We would like to extend a heartfelt congratulation to Fr. Thanh on his new assignment. May Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and St. John Vianney, the patron saint of all priests, continue to bless you abundantly for many years to come. We will have a farewell celebration on Saturday, June 22nd, starting at 6:30pm in the social hall. Please reserve the date.

On Tuesday, May 21 thirteen St. Matthew youth and fifteen Sts Mary and Edward youth came together to be confirmed by The Rev. Scott E. McCue. Thank you to all who make the event a memorable one.

On Saturday, May 4 twelve of our young people made their First Communion.

Just in time for spring, the Knights of Columbus and Everyone Leads Team has completed a revitalization of our Parish Playground on the hill - with fresh landscaping, a thorough pressure washing, some colorful additions, and a new Children's Remembrance Garden. Many thanks to the Knights and EL Teams for their hard work on this. Be sure to check it out during your next Mass!

Please join the students of Immaculata School for a Holy Week performance - The Way of the Cross. Performances are Tuesday at 7:00PM and Wednesday at 1:30PM.

Looking for some OUTSTANDING Pork BBQ? Look no further! The youth are selling 1-pound containers of delicious BBQ . Pre-orders will be taken the weekend of April 13-14 for pick up on April 27 between 4PM-7PM. The cost is $10 per tub. Orders can also be placed and paid for online. Credit Card payments can only be made online. Cash or checks will be accepted with all pre-orders.

Divine Mercy Sunday marks the end of the Divine Mercy Novena, which begins on Good Friday every year. Christ revealed the Divine Mercy Novena to Saint Faustina on Good Friday 1937, dictating to her the prayers that make up the novena. It is often combined with the Divine Mercy Chaplet, which is also commonly prayed on Divine Mercy Sunday. St. Matthew parish will host the Divine Mercy Pray Service on Sunday, April 28 at 3PM. The Novena Prayer will be distributed on the weekend of April 13-14 and begins on Good Friday. Download the Novena by clicking on the title.

Please join us on Tuesday, April 2 at 7PM in the church to hear Deacon Mark Westrick speak about the Impact of Almsgiving on your Lenten practice and personal holiness in life. Deacon Westrick is a representative of the Rice Bowl Program sponsored by Catholic Relief Services.

St. Matthew always supports Durham's Crop Hunger Walk, helping the Poor in our County and the World. Go to durhamcropwalk.org, click on DONATE, then TEAM and select "Saint Matthew" to donate via credit card. Checks can be made out to "CWS/Crop" and left in the weekly collection basket. This year's walk is Sunday, APRIL 7th at Duke Chapel. Questions contact Paul Andrews at 477-1135. THANK YOU!

Father Mike Martin, Director of Duke Catholic Campus Ministry, will be speaking at St. Thomas More on April 1 and 2 at 7PM. He will be speaking about the communal journey of discipleship. All are welcome.

FRIDAY APRIL 12th with be our Knights Last Fish Fry Dinner of Lent in our Social Hall between 4:30-7:00 p.m. All parishioners are welcome! Dinners include fried Whiting or broiled Salmon, hush puppies, veggies, plus unlimited Drinks and Desserts. CHICKEN NUGGETS for the kids. Prices $10/adults & $5/kids under 12, or $25 Family Meal Deal (eat in only). All proceeds benefit NC SPECIAL OLYMPICS and our Diocese Seminarians seeking the Priesthood. Bon Appetite!

McKenna is a 7th grader in our TYM program. She and her friend were tired of people making negative comments about their Catholic faith and decided to do something. They created this blog to dispel misconceptions about the Catholic faith. Their approach is very non-judgmental and positive. Check out their blog and subscribe today! https://isitbabys21.wixsite.com/website

Thank you to those who submitted photos to the TYM Photo contest. The winning picture was submitted by Dave Kuboushek - "Easter Vigil".

Lynn Oeser, a parishioner, shared this encounter with two others which demonstrates the fundamental principle behind Everyone Leads! Thank you Mike Memrick and Brendan Hartigan for seeing a need and taking care of it.

St Matthew Discussion Groups need your Voice. Our plan is to review survey suggestions with a goal of crafting at least 3 new initiatives to recommend to the Parish and Finance Councils to be included in the Parish Plan for the 2019-2020 church year. YOUNG FAMILY SUPPORT: Sun. Feb. 24, 9:30 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. (chaired by Nicole Schramm-Sapyta and Christina Young), ADULT FAITH FORMATION: Sat. March 2, 3:00 to 4:30 pm (chaired by Kathleen Allen and Tom Clifton), MILLENNIAL SUPPORT: Date to be determined; stay tuned. (chaired by Jeff Lyons andSally Derr).

We are off to a great start with our Everyone Leads initiative. We invite you to join the movement by attending our planning session on Wednesday, September 26 from 7:00-8:30pm in the parish hall. You don't have to have completed the book to join us! We hope to see many of you there.