Maggie is a new face at St. Matthew's and discerning for ordained ministry through the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. She came to the Twin Cities to take a job as a Youth Director in a nearby Methodist Church, and as often as she can, she attends St. Matthew's to get her "Episcopal Fix." Maggie is an artist, a traveler, and loves to learn the ins and out of church work.

What brought you to St. Matthew's and why did you stay?

I came to St. Matthew's because of the night service. Since I work at a Methodist church, I have to be in church on Sunday morning there. When I don't have youth group events, I wanted to go to an Episcopal church and get to know people in the Church in Minnesota. When I got here I discovered that I really just enjoyed the company of the people who attended the night service, too. I occasionally pop in at the 12:00 noon Wednesday service, and I really enjoy those folks too. Then, I was invited to participate in the Community Art Show. I've felt so welcomed and comfortable at St. Matthew's that I couldn't help but stay, even if my work makes it hard to be there every Sunday. 

You've done a lot of work with children. What is it about working with them that is so important to you in your ministry?

One of the very first times that I was pushed to see myself as a "minister" was when I was working with Somali families in Cedar Riverside. We had a group of families brand new to the States, and we were trying to help the children get ready for kindergarten. Our whole community rallied around a few kids who, we knew, would really struggle in the public school system, because of their traumatic experiences in refugee camps. I experienced the way this community came together for these kids, and I knew that there was something essential to ministry work that focused on the earliest stages of life. I went on in seminary to work in the Chicago Public Schools with preschoolers, and lead Godly Play at my teaching congregation. Then I was able to add some real theological depth to my understanding of how our connection to the youngest members of our body is so important to who we are as Christians. I believe the children in our congregations deserve a very particular place at the table as we discern who we are and what our relationship to God ought to look like--and so my ministry has been centered around that work.  Read More Here

 By John Lawyer

During the four weeks from April 19 through May 10 we will be reading together in some of the main sources on the life and spirituality of St. Patrick. On April 19 we will consider the hymn usually attributed to him, "St. Patrick's Breastplate," for an overview of the Celtic understanding of the world and humankind's place in it.

In the succeeding two weeks we will read and discuss his autobiography, the Confession, in which he recounts how he was kidnapped by Irish raiders as a sixteen-year old Briton, and the spiritual and physical journeys that followed. We will learn of his escape from Ireland and his later return as a missionary from the British church, his encounters with the Druids, his several visions, and his missionary strategy. In the final session we will consider the lesser-know but significant Letter to Coroticus, in which he is the first voice to cry out against slavery as a sin and incompatible with the Gospel, a point on which the New Testament is quite complacent. The relevant texts can be found in the Celtic Spirituality volume in the Paulist Press series Classics of Western Spirituality, which can be ordered through your local bookstore or online. In addition I will have a few copies available as hand-outs during the class.

If you are interested in learning directly about authentic Celtic spirituality as opposed to the often trendy adaptations that circulate under that label today, join us as we take up these readings in the original sources. We will meet in the Church Library from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m., with time left for questions and discussion as well as an in-depth look at the several texts.