Our Parish

HISTORY OF ST. MATTHEW'S

In the early 17th century, the Franciscans established the Spanish Mission of San Mateo (St. Matthew’s) on Fort Caroline in Arlington. Three centuries later, in 1944, the Diocese of St. Augustine purchased the present site. St. Matthew’s Parish was founded on November 14, 1947. Father Joseph Corde organized the parish. Nearly 250 families were initially registered.

The parishioners celebrated Mass in the Lake Shore Theater and the American Legion Hall for the first two years. Their first church building came in 1948 when the old military chapel from Camp Blanding was moved in pieces to Blanding Blvd. The first Masses were offered there in April of 1949 for a community of 400 families. From 1950 to 1951, the Parish Hall (now kindergarten and lunchroom), the first wing of the school, and the convent were all constructed.

In 1953, Fr. Corde accepted a new assignment, leaving behind six years of labor and accomplishment. Fr. Paul Manning arrived as our new pastor. Shortly after that, a census was taken, determining that the original frame of the church would not be able to accommodate the parish as St. Matthew’s flourished. By April 1954, a campaign to raise $160,000 to build a larger church was launched. Fr. Manning was beset with ill health and transferred to St. Petersburg in February of 1955. Bishop Thomas McDonough, while remaining Pastor of St. Paul’s in Jacksonville Beach, was appointed administrator to supervise the building of our present church.

Ground was broken on Christmas day, 1955. The following Christmas, 1956, the new church was dedicated to Archbishop Hurley. In February of 1957, Fr. Daniel Hegarty was appointed pastor.

As St. Matthew’s continued to grow, a new rectory was constructed in 1968, followed by our gymnasium in 1973. In 1980, Monsignor Hegarty celebrated his 23rd year at St. Matthew’s, and in his golden jubilee of ordination, he retired as pastor. Monsignor John P. Burns was appointed the new pastor.

Upon his arrival, Msgr. Burns renovated the convent, installed ten stained-glass windows, and renovated the school. Bishop John Snyder dedicated and blessed the new windows in the church and the school renovations on November 18, 1984, the 35th anniversary of St. Matthew’s Church.

In January 1994, Bishop Snyder dedicated the newly renovated church. In July 1994, Monsignor John P. Burns retired after 14 years of faithful service to the people of St. Matthew’s. Fr. Luke McLoughlin was appointed pastor of St. Matthew’s in July 1994. A capital campaign was formed in 2005 to raise funds for a new parish hall. Ground was broken in early 2008, and construction began. In 2009, the Schiavone Parish Hall opened its doors and has been a beautiful place for many parish and community events. Fr. Luke served faithfully for 17 years until his retirement in 2011.

Fr. Jose Kulathinal, CMI, was appointed pastor in June 2011. A new Capital Campaign was launched in 2016 to raise money for renovations to the church, gym, school-covered walkway extensions, and the building of a new rectory. Mass was held in the gym while the church was being renovated. New pews were installed, a new sound system and lighting, a major pipe organ upgrade, roof repair, and waterproofing of the stained-glass windows were a few major repairs. The church renovations were complete, and our beautiful church reopened on the First Sunday of Advent in December 2017. A new, gorgeous, and spacious rectory was completed in May. 2018. Father Jose was appointed pastor at Holy Faith Parish in Gainesville, Florida, in February 2022.

Fr. Pradeep Aerthayil, CMI, was appointed pastor of St. Matthew's in February 2022 and continues to make our parish unique.  Our parish has nearly 1,000 registered families and is continuing to grow. We have established many committees to help develop and care for our parish, including stewardship, finance, formation, and liturgy committees. We also have many different ministries.