Sixty Years on Searles Road
St. Matthew Parish has been Windham's Catholic community for sixty years. Its mission statement reads: "United and strengthened by the Eucharist, we are a Catholic community centered in Jesus Christ. Together, we live anew the Gospel." The church sits at 2 Searles Road, on the corner of Route 111 and Searles Road, with a parish office on the same property and a parish center just up the road at 21 Searles Road. A 1999 icon of St. Matthew by George and Sergio Pinecross hangs in the church.
Mass Every Day, Reconciliation Throughout the Week
The Mass schedule is built around Sunday worship but keeps the Eucharist available on every other day as well. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday Masses are celebrated at 8:30 in the morning, preceded by the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 7:30 and the Rosary at 7:45. Wednesday Mass is offered at 6:00 in the evening, and the Saturday Vigil Mass is at 4:00 in the afternoon. Four Sunday Masses gather the parish at 7:30, 9:30, 11:30 in the morning and 6:00 in the evening, with the 6:00 Mass serving as the parish's Youth Mass.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is heard Monday and Friday after the 8:30 Mass, on Wednesday from 6:30 to 7:00 in the evening, and on Saturday from 3:00 to 3:45 in the afternoon. The confessional is located in the room to the left of the altar. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament takes place in the church on Wednesday from 6:30 to 7:30 in the evening, and the parish Adoration Chapel remains open at all other times.
First Friday Adoration has expanded into a full evening and overnight vigil that begins with a Mass and prayers of healing, continues with hourly adoration through the night, and concludes with Saturday morning confession and the First Saturday Mass. First Saturday Devotion gathers parishioners for adoration at 7:30 in the morning, the rosary at 7:45, Mass at 8:30, and a family breakfast after Mass. During Advent, the Rorate Mass, a candlelit liturgy in honor of the Blessed Mother, is offered on Wednesday evenings.
Faith Formation Built Around the Family
The parish's Faith Formation program is anchored in family life rather than classroom hours. The program director, Colleen Strang, explains the underlying conviction in a welcome letter to parents: "Effective and lasting faith formation must be anchored in family life... the program will encourage, support, and equip parents in the role of forming their children." Rather than replacing parental catechesis, the Family of Faith curriculum gives parents a Parent's Guide and Children Activity Books for use at home. Lessons generally run about twenty minutes and are designed to be reinforced organically during daily family routines, in the car, at the dinner table, and at bedtime.
Sacramental preparation is woven into the program. Children preparing for First Reconciliation typically begin in the second grade, with Confirmation and First Holy Communion celebrated together in the third grade for students who have been participating in the Family of Faith Program. Adults seeking Confirmation follow a separate preparation track through the pastoral minister. The materials, published by Sophia Press, are available in both English and Spanish editions. Registration runs from late spring through July, with fees set at $90 per family through July 1 and $100 afterward.
For the youngest children of the parish, Little Ones Learn offers a monthly gathering for parents and their children from birth through age five. Meeting on select Sundays at either 8:30 or 10:30 in the morning, the group plays, prays, sings, and crafts together, learning about God through stories and activities designed for very young disciples.
Youth Ministry on Monday Through Wednesday and Sunday
Middle school and high school students are invited into a busy Youth Ministry that meets on weeknights and offers a long list of special events. Middle School Youth Group meets on Mondays and/or Tuesdays, while High School Youth Group meets on Wednesdays and/or Sundays. A typical youth night opens with games or sports, moves into prayer, turns to a faith-related discussion, and closes with snacks. The Youth Ministry calendar is published as a Google document and a parish Facebook page, with Instagram updates posted at @youth.stmattsnh.
Special events through the year have included Friday Frenzy Movie Nights, CYO Drama Club auditions, Pancakes and Patriots season kickoffs, Canobie Lake Park outings, beach days in Seabrook and Hampton, corn maze visits, paint nights, bonfires, and an annual Winter Retreat at Young Life's Lake Champion. BLAZE is a separate Bible study for teenage girls that gathers on Wednesday evenings. Service is built into the program: youth host quarterly babysitting nights, assemble baby bottles for St. Gianna's Place, volunteer for Mercy Works each April, run summer car washes, serve a monthly meal to families in transitional housing, and join week-long mission trips.
