Sacraments

The Sacraments are a key part of church life. Each year St Matthew's Parish offers a special process to help candidates and families prepare for the celebration of the Sacraments.

Sacraments for Children

Our Sacramental Preparation places a strong emphasis on family involvement, as we recognize that parents/guardians are the main educators in faith of their children. This preparation is designed not only to prepare the candidates receiving the Sacrament, but also to involve and inform the parents and other family members, so that the experience can be shared as part of the family's faith journey. It commences with an Information night. Then, for each of the Sacraments there are Home Groups to attend. The children are prepared with a parent at home and then the Home Group meetings are held to reinforce what the child has learnt.

To ensure your child's place in the Preparation of their Sacrament, you are required to:

Attend the Parents Information Session with your payment for the program

Attend an Enrolment Mass

Provide a copy of your child's Baptism (no originals, copies only) if she/he did not receive this Sacrament at this Parish.

Your child is welcome to join the program if they are older than the suggested age. The program is advertised at all local Catholic and State Primary Schools.

Baptism

The welcoming of a child into the Church is a time of great joy!

At St Matthew's Baptisms are offered on the 1st 2nd and 3rd Sundays of each month at 10.30am. Prior to the Baptism, parents are required to attend a Baptismal Preparation Talk. This talk is held at 7.30pm on the last Thursday night of each month and bookings for the Baptism are made at the talk.

Bookings are also required for the talk and can be made by contacting the Parish Office.When making the booking, you will be required to provide you name, address and a contact phone number. If you require any other information, please contact the Parish Office 4577 3073.

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Weddings

Weddings are always welcome at St Matthew's.

As husband and wife grow together, love, offend, forgive, reconcile, work through disappointment and emerge as united, they become a living and effective sign that says to all: this is the way God is. He loves us through thick and thin, for better, for worse, 'til death and beyond. Marriage is a sign, a Sacrament, of that. The decision to marry is one of the most significant decisions in life. Since it effects both State and Church there are certain requirements to be fulfilled. To book your wedding at St Matthew's please contact the parish office.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)

Have you ever thought of becoming Catholic? You may have never belonged to a faith tradition before, or you may have been baptised in another Christian church. You may be curious about the Catholic Church, or you may be feeling called to join the Catholic Church.

Wherever you come from and wherever you are in your own faith journey, you are always very welcome at St Matthew's Parish. Please feel free to come along to any of our Masses throughout the week. If you have any questions about the Church, please contact our Parish Office or speak to the priest.

If you have decided that you would like to become Catholic, you may like to join the RCIA Program. The Rite for Christian Initiation for Adults is a Sacramental program designed to initiate newcomers into the Catholic Faith.

After an initial Inquiry Night, the participants meet on a weekly basis from September until Christmas, joining in discussions and hearing talks on various aspects of the catholic tradition & sharing their insights into the scriptures which are read at Sunday Mass.

From mid-February up to Easter these meetings are blended into the Sunday Mass so that various "Rites" (or ceremonies) can be performed that gradually introduce the candidates/catechumens to a fuller participation in our faith.

Then, on Holy Saturday night at the Easter Vigil those who have asked to join the Christian Community are Baptised, (or else they are received into the Catholic Church since their baptism has already taken place in some other denomination) and they receive the other Sacraments of Confirmation and Communion which make them full participating members of the Catholic Church.

The third period of their formal formation lasts until Pentecost Sunday so that they can gain confidence in the fact that they are "newly planted" in the garden of faith and can now grow into the ordinary life and Ministry of the Parish.

If you would like more information you are welcome to contact the parish office or one of the parish clergy.

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Common Prayers

Below are some of the most common traditional prayers used in the Catholic Church today.

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Phone

Tel: (02) 4577 3073
or 1300 504 991
Fax: (02) 4577 2124

Address

12 Tebbutt St,
Windsor, NSW, 2756

Office Hours

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9.30am to 4.30pm

Contact Us

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.