The year 2001 marks the 115^th Anniversary of the founding of St. Matthew’s Parish community. Over these many years, St. Matthews has played an integral role in the life of the West Side. As the community changed, we responded to meet the needs of new immigrants who looked to the West Side as their new home. From the earliest communities of Jews, Germans, French, Irish, Middle Easterners and Latinos, St. Matthews has and continues to be involved and committed to the people of this neighborhood. Today our Church serves the new immigrants--Asians, Latinos and Ethiopians. We embrace the diversity of our neighborhood and see in this diversity the face of God.

Today the West Side is home to more than 17,000 people. We are a racially, ethnically, economically, culturally and religiously diverse community. We have a strong commercial and industrial base, fine schools and health care, a mixed housing stock undergoing redevelopment, quality cultural and social and environmental amenities.

At the heart of St. Matthew’s faith life is a deep commitment to live the Gospel within and beyond the walls of the Church. We seek to make the compassionate love of God visible and tangible; we seek to make the name of Jesus known and loved.

We share the common bond of past West Siders to care for one another and to be active and responsible disciples and citizens on the West Side of St. Paul. To call us to a deeper sense of caring towards our parishioners and neighbors, St. Matthews is actively involved in the lives of it parishioners who live in and beyond the neighborhood of the West Side.

A key focus of St. Matthew’s has been education. St. Matthew’s school began as a work of evangelization in the basement of the church in 1886. The first building was completed in 1902 [99 years ago!!] and then expanded in 1928. Tens of thousands of children have received a quality Catholic education at St. Matthews since the school doors first opened! Today we have 212 children of all faiths and races as students in our K-8 school. In addition to our formal day school, St. Matthews offers extended childcare to 25 children before and after school, and a fully licensed all day community childcare center for 54 children, ages 6 weeks through 4 years old. We offer these programs at an affordable cost to families. In addition, the Community of St. Matthew provides tuition support to families who need our help.

In the fall of 1999, the community of St. Matthew took yet another dramatic step in its history. It embarked on a self-study (Project 2000), that asked parishioners and non-parishioners the following questions:

1) What do you value about St. Matthews?

2) Is St. Matthews important to the West Side and beyond?

3) What are the strengths and weaknesses of St. Matthews?

4) If St. Matthews were just starting now, what would we look like?

The challenge of Project 2000 was to look to our future as a church community and as a resource to the local community of the West Side. Entering a new millennium provided the opportunity to evaluate and assess the effectiveness of our education and formation ministries, worship and outreach programs. It also presented a unique opportunity to capture the dreams and enthusiasm of parish members and civic leaders to develop and/or offer a new vision to the parish and civic community.

"Project 2000" was a commitment to explore and to challenge the community of St. Matthews "to be all that we are called to be". The study reviewed the ministries and activities of the church. This study will shape future church decisions regarding ministry, service and education that better meet the needs of the parishioners and the people of the West Side.

"Project 2000" discovered a growing and renewed interest and concern about the following key ministries of St. Matthew:

• Formal Catholic Education of the children of the parish and broader community (Day School)
• Youth and Religious Education programming and activities for its young people
• Providing adult learning opportunities
• Active involvement in and service to the West Side Community
• Commitment to providing affordable childcare in the community of the West Side
• Continued commitment to outreach programs that serve the neighborhood.

The Riverfront development promises to increase middle income housing by almost 20 percent, new immigrants are finding a home in quality low income and subsidized housing in our community. New businesses spring up each month in our community thanks to commercial development efforts. Community development is about building community and entrepreneurial development. Dramatic changes on the West Side are an opportunity and challenge for our church community.

Recognizing the present development of the West Side: we see student growth in all our educational programs, we see the need to provide additional gathering space to serve the civic and spiritual needs of our parishioners and neighbors, we envision expansion in our outreach programs, feeding more of the community through Loaves & Fishes, providing additional medical care through St. Mary's Clinic and being an advocate for low and moderate income housing. Yes, these are exciting challenges and opportunities for the people of St. Matthew.

Such growth will have a dramatic impact on our facilities. We have far too long deferred major renovations to our church, parish center and school. The time has come to renew our buildings to serve the needs of our faith and civic communities. The time has come, and we must act! However, we must not see what we are about to do as mainly a construction project, but as a way to serve the families of the West Side and beyond. We are about changing and saving lives! Buildings are containers in which life and faith and hope can thrive.

Standing with us in this endeavor to improve our facilities and provide a strong Catholic presence on the West Side is the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Archbishop Harry Flynn sees the importance of St. Matthews on the West Side. Over the past five years, the Archdiocese has invested nearly $500,000 into the educational programs of the church and school. Over the next five years, the Archdiocese will continue to invest significant support to advance the work of St. Matthews. The Archdiocese has assigned their staff member to the school board and has and continues to provide personnel in the area of fund raising. To achieve the capital needs of this campaign will mean that the parishioners of St. Matthews will partnership with the Archdiocese, the civic community and other Catholic parishes. With this creative partnership, we will succeed.

