St. Matthew Catholic Church is a vibrant parish community that has grown tremendously since its formation in 1978. At that time, in the Bellevue-Franklin area, the Catholic communities were comprised of St. Henry and St. Philip parishes. When Bishop James Niedergeses realized that the population was expanding in this area, he began to lay the framework for a new parish. Under his direction, a search committee was formed to find an appropriate site for a new church. The current 15 acre site on Sneed Road, valued at $75,000, was acquired by the Diocese of Nashville.
Approximately fifty families from St. Henry and St. Philip were asked to leave their home parishes to start a new one. These families became the core of the new church. On June 15, 1978, Fr. Albert Siener was selected by Bishop Niedergeses to become pastor of the new church.
Fr. Siener held the first Mass of the "Temple-Hills-Bellevue Catholic Church" on October 1, 1978, at the West Side Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Approximately fifty people attended. On May 10, 1979, Fr. Siener appointed an eleven-person committee, chaired by Chuck Ensminger, to assist in establishing the new parish and to formulate building plans.
On September 16, 1979, the Mass schedule was expanded to 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. and was moved to Harpeth Valley School. During the Mass, the parishioners decided to name their new church St. Matthew Catholic Church. The other options were Christ the Good Shepherd, Church of the Holy Family, Church of the Holy Spirit and St. John the Baptist Catholic Church. St. Matthew's first deacon, Bob Cohan, was ordained in December, 1980, and served until his death in April, 1990.
Through the generosity of a parishioner, a Temple Hills condominium was made available to Fr. Siener as a residence. Until that time, he lived in facilities at St. Henry. A chapel was designed from two rooms in the condo and on March 10, 1980, the first daily 8:00 a.m. Mass was held for St. Matthew Catholic Church.
The property lien of $75,000 was secured by the ad hoc committee consisting of Hal Meacham, James Huffaker, Fred Pickney, Chuck Ensmingner, Paul Devine, Jack Hughes and Don Forte. On May 11, 1980, the first pledge drive to fund construction of the foundation building (later known as the Cohan-Hansom building) began. Two months later, a contract with Kennon Construction Company was signed for $272,184. Bishop Niedergeses joined Fr. Siener and the parishioners for a groundbreaking ceremony of the foundation building on August 10, 1980. At the request of Fr. Siener, all parishioners brought an envelope of dirt from their own yards to mix with the dirt on which the building would be constructed.
Even though the foundation building was under contract with Kennon Construction Company, parishioners came together and completed much of the work themselves. Over three weekends, parishioners hauled stone from the nearby creek, mixed cement and constructed the stone entrance, bridge and base of the St. Matthew sign. The parishioners also arranged to purchase the "whoopee chairs" (as they were affectionately called) used in the foundation building since its inception. They built the altar base and the lecterns and covered the altar area with carpeting.
On Easter Sunday, April 19, 1981, the first Mass in the new building was celebrated by Fr. Siener. On May 10, 1981, Bishop Niedergeses dedicated St. Matthew Catholic Church. The new church held 300 people and also had space for religious education classes and living quarters. Because the parishioners had provided manpower during the construction of the foundation building, money was left to complete living quarters on the upper floor, now referred to as the Upper Room, before Fr. Siener left. He was very happy to have more spacious living arrangements.
Fr. Paul Hostettler was named pastor of St. Matthew on July 24, 1981. Under Fr. Hostettler's direction, the parishioners reduced the debt on the foundation building. A Parish Pastoral Council was elected and the Men's and Women's Clubs were formed. As the sense of community grew, so did the assets to build a new church. On November 2, 1985, a pig roast was held on the church property and raised $30,000 toward a permanent church. Sam Francescon was welcomed as a deacon in 1986 and still serves to this day.
On July 17, 1987, Fr. Luzerne Schnupp, or Fr. Lu as he was lovingly called, succeeded Fr. Paul as pastor. Several deacons worked with Fr. Lu during his tenure. Harold McBrayer was assigned in 1988 and served intermittently until 2000. Jim Walsh came to St. Matthew in 1990 and founded the "We Believe" radio and television program on evangelization which is still running today. Al Hogrebe came in 1991 and served until 1995. One year later, Jim Henry arrived and served until his retirement in 2000.
