St. Matthew

"Know that I am with you always."
Matthew 28:20

Diocese of St. Petersburg, Florida
Saint Matthew Roman Catholic Church
9111 90th Ave. N.
Largo, FL 33777

Directions

Phone 727-393-1288  

Our Celebration Schedule: Temporarily Suspended

Saturday Vigil 4:00 pm
Sunday 7:30, 9:00 and 11:00 am
Holy Days 8:30 am & 7:00 pm
Daily Mass 8:30 am, Monday - Saturday
Miraculous Medal Novena - prayed each Tuesday following the 8:30 am Mass
Divine Mercy Chaplet - prayed each Friday following the 8:30 am Mass
First Friday Adoration - immediately following the 8:30 am Mass with Benediction at 10:00 am
Sacrament of Penance - Saturday 3:00 to 3:45 pm. Confession by appointment is still available; please call the church office at (727) 393-1288

Connect With Us on Facebook by clicking here.

 See videos of Masses (live and on-demand) here on Facebook. 
You don't need a Facebook account to watch our videos!
Call the office if you need assistance at (727) 393-1288

Read Weekly Bulletins online to stay informed by clicking here.

Office Hours: Not Currently Open to In-Person Visits. Please call us at (727) 393-1288.
Monday - Thursday 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am - 12:00 pm

Our Mission Statement

With the word of God as our foundation, the people of Saint Matthew Catholic Parish strive to be the presence of God in our community.  We do so through joyful worship, fellowship with our members, a welcoming spirit to visitors and seekers, an increasing willingness to give of our time, talent and treasure to serve God's people and a desire to spread our faith through ongoing spiritual sharing. 

Please Remember...You Are Precious to God and Precious to Us! 

We want to pray for you!
  What is your prayer request?

Email your request to us at  with "Prayer Request" in the subject line.

Want to join the prayer line and pray for the needs of your fellow St. Matthew parishioners? Send an email with "Join Prayer Line" in the subject line. We send out the prayer requests once a week to our prayer partners.

  St. Matthew, pray for us. St. Michael the Archangel, defend us. Christ Crucified, have mercy on us!

CANCELATIONS & UPDATES

ALL Masses, special events, and group meetings are CANCELED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.  Our parish office will be closed to in-person visits.
However, the parish secretary will still be here answering the phone and able to help you with most needs. Most staff will be working remotely and available by email or phone. Our maintenance will continue to be onsite caring for our grounds and building. Please call us at (727) 393-1288 with any questions or if you have an urgent need for a priest for Anointing of the Sick. 
Watch for text messages and emails via our Flocknote communications (Text "STMAT" to 84576 to join our "flock") or connect with us on Facebook at StMatthewRomanCatholicChurchLargo. 

St. Matthew's Palm Sunday Mass is Online This Weekend!

Fr. Tom Anastasia will be celebrating the weekend Mass privately and we will be posting the Saturday 4 pm Mass and our 7:30 am Sunday Mass live to our Facebook page. You do NOT need a Facebook account to watch our Mass, you just need to click here at 4 pm Saturday or 7:30 am Sunday to watch them live. Or you can watch and worship with us at any other time over the weekend. The video will be "pinned" towards the top of the page of our StMatthewRomanCatholicChurchLargo Facebook page. Check back often to see Daily Mass and the other special video messages that Fr. Tom is posting to our Facebook page.

Click Here to Watch our Weekend Mass

Fr. Tom Tells Us About Our Lady of the Corona Virus 

View or Listen to Mass At Home

Click Here for List of Resources at our Diocese of St. Petersburg Website

Click Here for Bishop Barron's Daily Mass

St. Matthew's Livestreaming on Facebook

When We Hunger for Jesus in the Eucharist...Make an Act of Spiritual Communion

My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen

What About the Sacrament of Reconciliation?

The Sacrament of Reconciliation is available Saturday from 3:00 to 3:45 pm.  
Drive-Thru confessions are available with Fr. Tom Anastasia under the covered portico on the main south-side of the church building. Please remain in your vehicles. One person per car for privacy. We can make accommodations if you're not the driver. Let's keep Fr. Tom busy this Saturday! Come on out; we only have 2 weekends before Easter!
As always, private confessions are available by appointment by calling the parish office.

