A LETTER TO PARISHIONERS From Deacon Matthew Smith
Hello Saint Joseph Parish!
As many of you know, my name is Deacon Matthew Smith, and I have the distinct privilege of servingas a deacon here at SaintJosephParish over this next year. So far,I have really enjoyed praying with you all and getting to meet many of you. I hope to meet many more of you as the summer continues!
I grew up in York, PA with my parents and 5 siblings at SaintPatrick’s parish. While my siblings and I grew up going to the local public school – York Suburban – we stayed active in the life of the parish. My brothers and I altar served for many years, and my sisters helped out in the choir.
I first perceived that Godwas calling me to the priesthood when I started altar serving in the 3rd grade. We had a really joyful pastor – Fr. Tony Miller – at the time. You could tell he really liked his life as a priest. When I started altar serving, I grew more aware of all of the different elements in Mass. I could hear some of the prayers that the priest prayed quietly, that I couldn’t hear before. I started to understand that the priest is involved in the Mass in a way that is united to the rest of the people in the Church, but at the same time, in a way that is distinct and very mysterious.
While I really liked the idea of being a priest at the time, I wasn’t quite sure it was what God was calling me to do. As I grew older, I started to see married life as a great blessing and attractive as well. I had a hard time trying to figure out what God was calling me to do with my life.
Not having resolved this deep question, and also taking an interest in the realm of business, I applied and enrolled in business school at Mount St.Mary’s University after high school. I was actually a year behind Fr. Josh Weaver, who is from this parish, and whom I became friends prior to him leaving for seminary at the end of my first year.
I had a lot of great experiences at Mount St. Mary’s. I had a few internships during college that taught me a great deal about business. I got experience in many aspects of business,such asmanaging employees and identifying ways to prevent fraud. By the end of my senior year, I also was in the habit of praying for an hour before the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle and praying a rosary each day. I really enjoyed working in business, and looked forward to starting my career in business, but I still felt drawn to priesthood.
I understood that, in terms of discernment, I had doneall that I could on my own. I realized thatit was something that would continue to drive me nuts until I considered it more seriously. So I decided to entrust more of the discernment I was going through to the church by applying for seminary at the end of college.
Over the past 5 years in seminary, God has indeed made it clear to me that he is calling me to the priesthood. I have one year left in seminary before I will be ordained a priest. I am very glad to spend thislast year of my seminary years helping out at Saint Joseph Parish! If you would like to know more about my story, please feel free to ask! Please also pray for me as I continue my formation to the priesthood, and know I am praying for you.
God Bless you, Deacon Matthew Smith
FAREWELL, AND WELCOME!
This week we say goodbye to Father Sahd, who was our Parochial Vicar for 3 years. A priest’s first assignment always provides special memories for him, and we hope that we have given Father lots of experience as he now takes on his first pastorate at Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Middletown, PA. Our prayers go with him. We welcome our new Parochial Vicar, Father Ken Roth, who will join us on Monday. Our prayers are with him as he takes on this new ministerial adventure, which includes being the chaplain at Trinity High School.
CONFIRMATION STUDENTS
Our Confirmation students continue to prepare for their reception of the sacrament, which will take place this coming October (during their 9th grade year). We have scheduled 3 special Sunday evening Masses in which these students and their families will gather. All parishioners are welcome to attend with us and to pray for these young men and women. Every Confirmation student is required to attend at least one of these Masses, and, following the conclusion of Mass, should not leave without receiving a handout from Mr. Rebuck. We plan on gathering at the Gazebo on the following Sunday evenings at 5:00 PM (in case of rain, we will then gather in the Church): June 27, July 18, and August 15.