Bible Study and Catholic Formation for Adults
Adult formation is organized around four pillars: worship, prayer, study, and service. Walking with Purpose is the parish's longest-running women's Bible study, offered on Tuesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30 and Wednesday mornings from 9:30 to 11:00, with childcare available on Wednesday mornings. The fall study is Spiritual Motherhood: The Transforming Power of the Feminine Genius, and the program is open to women of every faith background, age, and marital status.
Christian initiation through the RCIA prepares adults for full reception into the Catholic Church. The Little Ones Learn program, the Family of Faith program, and Walking with Purpose all sit under the "study" heading. End-of-life concerns are addressed through the parish's Anointing of the Sick ministry, which is celebrated in an annual anointing service each fall and is available year-round by contacting the parish office. An annual Lenten Mission, conferences on the Mass with the pastor, and evenings such as "All Things Catholic" give adults additional opportunities for catechesis.
Music, Servers, and the Liturgical Environment
Music is described as "an integral part of the celebration of the Mass at St. Matthew, a public sign of our active worshipping community." Cantors lead the assembly at weekend Masses, with seasonal choirs supporting the celebrations of Christmas and Easter. Choir Director Peter Mahoney welcomes singers and instrumentalists. Advent Rorate Masses have featured Sammie Simard from Here on Earth Worship as guest music minister.
Liturgical lay ministries are organized around the Mass. Altar servers assist the priest at the altar; training is offered and children who have received First Holy Communion are particularly invited to take up this role. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion distribute the Sacred Body and Precious Blood of Christ at every Mass, with training and triennial commissioning by the bishop at the request of Monsignor Anthony. Lectors proclaim the scriptures and are trained in proclamation. The Sacred Environment Team prepares the church decor to reflect the seasons, feasts, and holy days of the liturgical year, working under the direction of Nelia Jacobs. Ushers, led by Skip Morganson, provide hospitality, seat parishioners, take up the collection, and direct the Communion procession.
Hands of Mercy, the Pantry, and Mission Beyond Windham
The service pillar of parish life is built around an open group called Hands of Mercy that meets weekly to organize outreach. The group cooks monthly meals for Family Promise, Liberty House, and Lazarus House Shelter; makes blankets for Catholic Charities; organizes the Advent Giving Tree; packs suitcases for the mission trip; makes rosaries for the missions; and helps with moving, sewing, decorating, and cleaning around the parish.
Shepherd's Pantry is a collaborative food ministry that St. Matthew runs together with Windham Presbyterian Church, distributing food to New Hampshire residents in need since 1992. Between sixty and eighty families are served each week. Food distribution takes place on Monday mornings at the Windham Presbyterian Church parking lot. The parish supports the pantry by bringing food on the second Sunday of every month.
The Homebound Ministry sends ministers on weekly visits to parishioners who cannot attend Mass, sharing the Word of God and bringing Holy Communion. The Prayer Shawl Ministry knits and crochets shawls that are prayed over and blessed before being given free of charge to those who are ill and their caregivers.
Since 2010, St. Matthew has traveled each year to the Dominican Republic for a mission trip in cooperation with La Parroquia la Virgen de la Altagracia in Paraiso. Teams of parishioners and students from St. Matthew and neighboring parishes have built water filters and aqueducts, provided medical care in villages such as La Yamaya and Las Matas, and visited the Missionaries of Charity in Las Matas de Farfan. The Knights of Columbus St. Matthew Council #7572 adds to the parish's outreach with blood drives, hands-on work at Shepherd's Pantry, parish meals, and many other programs. Interested men can join through the Knights of Columbus email group.
Joining the Parish
Parish registration is completed online through a simple form. Online giving through Vanco allows parishioners to schedule recurring gifts and second collections. Mass is livestreamed on the parish YouTube channel, with bulletins posted through Parishes Online. The parish office is open Monday through Thursday from 9:00 in the morning until noon and again from 1:00 until 4:00 in the afternoon, and can be reached at 603-893-3336 or by fax at 603-898-4008.