Sunday, October 15, 2023
I know this is nearly 2 years later, but I just wanted to leave something here. I was writing about my volunteer work with the church and memories of Father Matt came flooding back to me. We spent many hours together in 2020 and 2021, working on the churches' live streaming setup. As a result, Father Matt would often visit my parents house and make a meal out of it. There was no energy at the dinner table quite like his. He knew how to make people laugh so well, whether it was from the contents of the joke he was telling, or the contagious nature his laughing at his own jokes. He'd struggle to deliver the punch line between fits of laughter, which itself was funnier than the joke he was telling.
I still have the old Sinclair ZX81 he gave me in my attic. One time I decided to put one of the programs he had recorded for it into my audio cassette player, and discovered that at some point, Father Matt had recorded over Pac-Man with "Joy to the World" I'd expect no less from him. That small moment reminded me that lives leave little traces of their existence that last beyond their time, and Father Matt's traces are all over mine. One moment that still sticks with me is from the day before he passed. Since March of 2020, the congregation wasn't allowed to sing with the choir due to COVID mandates, which must've really stunk for Father Matt since that part gave him so much joy. The last Sunday Mass he ever did for St. Boniface Church was our first since the start of lockdowns that the congregation was allowed to sing, and sing they did. The joy and emotion on father Matt's face was infectious, and I'm still grateful that he was able to experience that one last time. I miss him and the light he brought to this world. Rest in peace.
