A Parish Shaped by One Faith, One Family
St. Matthew's Catholic Church sits on Blanding Boulevard on Jacksonville's westside, a few blocks from the FSCJ Kent Campus. It is a Catholic parish in the Diocese of St. Augustine with a thriving K-8 school, a steady schedule of daily and weekend Mass, and a wide circle of ministries serving close to a thousand registered families. The parish motto, one faith, one family, is the way the people here talk about themselves.
Father Pradeep Aerthayil, CMI, has been pastor since February 2022, and he is joined by Associate Pastor Father Jinto Thomas and Deacon David Yazdiya. In his welcome to the parish, Father Pradeep writes that "at the heart of our parish is the Eucharist, which nourishes us and strengthens us to live as disciples of Jesus," and he invites newcomers to introduce themselves after Mass or to stop by the parish office to find their place.
Mass and the Eucharist at the Center
Daily Mass is offered Monday through Saturday at 8:30 a.m. The weekend schedule begins with the Saturday Vigil at 5:00 p.m. and continues on Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., with an evening Mass at 5:00 p.m. A regular Mass runs about an hour, and there is no charge to attend. The church building stays open until 4:30 p.m. on weekdays for anyone who wants to stop in and pray.
Reconciliation is offered every Saturday from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., and appointments can be made by calling the parish office. Eucharistic Adoration, a quieter time of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, takes place on Wednesdays from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m., on Saturdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., and on the first Friday of each month from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
From a Military Chapel to a Renovated Worship Space
St. Matthew's traces its roots to the early seventeenth century, when the Franciscans established the Spanish Mission of San Mateo at Fort Caroline in Arlington. The present parish is much younger. In 1944 the Diocese of St. Augustine purchased the Blanding Boulevard site, and St. Matthew's was formally founded on November 14, 1947, under Father Joseph Corde, with nearly 250 families signing on at the start.
For the parish's first two years, Mass was celebrated in the Lake Shore Theater and the American Legion Hall. In 1948 an old military chapel from Camp Blanding was dismantled and reassembled on Blanding, and the first Masses were offered in the rebuilt structure in April 1949 to a community of 400 families. A parish hall, the first wing of the school, and a convent followed in 1950 and 1951. By 1955 the original frame was already too small, and Bishop Thomas McDonough oversaw a $160,000 campaign. The current church was dedicated on Christmas Day 1956 and blessed by Archbishop Hurley.
Through the decades, pastors and parishioners have continued to shape the campus. A new rectory went up in 1968 and a gymnasium in 1973. Monsignor Daniel Hegarty led the parish for 23 years, and Monsignor John P. Burns added ten stained-glass windows and renovated the school during his 14 years. Father Luke McLoughlin, who served from 1994 to 2011, saw the Schiavone Parish Hall open in 2009, and Father Jose Kulathinal, CMI, led a 2016 capital campaign that brought new pews, a new sound system, new lighting, a major pipe-organ upgrade, roof repair, and waterproofing of the stained-glass windows. The renovated church reopened on the First Sunday of Advent in December 2017, and a new rectory was completed in May 2018.
Today the parish counts close to a thousand registered families and continues to grow, with committees for stewardship, finance, formation, and liturgy supporting the work of the staff.
A School That Grows with the Parish
St. Matthew's Catholic School is a K-8 school sharing the Blanding Boulevard campus. Father Pradeep describes it as a place where "faith and education unite to form the next generation of Catholic leaders," and the parish's long history is woven into it: the original school wing was built in 1950, the stained-glass windows were blessed in 1984, and the building has been updated over the years. The school is led by Principal Meagan Dubberly, and the Music Director Lindita Kosova and Finance Manager J. Kimberly Neill serve both the school and the parish office. Student Masses are part of the regular rhythm, and a Life Teen student Mass anchors the high-school gathering on the third Sunday of each month.
Faith Formation for Children and Youth
For families whose children do not attend the Catholic school, the parish runs a Religious Education program from kindergarten through eighth grade. Grades K-5 meet on Sunday mornings from 9:35 to 10:20 a.m., and grades 6-8 on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. First Reconciliation and First Eucharist are celebrated in the second grade or above for children in their second consecutive year of religious education, and Confirmation is celebrated by the bishop in the spring for students in eighth grade or above, with twenty hours of service, a letter to the bishop, and a research paper on a chosen saint all part of the journey.
Director of Religious Education Melissa Merritt oversees sacramental preparation and CCD registration, and a year-round stream of registration forms covers First Reconciliation, First Communion, Confirmation, and Religious Education.
Director of Youth Ministry Ryan Neill runs two programs. EDGE is the middle-school gathering for grades 5 through 8, meeting on Friday evenings from 5:15 to 7:15 p.m. with games, teaching, and service. Life Teen is the high-school program, meeting on the third Sunday of each month from 6:15 to 8:00 p.m. after the 5:00 p.m. Mass. Both programs rest on seven core values - love, evangelization, joy, vocation, affirmation, authenticity, and a Eucharistic spirituality - and are supported by a CORE team of adult volunteers who walk alongside the young people of the parish.
