St. Matthew Catholic Church Podcast

We continue our teen testimony series with Emma Sciotto! Emma is a rising Senior at Charlotte Catholic and gift to our St. Matthew parish! On this episode, Emma shares more about her personal faith journey and how we can make our prayer time more personal with Jesus. She reminds us that we can always trust the Lord, even when we don't fully understand the plan.  Be sure to follow St. Matthew...

We continue our teen testimony series with Luke Park! Luke is an incoming Sophomore at Notre Dame and Life Teen Alumni. On this episode we chat about keeping our faith alive in college (including the challenges), God's love for you no matter what, and relive the best Life Teen memories from the past few years. Luke is on fire for the Lord and seeking a life of courage and strength with God. ...

We kick off our teen testimony series with graduating senior, Victoria Gatzendorfer! Victoria is a joyful and enthusiastic Life Teen member and St. Matt's parishioner. She is on fire for her Catholic faith and here to share how the Lord has been working in her own heart lately. Victoria has a lot of wisdom and laughs to share with all of us! Make sure to follow St. Matthew Youth Ministry on I...

This week Avery & Lauren break down one of their favorite quotes from St. Catherine of Siena: "Be who God created you to be and you will set the world on fire." We wrap up this series inspired by the Saints to achieve greatness, all for the greater glory of God.  On this episode we talk about practical things we can do to better our relationship with the Lord and in our own unique wa...

Tune in for part three of our  "In Good Company" series, all about the Saints. The Saints give us courage, hope, and perseverance to journey with Christ each day -- from the valleys to the mountain tops, we can choose God each day and know that "Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure." (St. JPII) This week, Rachel Willoughby joins to share about the lives of St. Padre Pio &a...

Tune in for part two of our  "In Good Company" series, all about the Saints. The Saints give us courage, hope, and perseverance to journey with Christ each day -- from the valleys to the mountain tops, we can choose God each day and know that "Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure." (St. JPII) This week, Father Peter joins to share about the inspiring lives of St. Maria Gor...

Welcome back to (Not) The Only One! We are excited for this four part series, In Good Company, all about the Saints. The Saints give us courage, hope, and perseverance to journey with Christ each day -- from the valleys to the mountain tops, we can choose God each day and know that "Life with Christ is a wonderful adventure." (St. JPII) This week, Avery Utz, joins to chat all about Bless...

Rachel Willoughby, Director of Adult Faith Formation & Life Teen Core Member, joins to chat about one of the most powerful forms of prayer we have: the Rosary! We chat about the history of this prayer (including battles won thanks to our Mama!), asking Mary to pray for us (what that looks like & why we do it) and tips to build the habit of praying the Rosary more consistently.  We also inv...

This week, AJ & Kate Heitmann join to share about how they both feel called to service. Kate & AJ served on St. Matt's Life Teen core team for three years and are truly a gift to youth ministry. You'll get to hear how both of them live out and embrace our Catholic faith, in addition to how we can all serve Christ in our unique ways.  Kate and AJ are recently married and also shar...

This week Avery and Lauren are talking all about Divine Mercy Sunday! On this episode, we share our personal journeys with Divine Mercy, the life of St. Faustina, and close by praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet (we invite you to pray with us!) The Lord has an abundance of love to bestow on you. A love that outweighs our sins and shortcomings. Through this love, He calls us into deeper trust with Him...

This week, Ian & Eli Pilcher share what it looks like to be teen disciples today. Ian & Eli are twin high school seniors, Life Teen members, and are actively involved at St. Matthew. We talked about their 2021 Lenten journey, the challenges of being teen disciples today, and the Eucharist. Along with several shout-outs and an extended rapid-fire this week, you'll get to hear more abou...

The incredible Isabella Gonzalez joins us this week as our first teen guest! Isabella is a high school senior, and Life Teen Member, on fire for her faith. On today's episode, you'll hear part of Isabella's personal testimony and how she lives out our Catholic faith. We talk about allowing the Holy Spirit to guide our plans (and the courage it takes to do that!) plus prayer life and...

