Our History

The History of St. Matthew Parish

The seed for St. Matthew Parish began in 1963 when 14 acres of property were purchased for the site of a new parish to be formed from parts of Holy Spirit and St. Gregory Parishes.  In October 1968 in a general meeting at the Colonies House, in the Colonies North neighborhood, an Advisory Board was elected to begin preparation for the church plans. Monsignor Michael Holden of St. Gregory Parish was named the first pastor and celebrated Sunday Masses in the former Ursuline High School cafeteria for approximately 300 members of the new parish. Monsignor Holden was diagnosed with cancer and died after a very brief illness on March 30, 1969.

A new pastor was appointed in June of 1969.  Monsignor John J. McDonald served St. Matthew’s Parish for the next seven years overseeing the building of the Church, construction of a new rectory, the addition of an activities center and a great increase in the number of parishioners. 

On July 19, 1970, Most Reverend Patrick Flores did the honor of breaking ground for the new church, Construction of the church which was completed on June 11, 1971.  The first Mass was celebrated the following day. On Sunday, October 17, 1976, Archbishop Francis J. Furey opened and blessed the Activities Center.  This new facility contained a gym, CCD offices, meeting rooms, a kitchen, restrooms and storage space.  It was a dream come true for Monsignor McDonald and parishioners.  Unfortunately, just two weeks later, the parish again suffered the loss of the beloved pastor with the sudden death of Monsignor McDonald.

Father Lawrence J. Stuebben from St. Louis Church of Castroville was then appointed as Pastor of St. Matthew’s on December 1, 1976. By June 1978, the parish family numbered 1500 registered families.
St. Matthew’s first two pastors were commemorated in 1978 with the May 7 dedication of the St. Francis statue in the area now known as Holden’s Grove, in memory of Monsignor Holden.  The grove today serves as a location for the yearly parish festival. On June 4, 1981, the Activity Center was renamed the McDonald Family Center. 

Early in 1981, Father Stuebben left St. Matthew to assume the position of  Vicar General for our Archdiocese of San Antonio.  On January 6^th of that year, Father John F. Flynn was appointed to lead the parish as pastor.  Continued growth of St. Matthew’s Parish necessitated the enlargement of the church. Construction doubling the size of the sanctuary was completed the fall of 1984. In 1988, an administration building housing staff offices and meeting rooms was constructed adjacent to the church and was dedicated by Archbishop Patrick Flores on November 20, 1988.

August 18, 1993, marks another significant date in the history of St. Matthew’s with the opening of St. Matthew Catholic School to    550 students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.  Bishop Joseph Galante dedicated the school in ceremonies on October 10, 1993.  Today, our school is the largest Elementary / Middle School in our archdiocese with an enrollment of approximately 730 students. 
   
Aside from overseeing the construction of the Administration Building and School, Monsignor Flynn also developed the Blessed Sacrament Chapel in 1987, which continues to be an important refuge and place of solitude for parishioners and visitors alike.

On June 1, 1998, a new Pastor Monsignor Michael H. Yarbrough was selected as the fifth permanent Pastor of St. Matthew. During his tenure land was purchased for our Sports and Devotional Park on May 22, 2000, and the park was dedicated February 8, 2003, by Archbishop Patrick Flores.  The park includes baseball, softball, football/soccer fields, and outdoor Stations of the Cross and Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine. 

Smoke filled the air on April 19, 2003, Holy Saturday, as part of the McDonald Family Center caught on fire. The fire left the McDonald Family Center only partially usable. The reconstructed McDonald Family Center was dedicated on February 8, 2005, by Archbishop Flores.
June 1, 2010, brought the transfer of Monsignor Michael H. Yarbrough to Holy Trinity Catholic Church and the arrival of our new Pastor, Dennis D. Aréchiga, our sixth pastor from St. Monica Parish in Converse. 
       
On October 16, 2011, a large amount of rain collected on the roof which of our church which entered inside, causing major water damage and necessitating the closure and renovation of our church and Blessed Sacrament Chapel. After six months’ new terrazzo floors, a redesigned sanctuary and refurbished pews were installed and on the Feast of St. Patrick, Saturday, March 17, 2012, three weddings and a Mass were celebrated in our beautiful new Church.
     
On June 30, 2012, a dream came true when the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine was blessed and dedicated at our Sports and Devotional Park. A morning Mass on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is offered yearly, there are monthly gatherings for the recitation of the rosary on the 12^th of each month, and many parishioners and visitors flock to the Shrine in seeking a place for solitude and communion with our Lord and his Blessed Mother Mary.
 
The Blessed Sacrament Chapel was closed for remodeling October of 2012 and was reopened during the Easter Season in 2013.  The chapel was designed with stain glass inserts of the Archangel Michael and Gabriel, refurbished pews, new flooring, statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Our Lady of Fatima.  That October, a beautiful new tabernacle was added to the chapel.   

On November 9th, 2013, the new Narthex
and Baptismal Font were blessed. 

A new ambry containing the holy oils was completed and located behind the Baptismal Font.
 
Today, St. Matthew Catholic Church has approximately 5,200 families registered as members. Although we are a large parish, the many organizations and ministries offer a way for parishioners to be deeply connected to one another by fostering fellowship and spiritual growth. There is never a shortage of opportunities to share and develop one’s faith at St. Matthew. There are still     many more chapters to be written in our parish. May the following pages offer
a glimpse into the dynamic community of faith called St. Matthew Parish.