St. Matthew Catholic Church

As you enter the church building, you will see the large limestone altar that captures your attention and symbolizes the importance of the Eucharist. Likewise, the ambo is raised one step to symbolize the importance of the word of God as we grow in faith.

The building interior is divided into the upper section (representing our heavenly goal) and the lower section (representing our life on earth) by wooden lattice and the brick arrangement. Beginning at the left side of the altar, the baptism pool symbolizes our spiritual life beginning and our acceptance of the cross. The Eucharistic altar and the ambo where the word is proclaimed are sources of strength throughout our lives. The Stations of the Cross located around the wooden lattice symbolize the journey we must take with Christ. The Risen Christ, the only image in the upper area, reminds us of not only Jesus' death for us but also His promise to us of everlasting life.

Our stained glass windows tell the story of God's loving and saving grace for humankind through the Old Testament and New Testament. It also presents to us the sacraments of the Church by which we come to live with God. The lower portion of each window is used for the story of God's continued loving grace throughout time; the top of the window echoes that love and grace through one of the sacraments where we meet God in our lives.

Beginning on the southeast corner the first window shows Adam and Eve in the Garden in the lower portion and echoes the sacrament of marriage in the top portion with the Wedding at Cana. The second window shows Moses and the Burning Bush in the lower section and the Baptism of Jesus by John on top, thus depicting Baptism where each is called to serve. The third window depicts Abraham and Isaac in the bottom while the top shows the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, recalling Confirmation. These three windows are the "Old Testament" side.

Now we cross the center aisle to the "New Testament" side on the northeast corner of the church building. The fourth window depicts the return of the Prodigal Son and echoes Reconciliation in the top portion with the weeping Mary Magdalene washing Jesus' feet with her tears, drying them with her hair. The fifth window tells the story of the Loaves and Fishes in the lower portion and then reflects Holy Orders in the top portion with the Lord breathing on the Apostles, sending them to "feed my lambs, feed my sheep." The sixth window shows two aspects of the same Scripture story: the lower portion depicts the raising of the daughter of Jairus and the top portion shows the healing of the woman who reaches out to touch the hem of Jesus' garment. Both pictures speak to us of Anointing and Healing.

The seventh sacrament? That, of course, is the Eucharist. It is presented in symbol by the altar upon which the Sacrifice of the Mass is celebrated.