 
Palm Sunday: Blessed Palms Distribution

Blessed Palms will be distributed: Saturday, April 4th from 5 pm to 7 pm and Sunday, April 5th from 9 am to Noon
Please drive under the portico on the south side of the building and Fr. Tom or Deacon Tony will hand you your blessed palm. 

  Click Here for Diocese Coronavirus Updates & Resources

Wondering How to Come Back to the Catholic Faith?

"Maybe you have been away from the Church for a little while or for quite some time, but now you feel a tug at your heart calling you back to the Catholic Church. Listen to that tug. It’s your Heavenly Father reaching his arms out to you, the Holy Spirit whispering in your ear, hoping to draw you home." Learn more about coming back to the Catholic Church at catholicscomehome.org

Have questions and want to talk to somebody about the Catholic faith? Email and we will be happy to answer your questions and offer you additional resources to help your spiritual journey. 

St. Matthew's is happy to welcome you back home! 

Testimonial: Ric from Catholics Come Home on Vimeo.

From Our Grateful Hearts to Yours!

We are thankful to all our faithful parishioners who have overcome the obstacles of absence! Not only are we being blessed by our many Online Giving participants, but many of you have mailed in your Offertory Envelopes or have dropped them off to our office. During this time of uncertainty, we cherish the generous gifts you are making as you “offer up your first-fruits to the Lord” to help us meet our financial obligations.  

Our mailing address is 9111 90th Ave.  Largo, FL 33777

To donate online click here or to learn more click here.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

May the Lord bless your faithfulness to him.

Outside Stations of the Cross
 

You are welcome to visit our beautiful St. James Prayer Pavillion and Stations of the Cross anytime during daylight hours for private prayer, but we have canceled our public Stations of the Cross. This is located in our south lawn area. Follow the path from the parking lot around to this hidden gem! Please observe social-distancing practices of 6-feet between each person and do not visit if you have a cough or aren't feeling well. Also, take a peek around our grounds to find some of our hidden gem prayer shrines! You never know where you may find your favorite saint!

Is the Church Open for Private Prayer?

 Need a Little Help?

Dr. Lori Puterbaugh, LMHC, LMFT, BCC is a licensed mental health counselor specializing in individual, couple, and family counseling, and coaching and has been commissioned in Lay Pastoral Ministry. She is currently accepting new clients and temporarily holding appointments via a tele-health platform. Dr Lori usually sees clients here at St. Matthew on Wednesdays and Thursdays. A sliding fee scale is available. Learn more at her website  or contact her directly at (727) 559-0863.

It Hurts to Lose Someone. Find Help at GriefShare: We're Having Virtual Meetings! It's Not Too Late to Join!

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

GriefShare will move to an online and videochat format for the short term, beginning March 25.  Here is how it will work:

1. You must email me at to let me know you are interested.
2. I must ask the videotherapy platform I use to send you an invitation via email to register.  You will follow the instructions in their email to set up a secure sign-in.
3. I will follow up with an email on how to access the GriefShare videos, which GriefShare will be putting online for us.
4. At the assigned time, just sign in to the therapy website and join the group! 

 GriefShare is a friendly, caring group of people who will walk alongside you through one of life’s most difficult experiences. You don’t have to go through the grieving process alone. GriefShare is a faith-based program to provide education, support, and hope after the loss of a spouse, family member or friend. No cost, no commitment; just come and see! Do you have a friend or family member whom you believe would benefit from GriefShare? Please invite them to come - and come with them, at least for the first time! 

When we meet:  Wednesday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30. We wrap up at 11:30 sharp. GriefShare is a 13-week program.  We will meet the following dates for Spring 2020: March 4th, March 11th, March 18th, March 25th, April 1st, April 8th, April 15th, April 22nd, April 29th, May 6th, May 13th, May 20th, May 27th.

Where we meet: Virtually - online temporarily!  In the Trinity Room at St. Matthew Catholic Church. Follow the smell of coffee; we're in one of the meeting rooms off the social hall.

