credit. Please click the button below to read a letter from Cara Swinefurth, our Principal, and to see FAQs related to this project. Thank you. Please click here to make an online donation.
2026 CYO Boys Wrestling. The 2026 CYO wrestling season is quickly approaching! The Christ the King Wrestling program would like to invite your son(s) to join us for another wrestling season. Since St. Matthew School doesn’t offer a wrestling program, we team with Christ the King for those boys who are interested.
We will begin practices the week of January 5th (see below). More information to follow. Competitions will be from late January through mid-March. Registration is currently open so be sure to get your son(s) registered as soon as possible.
Registration and payment:
2025-26 CKS Sports Registration
Little Guys (K - 4th ) $40
Cadet (5th - 8th) $80
We're looking forward to yet another great season! Please let me know if you have any questions.
Josh White
ckswrestling@gmail.com
Christ the King Wrestling Coordinator
| | Bereavement Support Group. We will not be having a Bereavement Support Group Meeting in December. Please join us at our next meeting on January 8, 2026, at 6 pm. | | |
First Saturday Happy Hour. Every month, a parish ministry (or group of parishioners) hosts a Happy Hour gathering on the first Saturday. Please join us after 5 p.m. Mass in the Community Room on Saturday, January 3rd. All are welcome to this family friendly gathering. Interested in hosting a Happy Hour? Please email the St. Matthew Parish Office at
bulletin@saintmatt.org.
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Men's Club. Join us for our next Men’s Club meeting on January 8th at 7:30 pm. We will meet in the Community Room. Please join us for faith, fellowship, and delicious food. Please contact mensclub@saintmatt.org if you have questions. Never been to one of our meetings? Not a problem. We are always glad to see new faces.
Prayer Shawl Ministry. We have new Prayer Shawls available! Thank you to our Prayer Shawl Ministry for restarting and making new articles. If you would like one, please stop by Stephen Sulka's office in the Parish Office. In keeping with the mission of this ministry, we encourage those who are interested in having shawls that it is offered to someone who is sick and/or grieving. You are encouraged to examine the shawls before you pick one because they vary in size, shape, and color. Care instructions vary depending material. Most shawls are made of acrylic: these can be machine washed on cold and tumble dry low. Some shawls are made of wool: these must be hand washed in Woolite and line dried. If you have questions about this ministry, or would like to join, please call/text Carol Andersen at 317.919.7469.
| | BLAZE BASH. BLAZE is a program rooted in scripture and designed especially for Girls in grades 7 and 8. Please join us at our next gathering on Sunday, January 18th, from 5:00 to 6:30 P.M. | |  | | Registration forms for the Women's Retreat and the Men's Retreat are available towards the end of the newsletter. Please register for the retreats soon! | | Collection for Kolofata, Cameroon. Envelopes for Dr. Einterz’ Kolofata, Cameroon Mission will be available this week. If you can, please take an envelope and return it with a donation to the general collection on December 28th. Thank you and God Bless you. | | |
Respect Life Rosary. On the first Sunday of every month, the Respect Life Ministry prays the Rosary in the Church immediately after the 7:30 a.m. Mass. All are welcome.
9 Days for Life: Jan. 16-24, 2026. Each year, respectlife.org, promotes action for the protection of life. A novena is included with a number of other resources. Please use the links below to learn more and participate in this effort. Thank you. 9 Days for Life Sign-up. | Novena Link. | Daily Prayers.
The Respect Life Podcast
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North Deanery Youth Ministry Events
6 - 12th GRADE STUDENTS
Opportunities to interact in fun and spiritual ways with others throughout the North Deanery and the Archdiocese of Indianapolis!
- January 11 (Grades 9-12): North Deanery Black Light Volleyball
- January 22 (Grades 8-12): Arch Indy Rally for Life and Mass
- January 23 (Grades 7-8): North Deanery 7th & 8th Grade Gathering
- February 21 (Grades 7-12): North Deanery Ski Trip
- February 28 (Grades 6-8): Arch Indy Holy Fire
For questions, registrations, and permissions, please email Pam Fleming at pfleming@saintmatt.org
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Catholic Relief Services. Please click the link below to be directed to their Donor Portal. From there, you will be presented with options for making a contribution. Thank you. gifts.crs.org/user/
2026 Legacy Gala: This Year Honoring Patricia Etling. Tickets are now on sale for the 2026 Legacy Gala. Please join us on Friday, February 26, 2026 at the JW Marriot Indianapolis White River Ballroom. Click here to learn more. Thank you.
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Thank you all so much for supporting the UCA and for making a contribution. If you have not yet made a donation, we encourage you to do so, if you are able. For any donation, no matter how small or how large, we are truly grateful.
Thus far, we have raised $83,515 from 94 donors! 91.7% of our goal! Thank you all so much!
