•Saint Matthew Parish established by the Bishop of Hamilton, His Excellency, the Most Reverend Anthony F. Tonnos, DD, on August 1, 1988.

DECREE OF ESTABLISHMENT I do hereby establish a parish under the title of Saint Matthew in the Town of Oakville, Ontario, as of the first day of August, in the Year of Our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-eight. The boundaries of this Parish shall be the Sixteen Mile Creek to the East, Bronte Road to the West, Lower Base Line Road to the North, and the Queen Elizabeth Way to the South. The Pastor of the Parish at the time of its establishment is The Reverend Leonard Strohmeyer. I pray that the establishment of this Parish may be for the greater glory of God and the pastoral care of His people. +Anthony F. Tonnos BISHOP OF HAMILTON Reverend Peter Hundt VICE-CHANCELLOR

•The Bishopís decree establishing our parish recognized the potential of this growing area of Oakville. Long before 1988, the need for a new parish north of the Queen Elizabeth Way became evident. Thanks to the hard work of a group of parent volunteers a needs survey was conducted and the results presented to Bishop Tonnos. The survey showed that the Glen Abbey area would be a fast growing community in North Oakville. This has proven to be true. •The first Mass was celebrated in the parish on the opening weekend of August 13/14, 1988. Father Strohmeyer had moved into the parish rectory and the Masses were celebrated in Saint Matthew School Gym. •The parish rectory was furnished through the generosity of many parishioners who donated extra furnishings and household items. For the first five years of the parish the rectory was much more than a residence. It served as a weekday Chapel, administrative offices, meeting space and a focal point for the young parish. •The new campus for Saint Bernadette School was opened on Heritage Way in the early 1990ís. It relieved the over crowding at Saint Matthew School. Mother Teresa School was blessed in 1999. It serves the area north of Upper Middle Road. A fourth school, Saint Joan of Arc opened in 2002 to serve the north-west area of the parish. In May, 2007, a fifth school, Pope John Paul II was blessed by Bishop Tonnos and services the area of west of Bronte Road. Currently, approximately 3500 children attend our elementary schools and 1000 students from our parish attend Saint Ignatius of Loyola Catholic Secondary School. •Work on the current church building began on May 28, 1991 with the formation of the Parish Building Committee. This hard working group assisted Father Strohmeyer in overseeing the construction of a truly beautiful and worthy ìhouse for the Church.î The official ground breaking celebration was held on September 13, 1992. Hundreds of parishioners joined Bishop Tonnos, Father Strohmeyer and the Building Committee for this very festive occasion. •Sunday, June 23, 1993 the Diocese of Hamilton joyfully celebrated the dedication of its newest church building. Bishop Anthony Tonnos and many clergy, parishioners and guests, crowded into the partially finished structure to dedicate the building to the greater glory of God. The regular celebration of the Eucharist began in the church in September 1993. Since then the church has been furnished with a statue of the Virgin with Child; and a painting of Saint Matthew. •The major work of liturgical art in the Church - Christ the Teacher - was blessed by Bishop Tonnos on Sunday, October 27, 2000. This masterful piece was executed by Mr. Aachim Klaas after much input from the parish community. It stands as a dramatic reminder that the teaching of Christ comes through the Gospels and the Church to all of us. We are all part of proclaiming Christís life and teaching in our parish, our homes, our workplaces, and in the world. •A parish exists to gather Godís people for the praise and worship of Almighty God and to help people grow in the life of grace. The first Baptism in the parish took place on Sunday, September 18, 1988. Since then, 2000 children and adults have been born into new life through water and the Holy Spirit in Baptism. Each year children are further initiated into the life of grace through the Sacrament of Confirmation and are welcomed to the Lordís Table in the Eucharist. Weekly people encounter Godís loving forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Many young couples enter into the commitment of Marriage by celebrating the exchange of their vows in the presence of our Christian community. All these celebrations help and strengthen us in our journey of faith with the Lord. Through the Sacraments we are nourished by the abundant grace and mercy of Almighty God who seeks to gather us to Himself. •Saint Matthew Parish has been served by three Pastors. Father Leonard Strohmeyer, the founding Pastor, was assigned here when the parish began on August 1, 1988. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Hamilton in 1966. After serving as Diocesan Chancellor and working with the Marriage Tribunal, Father served as a parish priest. He brought his wit, wisdom, and gentle spirit to his work as pastor of this parish. In June 2000 he was appointed Pastor of Corpus Christi Parish, Hamilton. Serving with Father Strohmeyer were two ìin residenceî associates. Father Peter Hundt, Chancellor of the Diocese, was assigned here in September 1993 and then was appointed Pastor of Holy Cross Parish, Georgetown in June 1994. He was succeeded by Father Gerard Bergie. Father Bergie also followed Father Hundt as Diocesan Chancellor. In June 2000 Father Bergie was appointed Pastor of Saint Margaret Mary Parish, Hamilton. June 28, 2000 brought the appointment of our second Pastor, Father David Wynen. Father Wynen was ordained a priest in 1990. He served as an associate at Church of Our Lady, Guelph; Saint Dominic, Oakville; Holy Rosary, Milton; and the Cathedral of Christ the King, Hamilton. In June, 2006, Father Mark Gatto became our third pastor, as Father David Wynen was assigned to Holy Cross Parish in Georgetown. Father Mark was previously the Vocations Director for the Diocese of Hamilton. In January of 2007, Father Tim Hingston became the parishís Associate Pastor. He was ordained in May, 2005 and became the Associate Pastor of Holy Rosary in Milton. He spent some time as Administrator at Saint Gregoryís Parish in Cambridge before his assignment at Saint Matthew Parish. •As our community moves forward into the 21st Century we look forward to continuing our mission of building the reign of God. We continue to grow in population and in spirit. We are dedicated to our youth and we care for those in need. Our parish is engaged in the world it serves and seeks to bring Christís presence to all who long for Godís love and peace.