Walking with Purpose, OCIA, and Adult Formation
Adults have their own set of formation opportunities. The parish offers the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, OCIA, the process by which non-Catholics explore becoming Catholic. Sessions run on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. from mid-September through the Easter Vigil, and Deacon David Yazdiya oversees the adult program while Melissa Merritt coordinates the youth track. Walking with Purpose, a women's Bible study, meets in two sessions each week: Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. and Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. A Tuesday morning Bible and Book Study is another regular gathering on the calendar.
St. Matthew's has also taken part in the Dynamic Parish initiative, a five-year pilot with Dynamic Catholic. The parish is one of just 61 in the country, out of more than 15,000, selected for the program, and parish consultants walk alongside Father Pradeep and parish leaders with resources, events, and best-practice support. Small study groups have formed around books like "I Heard God Laugh" and "Rediscover Jesus," and a parish reading list curated by the St. Vincent de Paul Society is available to browse in the Resources section.
The Works of Mercy: St. Vincent de Paul, Prison Ministry, and Respect Life
Service to neighbors in need is a large part of parish life. The St. Vincent de Paul Society, a local chapter of the worldwide society founded in 1833, meets bi-weekly on Monday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Vincentians visit the poor in their homes, evaluate needs, and provide help with rent, utilities, medical costs, transportation, and food. Volunteers can pick the activities that fit their schedule. The society also makes Prayer Blankets, which are blessed and distributed to people enduring difficult times.
The Prison Ministry sends teams into local correctional facilities in line with the Diocese of St. Augustine's protocols, and offers a Pen Pal ministry and a Prayer Circle for those who cannot go inside. Volunteers always serve in groups and complete a background check and facility orientation. The ministry leader is Rafael Castro-Leon.
The Respect Life Ministry keeps a calendar of monthly initiatives. A Holy Hour for Life is held during Adoration on the first Wednesday of each month. Father Pradeep leads Parish Prayers for Life outside the A Woman's Choice abortion clinic, and the ministry supports the Women's Help Center on Blanding Boulevard through diaper and baby item donations from second collections. Shirley Rushin coordinates the ministry.
The Bread of Life Ministry extends the parish's care to the homebound, the sick, and those in nursing homes. Commissioned Eucharistic Ministers visit parishioners on Saturdays and Sundays on a rotating basis, bring the Eucharist, and assist at nursing-home Masses on the first and third Friday mornings. Knights of Columbus Council #648, which serves the Catholic men of St. Matthew's, St. Pius, and Sacred Heart parishes, meets on the second Tuesday of each month in Seton Hall and supports a wide range of parish, pro-life, and charity work.
Music, Lectors, and the Many Hands of Liturgy
Music is a daily part of life at St. Matthew's. The Choir, under Music Director Lindita Kosova, leads worship at the Saturday Vigil and the Sunday 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Masses, with weekly rehearsals on Saturday afternoons. A Praise and Worship Band leads the Sunday 5:00 p.m. Mass and rehearses on Sundays at 3:45 p.m., with singers and instrumentalists of all skill levels welcome. Musical training is not required for either group; a willing heart is.
Around the altar, more than a dozen ministries work together. Altar Servers, also called Acolytes, are boys and girls in third grade or above who have received First Eucharist, and they assist the priest at Mass on a rotating schedule. Lectors proclaim the readings and the Prayers of the Faithful. Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion are commissioned laypersons, age 16 and older, who distribute the Body and Blood of Christ after completing formation. Ushers and greeters welcome parishioners, help with seating, assist with the collection, and direct the flow of the liturgy; they too must be at least 16. The Church Environment Committee prepares and beautifies the church for Holy Days and special liturgical celebrations such as Holy Thursday, the Easter Vigil, and Christmas, braiding palms, decorating the sanctuary, and cleaning up afterward.
A Community Knit Together by Ministry
St. Matthew's has ministries for almost every chapter of life. MOMCO, the parish's mothers-of-preschoolers group, meets regularly and offers childcare during meetings. Young Couples and Families host a potluck on Tuesday evenings, and Young at Heart gathers the parish's seniors. The Bereavement Committee coordinates receptions after funeral Masses, walking with families through their time of loss.
Father Pradeep often notes that "at the heart of our parish is the Eucharist," and the busy rhythm of daily Mass, Adoration, Reconciliation, and a packed ministry schedule is the way the parish lives that out - one Mass, one visit, one small group, one choir practice, one homebound parishioner at a time.
What the Parish Believes
St. Matthew's professes the traditional beliefs of the Catholic Church: the divinity of Jesus Christ, the power of prayer, the significance of the seven sacraments, and the pursuit of righteousness and holiness. The parish lives those beliefs in three everyday ways - gathering around the Eucharist, forming disciples through education at every age, and serving neighbors in need through the works of mercy.
What to Expect When You Visit
The parish office is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 1773 Blanding Boulevard. There is plenty of parking on the lot, and the building is fully wheelchair accessible, with ramps and wheelchair seating. A hearing loop is available for those who use hearing aids, and a crying room in the back of the church is open to families with young children.
Children are welcome in the pews, and there is no formal dress code; come as you are. Newcomers can register through the parish office or online, and the "I'm New" page answers the most common first-visit questions about Mass times, confession, parking, and what to expect. Prayer intentions can be shared with the parish office by phone or email at stmatthews@stmatthewsjax.com, and a digital bulletin, online giving through ParishSoft, Faith Direct, and PayPal, and a Facebook and Instagram presence keep the parish connected between Sundays.