Through the continued efforts of parishioners, the mortgage on the foundation building was paid off and a substantial amount was raised toward the projected cost of the new church. On January 14, 1990, a mortgage burning party was held with Fr. Lu and Bishop Niedergeses presiding.
The community was growing and the need for a larger worship space was apparent. A building committee chaired by Jack Hughes, was formed. Other members of the committee were Mary Ann Power, Paul Devine, Jack Hansom, Jim Charron and Clellon Loveall. In January, 1990, the committee reviewed plans for the new church and updated a financial study to determine what the parish could reasonably afford. In March, the architectural firm of Yearwood, Johnson, Stanton, and Crabtree was retained to develop a design proposal. Under Fr. Lu's direction, a capital campaign, Faith in Our Future I, was begun in October, 1990. The campaign, headed by Bob Casey, was highly successful. The fund-raising goal of $450,000 was greatly exceeded. In all, $835,000 in pledges were received. The estimated cost of the new church was $1.3 million.
On April 29, 1991, Bishop Niedergeses joined in groundbreaking ceremonies, and the building for the new church was underway. The foundation was laid and steel girders and walls began to rise. Nashville artist, Tim Smith, was commissioned to sculpt a statue of the Risen Christ for the wall behind the altar, a statue of St. Matthew for the bell tower and Stations of the Cross. The Sisters of Mercy were the source of the two stained glass windows of the Blessed Mother and Sacred Heart used in the chapel. These windows were from the former Saint Bernard Convent Chapel on Hillsboro Road.
The Sisters of Mercy have been a vital part of the community since its early days. Sr. Mary Bernadelle Nolan served from 1988 to 1992 as Parish Minister visiting members of the church community in need. Sr. Mary Thomasetta Mogan served from 1992 to 1998 as Parish Minister and Director of Religious Education. She loved to visit the sick and take care of plants. She was also instrumental in bringing the stained glass windows of Jesus and Mary to the chapel and the Sacred Heart statue to the narthex. Sister Mary Lauren Cole arrived in 1998 and continues to serve as Pastoral Assistant and Director of Religious Education.
In spring 1992, the exterior of the church was completed. Parishioners began the task of moving from the foundation building. Work continued on the interior until just before the dedication on July 24, 1992. Thereafter, the foundation building was called the Cohan-Hansom Building named after Deacon Bob Cohan and Jack Hansom. The Grotto of the Blessed Mother was erected on June 6, 1992, and enhanced with the Stations of the Cross twelve years later.
In October 1998, a feasibility study was completed and Phase II of Faith in Our Future Campaign was approved. This resulted in the construction of the first phase of St. Matthew School - the first Catholic elementary school built in the Diocese of Nashville in more than forty years and the first ever in Williamson County. The estimated cost of Phase I of the school was $3 million and was built by Vernon Williams & Sons, headed by long-time parishioner Jim Charron. The task force that was charged with overseeing the construction included Father Lu and parishioners Mary Ann Power, Michelle Barber, George Smith, Corinne Gleason, Debbie Sloan, Sr. Lauren Cole, Frank Lavacot, Jim Charron, Lucy Armour and Marilyn Hartz.
The capital campaign, co-chaired by parishioners Ted Fellman and Joe Nacarato resulted in collections of over $1.4 million. The remaining amount was financed through a loan with the Diocese of Nashville. In the Fall of 2001, St. Matthew School opened its doors to 125 students in grades K-4. Eventually, the school plans to have 2 classes of every grade, Kindergarten through 8th. Principal Barby Magness penned the school’s motto – "Seeking Knowledge + Modeling Christ + Serving Others". A contest was held to name the school mascot and the winning name chosen was, Lu the Lion, after our popular pastor.
