Since 1986 St. Matthew’s Parish has had a well-developed outreach to lesbian and gay Catholics, which we call Comunidad. An operating council of leaders serve one year terms and plan interesting topical meetings and coordinate Communidad’s other activities, which include food and monetary donations to those in need at Christmas, support of the Long Beach AIDS walk, representaion at the Long Beach Pride festival, and an annual spiritual retreat that takes place in the fall. The coordinating council also maintains contact and coordinates activities with similar ministries at other parishes in the Archdiocese and with other nearby churches of other faiths.
Meetings take place on the first Tuesday of the month in the Parish hall at 7:00 p.m.
Comunidad maintains its own website at http://www.comunidadlb.org, which incudes announcements of current activities and an archive of past newsletters in PDF format. For more information about Comunidad, write to comunidad@comunidad.org.
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Your Comunidad Family hopes that you and those you love are safe and healthy!
As LGBTQIA+ Catholics and our allies we know that we walk by faith. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we live and interact with each other. With the vaccines we hope to be returning to some sense of a “New Normal" soon.
Though we are facing a somewhat uncertain future, as optimistically as possible we still need to plan ahead. Our hope is to be of a Long Beach Pride celebration later this year, have our Annual Pride Mass, offer a full Fall program, complete and print our Comunidad Ministry Booklet, and resume other annual activities like our Christmas Collection. With Fr. Randy, our pastor, we are looking forward to a vibrant future for Comunidad and St. Matthew's Parish and our participation in LGBTQIA+ activities.
With a spirit of "Faith-Filled Generosity" we know we must be good stewards of all the gifts God has generously blessed us -- our time, talents and treasure. We humbly ask you to contribute to our future and mission as you are able. Monetary gifts may be given by mail to: Comunidad, St. Matthew's 672 Temple Ave, Long Beach, CA 90814. Gifts can also be dropped off to our Comunidad mailbox in the parish office or brought to our April meeting in Church. We are hoping to also be able to accept on-line donations; by visiting the parish Donations page and selecting Comunidad from the dropdown menu. We also ask for your prayers as we continue your outreach and ministry to all the people God has called us to serve.
As we look ahead, know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. Please consider reaching out to each other. Even a simple phone call or card could make a difference. And may the Holy Spirit continue to comfort and guide all of us.
Together in Spirit and Mission,
Mark Davis and Beatriz Cornejo co-chairs and the Comunidad Board
Since 1986, when St. Matthew's was selected as a site for an archdiocesan pilot project connected with the U.S. Bishop's Peace Pastoral, members of our parish have been involved with many projects directed by our Peace and Justice Committee.
Various seminars, prayer events, and special Masses for Peace are held throughout the year as are Advent and Lenten Soup Suppers. The Peace and Justice Committee also coordinates the selling of "Justice Bakery Bread"; relief efforts to those involved in local and foreign disasters; contributions and support for Concern's Crop Hunger Walk; the Heifer Project, which helps needy families in third world countries purchase dairy cows; support for the Sisters of the Holy Names in Lesotho, South Africa; and support of St. Francis Center, a local foodbank that serves the needy.