Is it too late to start?  GriefShare is a 13-Session program but you can join anytime! Even if you have to miss a few meetings, you can still join us and benefit from the program when you're available.

How do I sign up?  Please contact Dr. Lori Puterbaugh at or 727-559-0863. 

View a short video about GriefShare by clicking the button below -

What Is GriefShare video

 Sometimes You Just Need a Smile...

Can You Help? Or Do You Need Assistance?

St Matthew’s has a great tradition of parishioners dropping food off at church on a regular basis. There is never a request, we simply share our blessings with our neighbors in need. Due to safety reasons, the local food bank is closed until this crisis is over. It is very unfortunate but members of our parish family will be in need of assistance due to loss of employment or reduced hours for the first time in their adult lives. Many of these parishioners have children to take care of and will be facing real issues in the weeks ahead. If you can assist in any way - extra non-perishable food, cash donations, or gift cards - we can use your loving gifts to ease the hardship that many of St Matthew parishioners will be experiencing in the weeks ahead. You can mail your gift to the parish office, indicating it is for food distribution, drop off non-perishable food at the bin located outside under the portico near the front door or call Deacon Tony through the parish office at (727) 393-1288 for more information. 

If you need assistance, which will be kept confidential, PLEASE inform Fr. Tom, Deacon Tony or Mandy Rose in our parish office by calling (727) 393-1288 

This is the time that as the Body of Christ each of us is called to Pray, Love, Support and Care for each other. They'll know we are Christians by our love!

Joy of the Gospel Ministry: Another Opportunity to Help

Joy of the Gospel provides a dinner and bag lunch to the homeless and hungry. They could use your help as they've taken on an extra night to provide these meals. They need: canned tuna and chicken, baked beans, cranberry sauce, cookies, and individual serving sizes of fruit and puddings. (No peanut butter is needed at this time.) Please bring your donation on Holy Thursday, April 9th between 8 am and 10 am to the North Side of our church building (the side without the portico). Someone will be there to assist you with your donation while maintaining social distancing.

Remember, "Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, you did for me." Matthew 24:40

We Send a Flocknote Friday Newsletter and Emergency Updates

Just text "STMAT" to 84576 or sign up here

Our parish has adopted a new and improved way of communicating that makes it much simpler for you to get the information you want from us! It’s powered by a service called Flocknote. Like sending a "note" to your"flock". Flocknote. We'll send you important updates about special events, Mass cancelation announcements, and Holy Day schedules. Once you sign up, you can select Groups and Ministries that you'd like to learn more about or receive their updates and reminders. 

• This is all totally free for you to use, you don’t have to download anything or create a password in order to participate.
• You can unsubscribe at any time from any Groups if you change your mind.
• Your contact information is kept privately only for St. Matthew Church, it's not shared with outside companies.
• It's just a couple of minutes to sign up and you'll receive email or text messages from the groups and ministries that you choose. 

Text "STMAT" to 84576 or sign up here

Click the confirmation link to complete your registration & select the groups you're interested in learning more about!  

Bishop Parkes' Message

 Click Here for Bishop Parkes Video Message 

Click Here to Read Letter from Bishop Parkes

Click Here for Frequently Asked Questions

Per update 3/18/2020:  Therefore, the faithful of the Diocese of St. Petersburg and all visitors present in this diocese are dispensed from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass for as long as the suspension of public celebration of Mass is in effect

From Bishop Parkes' letter of March 13, 2020:

• All who are sick and  those who are caring for them
• Those who because of age or infirmity are at greater risk for contracting diseases
• Those who have been exposed to the Coronavirus because of travel or other circumstances.
  

 Labyrinth Prayer Workshops: POSTPONED

Come experience the Labyrinth Prayer here at St Matthew’s! We will be introducing how the labyrinth can be used to enrich your personal prayer and you will be able to prayerfully walk our indoor labyrinth. Workshops will be at 7pm Wednesday, March 18  and 7pm Friday the 20th. The Church wiill be open and the Labyrinth available during the day on Thursday until 4pm and Friday until noon.  To learn more about labyrinths...click here.