Decisions drive resources! To renew our buildings, create new endowments for learning, enhance our commitment to childcare, and assist the larger local church, we need great sacrifices from many; we will need to raise over $7 million dollars. To achieve this goal will mean looking to those who believe in St. Matts, our parishioners. We will also need to go beyond our parish, to seek gifts from individuals in the civic community, local businesses, foundations and other churches. What we are about to do, "Building for Today, Visions for Tomorrow", will call us to partnership with many to ensure that the mission of St. Matthews, to exist in the world as a visible expression of God's love, remains strong and alive.

For many in our community, we attended church and graduated from Catholic schools. However, we did not have to build these buildings. They were there for us to use, and to grow in our faith. Our parents and grandparents built our Churches and schools at great personal sacrifice. Our Church facilities have been entrusted to us. We must be good stewards of these gifts. The time to rebuild is now, and we are called to be the builders.

A. The Historic School: [1902/1928 school buildings] serving the parish and civic community

More than ever before in the history of our community, young people need the daily educational and formational influence of our Catholic schools. Catholic schools in our country have been the largest voluntary accomplishment in the history of the world. They will continue to exist only if good, visionary, generous people want them to continue. We know that the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Archbishop Harry J. Flynn are committed and determined to see St. Matthew's School, the only Catholic school on the West Side, remain strong and accessible to all. The Archdiocese has provided funds and staff to keep a strong Catholic school presence on the West Side. St. Matthew’s School has served the families of the West Side and beyond since 1886. The physical plant of St. Matthew’s School needs significant improvement. The proposed renovation would allow and invite year-round use of the building by the parish and the West Side community for education and formation programs. This is a key point; we want our facility serving the people of the community year round. The school facility through renovation would not only be a school but a community center for the West Side. This innovative idea would allow our school facility to serve the West Side by providing new meeting space, and sharing in combined use of our library and media center.

The current St. Matthew’s Educational Endowment fund has a balance of $225,000. The interest from this endowment provides tuition assistance to families and supports faculty and staff compensation. The funds generated from this endowment allow our children to receive a Catholic education. However, the endowment must be increased to provide additional financial resources to meet the ever-increasing demands for tuition assistance. Also, St. Matthews must provide a just and competitive salary to all employees. Currently, our teacher salaries are 65% of St. Paul School District teacher salaries. Interest from our Learning Endowments will be able to support educational programs for our teachers and provide just compensation.

1. Presently, the YMCA manages the extended day program for children of St. Matthews and the neighborhood both before and after school. This program currently resides in the lower level of the parish center and will be moved to the school facilities. Such a move will foster a stronger relationship with the school and provide additional learning and social activities for our extended day students. The program serves about 26 children.
2. The parish continues to lease space in the NeDA building at 15 W. Winifred. The Childcare program currently enrolls 54 children. Childcare fees are used for that expenditure as well as salaries, benefits, and program materials. Part of providing affordable day care is funded by St. Matthews. The purchase the NeDA building would provide the parish with an additional 5,000 square feet. As owners of the building, the parish could rent out the lower level or expand the program to serve more families. The issue facing St. Matthews is having sufficient funds to purchase the building.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has enjoyed a proud tradition of cooperation and partnership with St. Matthew’s Parish Community over the years. The last five years, St. Matthew’s School has received $495,000 for operating needs for salaries and programming from the Archdiocese.

In addition to funding, the Archdiocese provides educational and development staff to serve the needs of St. Matthews. The Archdiocese is more than an investor in St. Matts; they are our partners in providing a Catholic presence on the West Side.

The Archdiocese has asked St. Matthews and all other 224 Catholic parishes in the Archdiocese to create a new Fund to support the capital needs of church and school renovations. The creation of this Partnership Fund will provide St. Matthews and other churches the opportunity to borrow funds at a preferred rate of interest. The fund will combine the strength of the individual parishes and the Archdiocese to act together as securer of loans for future projects affecting all the churches. Such a fund will also assist church communities most in need. The Archbishop has asked for an amount equivalent to 4/5 of last year’s envelope and plate collection. This amounts to $433,000.

The parish center houses on the first floor the administrative offices of the parish, provides meeting rooms for parish and civic gatherings and serves as the communication center for the church. In addition, the third and fourth floors are home to school Sisters of Notre Dame who live in residence. The parish center is in need of new windows. In addition to the windows, general and needed improvements must be made to the offices in the parish center

Over the years, the church has been maintained and improved. The main church offers worship to over 1000 families and is available for larger civic gatherings. It is a beautiful sacred space. It would be our hope to provide an elevator to the Social Hall from the main church. Although there is a way to access the social hall from the school playground, it is difficult to use the playground entrance when school is in session or when we have inclement weather. An elevator within the church would provide direct access to the social hall.