Rafy Piscopo, Life Teen Full-Time Missionary, joins us from Hidden Lake! We first met Rafy back in 2017 at Life Teen Hidden Lake Summer Camp when he was a summer missionary. If you've been to camp -- you know Rafy -- and after listening to this episode, you'll understand why he is so on fire for the Lord. Today we talk about evangelization (sharing our faith with others) and how to actua...

Peter Kobet, St. Matthew's Acting Director of Music, joins this week to chat about the Mystical Body of Christ. We are called to put our faith into action -- so let's talk about where we get this from, how we can be encouraged, and what it practically looks like to be Christ's hands and feet to others.  Scripture mentioned throughout this episode: John 17:20-23 1 Corinthians 12:12-2...

Katie Knoefel joins Lauren this week to talk about one of our very favorite people: St. Teresa of Calcutta. Mother Teresa was a bold little woman who changed the world with her radical love and service for the poor. She teaches us that we are capable of doing small acts each day and that even amidst great suffering, Jesus is close and thirsts for us. Katie shares part of her personal testimony and...

Fr. Binoy Davis joins us this week to share his story! We talk about his journey to priesthood, the need for balance in our lives, and what the creative process looked to write his Holy Communion song. Fr. Davis always brings the joy of Christ to everything he does and we are excited for you to tune in this week.  Please continue to keep all of our amazing St. Matthew priests and clergy in your pr...

This week, Joanna & Shannon from An Ordinary Catholic Podcast join us! On Part 1 of this collaboration, we dive into tons of ways that you can nourish your prayer life. Prayer is essential to our relationship with God. Let's learn together some new ways to make prayer a part of our every day.  Make sure to check out Joanna & Shannon and the incredible work they are doing in youth mini...

Diane Kiradjieff, Director of Faith Formation, joins to get us all ready for Lent! Learn more about the spring cleaning we are all in need of, tips for Lenten "daily doses", and how to let more of God's mercy into your life. 

This week, Fr. Peter  joins to talk about one of his very favorite people: Sister Clare Crockett. Sr. Clare was a vibrant, funny, determined woman who lived a beautiful life of transformation and allowing the Lord to love her fully each day. Her story continues to be inspiring for many, as she has something to teach all of us. Check out our show notes on https://stmatthewcatholic.org/podcast-notth...

Fr. John Allen joins this week to share his beautiful journey of choosing a life as a priest. Dive into this episode to learn more about how the Lord may be calling you to live out your gifts and talents well. The Lord is with us on this journey of discovering and living out our vocation and all we need to do is ask, seek, and knock.  Please continue to keep all of our amazing priests and clergy a...

This week Olivia Burke, Life Teen Core Member, joins us to chat about one of our very favorite things: Scripture. We were so on fire about this topic, we had to split it into two parts! Check out Part 2 to learn more about Queen Esther and how "perhaps you were born for a time such as this." We are confident that the Lord has a good and unique plan for you. We will also share plenty of t...

This week Olivia Burke, Life Teen Core Member, joins us to chat about one of our very favorite things: Scripture. We were so on fire about this topic, we had to split it into two parts! Check out Part 1 to learn more about Olivia's faith journey and how Mary Magdalene is a disciple of hope and perseverance who has something to teach all of us. If you have your bible near by, we'll be div...

If you've ever felt like it was too difficult to hear God's voice, doubted His presence, or felt abandoned by the Lord...this episode is for you. Avery Utz is here today to share part of her personal testimony, what her tattoo means, and practical things to do if you find yourself in a season where God feels anything but near.  We'll talk about things like consolation and desolation...

One of the questions we get the most is, "how do I make God a part of my every-day-life?" We couldn't think of a better way to kick off the year, then to talk about the Holy Spirit (aka the answer to this question.) Amy Bojarski, St. Matthew's Family Programs Coordinator, joins us to share her personal testimony and advice on how to grow in our own relationship with the Holy Sp...

Before we say goodbye to 2020, let's take a moment to give thanks and try to remember....what actually happened this year? Tune in to hear how Avery & Lauren are prepping for Christmas and how the Lord has personally been working in their lives this year. We'll also spend a bit of time in Scripture allowing Mama Mary to be our guide during this season, before we close in a special Ch...