Please submit names through the 'Contact' section below or by contacting the Parish Office. Please include whether we are praying for a loved one who is:

• Sick
• Recently Deceased
• Anniversary

Names submitted to Parish for the deceased list will show for 3 weeks at a time.

In the same way above you can submit your Mass offering. You may give your offering, in an envelope, to the priest before or after Mass.

Alternatively, please visit the parish office during business hours prior to the Mass.

To be married here, at least one of the couple is required to be Catholic and have received the Sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, Communion and Confirmation. Also, neither of the couple can have been married before. If either party has been married previously, evidence of freedom to remarry will be needed. (i.e. death certificate of former spouse, etc.) If you have been married before, you will need to contact the Parish Office for more clarification.

We have set times on a Saturday for weddings of 1pm and 3pm. We also hold weddings on weekdays if you wish, but do not hold them on a Sunday.

Initially a tentative booking is taken via email or over the phone. After that is made, paperwork is sent to you which needs to be completed and returned with a deposit. Once the deposit is received, the booking is definite unless you wish to change it.

Four months before the wedding you need to ring and make an appointment to see the priest. At that appointment you will complete the Government and Church paperwork and the final payment is due. You will also discuss the practical side of the wedding such as readings, etc.

For that meeting, you need to bring with you:

• a full birth certificate (for the Government paperwork)
• photo identification and
• an updated baptismal certificate. The updated baptismal certificate means it can't be dated more than 6 months prior to wedding. To get this, you contact the parish where you were baptised, tell them you need the new certificate for your wedding and the reason behind that is so that Father can see you haven't been married before and are free to get married in the Catholic Church.

One other stipulation for those wanting to get married here at St Matthew's is that you are required to attend some form of pre-marriage course. You are welcome to attend any Catholic course, anywhere as long as it is prior to your priest appointment. You will need to provide proof of attendance for the priest.

Some Pre-marriage courses can be found at Diocese of Parramatta Pre-Marriage Education Course, SmartLoving & Engaged Catholic Encounter

To book a wedding, please contact the parish office.

Dear Parishioner,

Welcome to St Matthew's Parish!  I am delighted to have you join our parish family.

At St Matthew's Parish we are committed to inviting and supporting every parishioner to become a disciple of Christ, building God's Kingdom through our prayer, service and outreach to others in faith. Working together, we seek to build a strong parish community where all feel welcome and inspired by the Gospel to live God's mission with faith, hope and love.  I invite and encourage you to connect with the members and ministries of our parish community and look forward to meeting you personally.

If there is anything we can do to help you in your journey with God, please do not hesitate to contact me, our parish team or ministry leaders. You can find many of our contacts on the Parish Directory or ask our parish office for assistance.

Our parish seeks to offer as many opportunities for parishioners to come together in faith as possible. If there is a personal or family need that arises, please know that our parish staff is always available to assist you in any way we can.

I pray that you may find warmth, encouragement and spiritual growth in our parish and I look forward to getting to know you personally in the weeks and months ahead. God bless you and your family. 

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr Robert William
Parish Priest

If you would like to register as a new parishioner, we would love to hear from you.

St Matthew's offers a number of opportunities for our members to be involved in various ministries. Whether you would like to be involved in our liturgies as a server, as a Eucharistic Minister, or a member of our choir, there is a place for you. For further information on the various opportunities for involvement, see below.

Reader

Readers or Lectors, are those who proclaim the Word of God during the liturgy through the reading of the sacred scriptures. The Commentator welcomes the congregation, introduces each reading, recites the Prayers of the Faithful and invites the congregation to sing the hymns.

Acolytes

Acolytes were once a part of the minor orders on the path to Priesthood. However, the ministry of the Instituted Acolyte was revised and is now a permanent ministry entrusted to lay people.

It is the duty of the Acolyte to assist the Priest and Deacon with the celebration of the Liturgy. They light the candles, lead the procession, prepare the altar, purify the sacred vessels and act as Extraordinary Ministers of Communion.

Communion of the Sick

There are times when people are unable to join our community at Mass to receive communion. They may be elderly, unwell, or in hospital. It is so important that all community members of St Matthew's, despite their circumstances, are able to share in our community's Eucharistic meal.

We always need more people willing to give their time to be present with those who cannot join us for our liturgies.

To join one of the above ministries, you are required to attend and Formation Course which is offered twice a year be the Office of Worship. For details, please contact the Parish Office.

Choir and Music

St Matthew's is incredibly blessed to have our own pipe organ. The organ was originally commissioned by Alfred Hunter in England, after being commissioned by Henry McQuade for his private residence, Fairfield, in Windsor.

The organ arrived in 1880, but McQuade decided that it would have a better home in St Matthew's and so it was installed and first played in the church on New Years Day in 1882. The organ has thirteen decorated pipes and prior to the organ's restoration nu the South Island Organ Company in 1998, the organ had to be manually pumped with air to be played.

St Matthew's also has an excellent choir who sing the hymns and various parts of the Mass at our 9 am Masses. At various other Masses throughout the year, other instruments are included in our services.

If you play a musical instrument or sing and would like to be involved in our musical ministry, please make contact the Parish Office.

Catechists/SRE (Special Religious Educator)

The role of Catechists is to Catechise (teach) the Catholic faith to others.

There are many Catholic students who are enrolled in state primary and secondary schools in the Hawkesbury area. These students have opportunities to learn about their faith, but we need Catholics who are willing to give up some of their time to help these young men and women understand and practice their faith.

For details on how to be a part of the Ministry, please contact the Parish Office.