Come and join us tomorrow morning 21 September at 10.30 a.m. as we celebrate the feast of St Matthew, Apostle, Evangelist and Martyr at our Parish Mass. St Matthew was a tax collector for the Roman occupying force, and as such was ostracised by his fellow Jews. Tax collectors made a fortune from territories which the Romans had bought from local people. They always travelled with a Roman military escort, and they also acted as loan sharks. Our Lord saw something in Matthew who dropped everything and followed him. According to church tradition, he preached the Gospel in Ethiopia, and was martyred for converting the daughter of King Egippus to Christianity, dedicating her to God and thus preventing her marrying King Hirtacus, the successor to Egippus. Muslim exegesis preserves the tradition that Matthew (Mattä) and Andrew (Andiräwas) went to Ethiopia to preach the word of God, so there may well be a kernel of truth in the tradition.

We celebrate his life and his witness and give thanks for the Gospel he wrote.