St. Matthew Parish sponsors a Free Family Movie Night each month for young and old alike. March’s movie will be Spellbound at SA Campus in the Social Hall 2nd Floor of the Church/School Building on Saturday, March 1, 2025. No need to bring snacks. Popcorn and sodas will be provided for your enjoyment. Doors will open at 6 P.M. and the movie starts at 6:30 P.M. We hope to see you there.

Lets Get Ready and take that step and join SMP choir. Your voices were incredible during Holy Week and we would very much appreciate your help in expanding the voices in the St Matthew Choir. Rehearsals take place on Tuesdays, from 7-8:30 PM, in the music room at Holy Spirit School. New members aged 16 and up are invited to come and see if praising God through music ministry is right for you! Please contact any of the parish music ministers with any questions.

All High School Teens are invited to join us Wednesday, May 28th from 7pm - 9pm for our Beginning of Summer Party! There will be Volleyball, Yard Games, Bonfire, Hot dogs, and S’mores! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------SMP Youth Ministry is now on Instagram: Follow us at: www.instagram.comstmatthewpgh_ariseym/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We are starting a Junior Ladies of Charity! If you want to get more involved with service in the community and in the Parish this is the group to join! It is for Young Women in grades 7th thru 12th! If you would like more information or are interested in joining, please contact Morgan Hall at: [email protected] or ext. 415

A candymaker in Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a witness, so he made the Christmas Candy Cane. This candymaker incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ. He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. White to symbolize the Virgin birth and the sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock, the foundation of the Church, and the firmness of the promise of God. The Candymaker made the candy in the form of a “J” to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to earth as our Savior. It could also represent the staff of the Good Shepherd, with which He reaches down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lamb’s who like all sheep, have gone astray. Thinking that the candy was somewhat plain, the candymaker stained it with red stripes. He used three small stripes to show the stripes of the scourging Jesus received, by which we are healed. The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Christ on the cross so that we could have the promise of eternal life. Unfortunately, the candy became known as the Candy Cane a meaningless decoration seen at Christmas. But the meaning remains for those who “have eyes to see and ears to hear.” May this symbol again be used to witness to the Wonder of Jesus and His Great Love that came down at Christmas and remains the ultimate and dominant force in the universe today.