St MATTHEW ORTHODOX CHURCH
 
ABOUT US Name: St MATTHEW ORTHODOX CHURCH Rector: Fr. Maximus Cabey Feast day: November 16 City: Green Bay, WI Diocese: Midwest Jurisdiction: The Orthodox Church in America (OCA)
 SOME OF Our FAVORITE LINKS & ORTHODOX RESOURCES: Our FACEBOOK PAGE The Orthodox Church in America OCA Diocese of the Midwest St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary St Vladimir’s Seminary Press St Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary St Tikhon’s Seminary Press Light and Life Publishers Conciliar Press St Herman of Alaska Press Ancient Faith Radio Synaxis Blog Brotherhood of St Moses The Black Hogar Raphael Ayau Orthodox Christian Mission Center (OCMC) International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) An Online Orthodox Catechism These Truths We Hold Orthodox Music resources: 2 part music Daily Scripture Reading Lives of the Saints Krista West Orthodox Vestments http://www.facebook.com/pages/St-Matthew-Orthodox-Church/117997731560584http://oca.org/http://oca.org/http://domoca.org/http://domoca.org/http://www.svots.edu/http://www.svots.edu/http://www.svspress.com/http://www.svspress.com/http://www.stots.edu/http://www.stots.edu/http://stspress.com/http://stspress.com/http://www.light-n-life.com/http://www.conciliarpress.com/http://www.sainthermanpress.com/http://ancientfaith.comhttp://svotssynaxis.wordpress.com/http://www.mosestheblack.org/http://www.mosestheblack.org/http://www.hogarafaelayau.org/http://www.ocmc.org/http://www.ocmc.org/http://www.iocc.org/http://www.iocc.org/http://www.iocc.org/http://orthodoxeurope.org/page/10/1.aspxhttp://orthodoxeurope.org/page/10/1.aspxhttp://sttikhonsmonastery.org/about_orthodoxy.htmlhttp://orthodoxtwopartmusic.org/http://orthodoxtwopartmusic.org/http://oca.org/readingshttp://oca.org/fshttp://www.kwvestments.com/http://www.kwvestments.com/shapeimage_3_link_0shapeimage_3_link_1shapeimage_3_link_2shapeimage_3_link_3shapeimage_3_link_4shapeimage_3_link_5shapeimage_3_link_6shapeimage_3_link_7shapeimage_3_link_8shapeimage_3_link_9shapeimage_3_link_10shapeimage_3_link_11shapeimage_3_link_12shapeimage_3_link_13shapeimage_3_link_14shapeimage_3_link_15shapeimage_3_link_16shapeimage_3_link_17shapeimage_3_link_18shapeimage_3_link_19shapeimage_3_link_20shapeimage_3_link_21shapeimage_3_link_22shapeimage_3_link_23shapeimage_3_link_24shapeimage_3_link_25shapeimage_3_link_26shapeimage_3_link_27shapeimage_3_link_28shapeimage_3_link_29shapeimage_3_link_30shapeimage_3_link_31shapeimage_3_link_32shapeimage_3_link_33shapeimage_3_link_34
 

St Matthew Orthodox Church serves Green Bay, the Fox Valley, and Door County. The parish was founded in Appleton at the request of a group of dedicated lay people and through the priestly ministrations of Archimandrite Hilary (Madison). When a shift in dominant membership from Appleton to Green Bay occurred, the new Orthodox community began to meet in rented quarters in Green Bay. During all this time, until 1992, Fr Hilary faithfully and sacrificially served the mission, enduring many hours every weekend of riding public transportation back and forth from Chicago.


At the request of Fr Hilary and His Beatitude Metropolitan Theodosius, who was Locum Tenens of the Diocese of the Midwest at the time, Fr Michael Herrick, PhD, a priest and psychologist attached to St Mary's Cathedral, Minneapolis, was appointed as the first resident priest, beginning July 1, 1992. This was made possible by a 3-year grant from the Diocesan Department of Missions. While limited by the rented space and its use by others as well, more of the Liturgical Year began to be celebrated. The attendance at the worship services began to increase, and new people began to hear, learn about and be converted to the Orthodox Faith. During this time in our history (1992-1999), it was necessary for Fr Michael to rely on secular employment for most of his income. While resident and accessible, he functioned on a half-time and later on a full-time basis as a psychologist in the local State maximum security Prison to help support himself. He is now retired from the State.


As part of the growth picture, in October of 1994, a building was purchased and provides space for both a temple and church hall. Now, at last, the Church Year can be celebrated appropriately, and this alone is a major change in the nature and functioning of the St Matthew Community. Many of our people live as far as 30 to 50 miles or more from the church, and their faithful attendance continues to be a sacrifice blessed by God.


In 2003 Fr John Wehling moved to Green Bay to serve the parish. A former protestant pastor, Fr John attended St Tikhon’s Orthodox Theological Seminary before being ordained to the holy priesthood on the Sunday of Orthodoxy in 2003. The membership of the parish has continued to grow in the last six years as more and more people in Green Bay and Northeast Wisconsin discover the riches of the ancient Church. In June of 2011, with Bishop MATTHAS’ blessing and encouragement, Fr. John accepted an opportunity for ministry in Livonia, Michigan.


In 2011 Fr. Maximus Cabey was assigned and appointed by Bishop MATTHIAS as the new Rector for St Matthew Orthodox Church. He was ordained to the holy priesthood on the Feast of the Universal Exaltation of the Cross by Metropolitan Jonah on September 14th 2010 at Three Hierarchs Chapel at St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary. Fr. Maximus graduated from St Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in May of 2011. He has an extensive background in church ministry and in the business world, and both he and his wife, Matushka Photini are energetic converts to the Orthodox faith. Fr. Maximus and Matushka Photini moved to Green Bay on July 1st 2011 and have been busy ministering in the parish ever since. The Lord continues to bless and grow the Orthodox Church in Green Bay.


Guests and new members typically experience a very warm welcome at St Matthew's. The activities of the Church, in addition to our worship schedule, includes Sunday Christian Education for children, teens, and adults; Introduction to Orthodox Christianity classes; individualized catechetical instruction; pastoral counseling; food for the needy; an annual parish picnic; and the annual St Matthew Dinner. In 1996 the Mission sponsored the first of a yearly rotation of Sunday of Orthodoxy Vespers among the Orthodox Churches in N.E.W., including at present the parishes in Appleton, Iron Mountain, Minocqua, and Green Bay, and involving Greek, Antiochian, and OCA participants.

Below is a cool link to a slide show of Hagia Sophia set to some excellent Byzantine chant. Hagia Sophia is the first great Orthodox Cathedral in Constantinople (modern day Istanbul), also known as the Church of the Holy Wisdom or Sancta Sophia.  It was built in the early 6th century. However, in the 15th century when the Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople it was converted into a mosque by the Turks. Around 1934 the Turkish government secularized the site and since then has used Hagia Sophia as a museum. It remains something close to the heart of many of the world’s Orthodox Christians for whom it remains a  holy place and a connection to both the golden age of Byzantium and to the great events and personalities of the Byzantine Christian world that have shaped Christianity and in particular Orthodox Christianity.

Hogar Rafael Ayau is a wonderful Orthodox outreach in Guatemala that includes their compassionate ministry to orphans. Several of our parishioners provide financial support to this wonderful ministry. See the video below.