2026 St. Matthew Parish Goal: $91,073
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NEW TABLES FROM GALA AND SERVICE OPPORTUNITY. Many thanks to all who donated to our Fund-a-Cause for new tables for the Community Room. It was a long-needed project, and thanks to your generosity we were able to purchase 75 new tables! We are happy to let you know that they have arrived! As such, we need some help, and it would be a great service opportunity for the school and parish. On Tuesday, December 30, beginning about 9:30 a.m., we will be clearing space in the bus barn to take our old tables out so we can re-configure the Community Room closet to store the new tables as well as the chairs generously donated from Bishop Chatard. As our wonderful Men’s Club is fond of saying, “Many hands make light work.” So if you are in need of service hours towards the 12 each school family is expected to give each year, or the kids are driving you crazy and you need to get them out and do something, we could use your help on Tuesday, December 30. You can park in back and meet at the Gym entrance. We anticipate it being a couple hours of work.
Please contact Operations Manager David Smock at dsmock@saintmatt.org if you have any questions. Thank you so much, St. Matthew!
St. Vincent de Paul Society Indy. SVdP needs volunteers at their Distribution Center (a.k.a. Mission 27) and their Food Pantry. Helping our friends at SVdP is a wonderful way to spend time with loved ones, and caring for our community can strengthen our bond with one another. Groups, families, friends, and individuals are welcome. If you would like to volunteer at the Food Pantry, please contact Ray Meckauskas at r.meckauskas@att.net; If you want to volunteer at the Distribution Center, please contact Kate Thedwall at kthedwal@iu.edu.
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Anti-Trafficking: Archdiocese of Indianapolis. The Archdiocese of Indianapolis, via Catholic Charities, provides resources for how to prevent and confront human trafficking. Please click the following link for resources and ways to help victims of this crime. www.archindy.org/trafficking/index.html
Justice for Immigrants. The Archdiocese of Indianapolis offers information regarding rights of immigrants. The dignity of all human life must be upheld regardless of one's nationality. Please click the following link for resources that may help. www.archindy.org/immigration/index.html
Food Assistance Resources.
Click here for local Catholic Sources for Food Assistance.
Click here for a list of other food assistance events.
Natural Family Planning. Are you curious about Natural Family Planning? If so, please click the link below to be directed to the NFP webpage on the Arch Indy Office of Marriage and Family Life website.
Arch Indy: Office of Marriage and Family Life.
The Retrouvaille Marriage Program: Hope for a Better Marriage. This program is a retreat for married couples who perhaps need assistance and renewal in their relationship. If you have questions, or would like to learn more, please see their website by clicking the link below.
helpourmarriage.org/programdetails
Marriage Preparation, or Pre-Cana, Resources. Please see the following link for resources from the Archdiocese of Indianapolis' Office of Marriage and Family Life. marriageandfamily.archindy.org/pre-cana-retreat
Life Giving Wounds. This effort seeks to offer support for adults who have suffered through the trials of being in a divided family. If you have experienced any such difficulty, please click the following link to find available resources from the Office of Marriage and Family Life for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
Find Catholic Therapists.
Grief Support. It may help to know that the Archdiocese of Indianapolis’ Office of Marriage and Family Life has a webpage dedicated to helping those struggling with grief and loss. If you are in need of such assistance, or would like to learn more go to marriageandfamily.archindy.org/grief, call 800-382-9836.
Resources after facing miscarriage:
marriageandfamily.archindy.org/miscarriage.
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Weekend Mass Times. Our weekend Mass times are Saturday at 5:00 p.m. and Sunday at 7:30, 9:30 and 11:30 a.m.
Weekday Mass Times.
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When School is in Session:
Mon. 8:30am
Tues. 8:30am
Wed. 8:30am, 6pm
Thurs. 8:30am
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When School is NOT in session:
Mon. 8:30am
Tues. 8:30am
Wed. 6pm
Thurs. 8:30am
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Weekly Reconciliation. Saturdays 4:00pm - 4:30pm
Adoration Every Wednesday. All are welcome to stay/join us after 6 p.m. Mass every Wednesday for Adoration. Adoration lasts from 7 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
St. Matthew Parish Pastoral Council. We are now posting the minutes from each meeting to our website. To view a copy, please click here.
FORMED Catholic Resources. Parishioners have free access to FORMED On Demand Catholic resources, 24/7 on a smartphone, computer, iPad, or Kindle. Register at saintmatt.formed.org.
See Latest E-Bulletin for Even More Information. See this weekend's bulletin. Printed copies are available in the narthex; be sure to pick one up.
The Criterion: Archdiocese of Indianapolis
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Verse(s) of the week. "When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 'Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw His star at its rising and have come to do Him homage.'" (New American Bible, Mt. 2.1-2).
The New American Bible. St. Joseph Medium Size Edition, Catholic Book Publishing Co., n.d.
| Sign Up for Faith Direct. Faith Direct is our safe online giving site. You can donate securely and electronically via your credit card or checking account through Faith Direct at https://membership.faithdirect.net/IN187. Thank you to our generous parishioners for their stewardship of St. Matthew Parish! | Some of the flyers below are links. Please click/tap them to see more information or to download a copy of the flyer. | NATIONAL MARRIAGE WEEK: FEBRUARY 7-14, 2026! Tell your spouse, "I love you, and everything I am is yours." | | | | |
