Vision, Mission & History of St. Matthew

Called by God the Father, 
We are a Catholic Faith Community,  
Empowered by the Holy Spirit to Joyously Proclaim
and Live the Good News of Jesus Christ.

OUR MISSION

WORD: Proclaiming God’s Work through the Liturgy

      WORSHIP: Celebrating as a Community of Faith

           SERVICE: Serving our Parish Family and our Local Community

                  STEWARDSHIP: Accountability of all our Resources

Saint Matthew Church was established by the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh in July of 1990, with the assignment of Fr. Thomas Tully as the first pastor. 

About 100 families from Immaculate Conception Church began a new ‘ADVENTURE OF FAITH’ in northern Durham County.  A forested parcel of land on Mason Road, next to the Avila Retreat Center, was purchased by the new parish in December 1991.  After a successful fund drive, work on the site officially began on the feast of St. Matthew in September 1993.  Our first Mass in the new 6,000 square foot, multi-purpose Church took place less than a year later in July of 1994. 

In 1997, St. Matthew Catholic Cemetery was established and consecrated as the only Catholic cemetery in Durham County.

Over the next three decades, through the blessings of God and his son Jesus Christ, St. Matthew Parish has flourished, with 450 families currently registered.  After the departure of Father Tully in 1997, Fr. Paul Byron came out of retirement and graciously served as our administrator for one year, until the arrival of the new pastor, Fr. John Parrish in 1998. Father John faithfully served the faithful of St. Matthew Parish for eight years until 2006, when Fr. Robert Diegelman took over as pastor.

Following another successful fund drive, and under the guidance of Father Bob, the Parish broke ground in 2009 on our new 9,000 square foot Parish Center.  In addition to office space for the parish staff, it included four meeting rooms for Faith Formation, a kitchen, and a social hall for large gatherings.  In February 2010, Bishop Michael Burbidge dedicated and blessed our new Parish Center.

In 2011, Father Bob retired after many years of faithful service to the diocese and we welcomed our current pastor Fr. Thanh Nguyen. With Father Thanh’s vigilant stewardship and with a joyful, energetic, and generous congregation, St. Matthew Parish has continued to be blessed. 

In 2014, we celebrated our 25th Anniversary as northern Durham’s only Catholic faith community.  

Without the need to borrow any funds, the parish was able to make the following enhancements to the church and Parish Center. In 2014, an oak Altar Platform was installed in the church. In 2015, the parish commissioned a stained glass artist to design floor to ceiling stained glass windows for behind the altar in the church.  The windows were completely funded by the contributions of parishioners.

In 2016, a parishioner’s generosity made possible the installation of a stained glass window over the main interior entry doors of the church.  St. Matthew’s purchased new wooden pews with kneelers for the entire sanctuary of the church and donate to a sister parish the chairs that had been prviously used. 

In 2017, the sound amplification system in the church was modernized enabling all in our community to hear the liturgy and the music.  These changes serve to enhance the congregation’s worship experience, as the light streaming through the windows makes the connection between the altar and the people, with the pews surrounding the altar,  bringing us together as we worship as one community.  

In 2017, we also recognized a need to expand our Parish Center building. With 175 students enrolled in our religious education program, and a constant stream of community service and parish activities taking place in the Parish Center, additional space was needed!  Dedicated in April 2018, the 1300 square foot addition to the Parish Center includes two large classrooms/meeting rooms and an addition to the kitchen.  This major project was accomplished without any need to borrow funds. 

In December, 2018, our parish was again blessed as Bishop Luis Rafael Zarama appointed Rev. Mr. Desi Vikor as Deacon at St. Matthew’s.  In June of 2019, after eight years, we sadly said goodbye to Father Thanh, who accepted a new position in the diocese, and hello to Father Edward Burch our pastoral administrator for a one year assignment. Under his time, the Girl Scouts built us a wonderful Outdoor Chapel in the forest behind the church.

In July 2020, we welcomed in another new era with our new Pastor, Rev. Robert Staley (Father Rob).  We were so happy to welcome him to our faith community.  In 2023, we had another milestone when we installed solar panels on our church roof to go even green(er). Father Rob instituted many new events at St. Matthew including Christmas Parties, a Book Club, a Diaper Bank Ministry, and Socials for new and young families, widow/widowers.

January of 2024 brought us Fr. John Curran, former Assistant Chaplain at NCSU, as our new Pastoral Administrator. Father John's focus has been on the old and the young, making sure the needs of our seniors and children are well addressed.

The future of  St. Matthew Parish is one of continued Hope, Joy, and Promise as we continue to Grow our Community in our Adventure of Faith.