The opening of the school, the growth in the area and the wonderful sense of community caused the parish to almost double in size in six years. The number of parish families increased from 600 in 1995 to over 1,250 today. The growth challenged the parish to meet the needs of its parishioners, new and old alike. Fr. Andrew Abraham, newly ordained in 2000, came to St. Matthew as an Associate Pastor and worked along side Fr. Lu until Fr. Lu's retirement in August, 2001. Fr. Andrew became acting administrator until Fr. Mark Beckman was assigned to St. Matthew as Pastor on September 16, 2002. One year later, Fr. Mark Hunt arrived as a priest in residence and in 2007 was appointed to Associate Pastor. He served until June, 2008, when he was assigned to Holy Rosary as Pastor.
In 2001, the Art and Environment Committee invited parishioners to join them in celebrating the 10th anniversary of the church (24th anniversary of the parish) by commissioning four Bas Reliefs of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These 3' X 4' works of art by ANRI master wood carver Rudi Kostner of northern Italy were installed in late 2002 in the Narthex to create an inspirational and prayerful setting and as a reminder that the Gospels are the foundation of our faith.
The growth of the parish and the increased demand for St. Matthew School led Fr. Mark to decide to add a second Kindergarten class three years ahead of schedule. This resulted in an addition which included a Parish Life Center/gymnasium, additional classrooms, expanded parking and new church offices. The Building Committee hired Maxwell Johnson Maher Architects (parishioner Steven Maher's firm). The construction contract was let to IKON Construction (parishioner Dave LeFeve's company). Building Committee members were Father Mark Beckman, Debbie Sloan, Jim Charron, Bill Conrad, Gene Flathmann, Frank Lavacot, Dave LeFeve, John Lynch, Steve Maher and Mary Ann Power.
In September, 2003, a capital campaign, "Fulfilling the Promise", co-chaired by Gerry & Taffy Armbruster and Bobby & Dana Ballinger, was launched with a goal to raise $1.5 million toward the cost of the $4.15 million project. The campaign was very successful and resulted in the collection of over $2.2 million. The remaining amount was financed through a tax-exempt bond offering in Williamson County orchestrated by SunTrust Bank. Construction was completed in August, 2005.
On June 4, 2004, Mark Desmond was ordained a deacon and assigned to St. Matthew Catholic Church. He served the community until December, 2007. Ron Deal was ordained on June 9, 2006, and served until November, 2008. Jack Myers was assigned as a deacon in July, 2006, and is now serving the parish with Sam Francescon.
In the fall of 2006, a Landscape Committee was formed with the mission to beautify the parish campus and encourage parishioners to take ownership in the process. With the goals of conservation, beautification and education, landscape architect Josh Henrick of Greenspace Design was hired to prepare a long-term master plan for the grounds. On November 18, 2007 the Path of Remembrance was dedicated and blessed by Fr. Mark Beckman. The path is a prayerful place where one can meander along a memorial pathway of engraved bricks and pavers located by the Stations of the Cross and Grotto. In December 2007 the Testament of Trees project started where trees purchased include a commemorative plaque that labels the tree with both the scientific and common name as well as a memorial statement. Once St. Matthew has 30 different species of trees on campus a class 1 arboretum will have been established. Additionally, the plan included competitive athletic fields which were spearheaded by the St. Matthew School Athletic Booster Club and completed in the fall of 2008. Future projects include new entrances, additional plantings at the Path of Remembrance, enhanced creek plantings and a courtyard located between the church and school that will be used for liturgical and educational purposes.
On July 1, 2008, Fr. Nicholas Allen joined St. Matthew as Associate Pastor. He splits his time between St. Matthew and Father Ryan High School where he serves as Chaplain. Fr. Mark Beckman continues to lead a vital and energetic parish meeting the spiritual needs of our church family with over 75 parish ministries. He also administers the business affairs of a continually growing parish and school. With the completion of the construction in 2005, the parish that began in a borrowed church continues to joyfully celebrate the amazing sense of community that has been created among its people.