“A labyrinth is not a maze. A maze is a symbol of life without meaning, it is an agent of confusion, deception with dead ends that lead you nowhere.
But a labyrinth is a symbol of a life of deeper meaning, an on-going sacred journey leading us inward, outward and to greater wholeness.”
~ Carrie Newcomer 

St. Joseph Altar & Meal: POSTPONED

It's coming soon! We will have our annual St. Joseph's Altar and meal has been postponed. The meal is free and everyone is invited! Your service and donations are always appreciated. This is a wonderful, family-fun event with great food and wonderful company to socialize!

If you'd like to be on the "Friend's of St. Joseph" Altar Committee, please contact  or leave him a message at (727)393-1288 ext. 203. You can also make a donation to help defray the cost of this festival by placing your gift in a clearly labeled envelope and mailing it to the office.

St. Joseph, please pray for us and for all families!

How to Stay Safe: POSTPONED

Due to the overwhelmingly positive response to our first presentation, the FREE Crime Prevention Seminar will be held again, here at St. Matthew on Sunday, March 22nd at 10am. Our speaker is entertaining and highly informative! He will help each of us to learn new ways to protect ourselves and our loved ones from outside threats of harm.  Personal safety will be addressed, both at home from burglaries, while traveling and even at church, as well as ways to avoid identity theft. Many printed materials will be available at no cost that will help you put some practical steps into place in your own lives.  There will also be an opportunity to purchase items that can enhance our ability to deter crime in our daily lives at discounted prices. Those who attended the last presentation were very impressed and requested we bring the Crime Prevention Task Force speaker back again. We learned something new and you will, too!
This is a free event and no reservation is required. Please invite your neighbors and loved ones to help them stay safe, too. 

 Fasting and Abstinence Reminders

 ♦ Fasting is to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday by all Catholics between the ages of 18 to 59 years (inclusive). On days of fasting, one full meal is allowed. Two smaller meals, sufficient to maintain strength, may be taken according to one’s needs, but together they should not equal another full meal. Eating between meals is not permitted, but liquids are allowed. 

 ♦ Abstinence from meat is to be observed by all Catholics who are 14 years of age and older. Ash Wednesday, all the Fridays of Lent, and Good Friday are days of abstinence. 

 The dual disciplines of fasting and abstinence have a long history in the Catholic Church. Going back to the early Church, the purpose behind the custom of self-denial is not punishment; it is to simplify our lifestyles so that we create a certain emptiness. In this way, freed from all distractions, we are able to hear and respond to God’s continued call to conversion and holiness.

 Note: If a person is unable to observe the above regulations due to ill health or other serious reasons, they are urged to practice other forms of self-denial that are suitable to their condition. 

Fasting, almsgiving, and prayer are the three traditional disciplines of Lent. The faithful and catechumens should undertake these practices seriously in a spirit of penance and of preparation for baptism or the renewal of baptism at Easter.

Men's Bible Fellowship: Sundays at 12:30 pm - Now Meeting Virtually!

April 6th Lenten Penance Service - Canceled

Priests will be available to hear your individual confession after the Lenten Penance Service. Not sure what to confess? Here's an Examination of Conscience based on the 10 Commandments. 

 The Sacrament of Reconciliation is also available every Saturday at 3:00 - 3:45 pm or by private appointment with Fr. Tom by calling the office.

Your Children Are Welcome Here! - Suspended Until Further Notice

Keeping Families Safe Online

Our Diocese is partnering with CleanHeart Online to support your family in staying safe online. Parents will find the tools to assist them in protecting the home, educating themselves and their children, while at the same time assuring the home is a safe haven for all at CleanHeart Online. 

Get the tools and knowledge you need to form, protect and guide your children in using technology responsibly and more safely with The Safe Digital Family Challenge!  

Be Alert! Text Message, Email, and Social Media Scams

From the Office of Communications, Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL

It has come to the attention of the Diocese of St. Petersburg that parishioners have been receiving text messages and emails asking for money and gift cards from people pretending to be our priests. Our priests and staff do not contact individuals via text message or social media to ask for money or personal information. Do not reply to such text or social media messages and report them to your parish and the Diocese.

Click here for tips on how to protect yourself from such scams.