2006-2007 SPECIAL CHAPELS PLEASE NOTE: On Special Chapel days, students are required to wear dress uniforms. Please refer to the Parent Handbook for dress uniform requirements. FIRST CHAPEL Wednesday, August 29th ST. MATTHEW'S DAY Tuesday, September 18th ST. FRANCIS DAY Tuesday, October 3rd ALL SAINTS DAY EUCHARIST Thursday, November 1st THANKSGIVING SPECIAL CHAPEL Tuesday, November 20th ST. NICHOLAS' DAY Friday, December 7th EARLY CHILDHOOD PAGEANT Wednesday, December 19th CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION Thursday, December 20th EPIPHANY Tuesday, January 8th ASH WEDNESDAY Wednesday, February 6th VALENTINE'S DAY Tuesday, February 14th STATIONS OF THE CROSS Thursday, March 20th EASTER EUCHARIST Tuesday, April 3rd GRANDPARENTS' DAY Wednesday, April 30th MAY DAY Friday, May 2nd PENTECOST EUCHARIST Thursday, May 8th

Chapel/Service Learning

Welcome to St. Matthew's

The Episcopal Church in the United States has a long standing tradition of establishing schools that are academically excellent, grounded in the Anglican tradition of integrating spiritual growth with mental and physical growth, and committed to community service.

At St. Matthew's, we embrace this ideal as we seek to live out our mission to be a place for the development of the mind, body and spirit. We do not assume that all people find spiritual enlightenment in the same way, but instead believe that all people, regardless of age, are spiritual beings who should be supported as they seek to discover their spiritual home. We celebrate that our community is comprised of families who are from every branch of Christianity, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, and those who do not identify formally with any religious tradition. Wherever your family is on its journey of faith, you are welcome here.

As you will see below, there are many components to the spiritual, moral and emotional education at St. Matthew's. These programs, along with our religious education classes are the vehicles through which we do the important work of supporting the whole child. The most consistent and inclusive of these is our morning Chapel, which some people describe as the “heart” of the school. Parents, friends and community members are invited to join us for Chapel.

If you have any questions about the programs described below, or the religious life at St. Matthew's, please fell free in be in contact with Chaplain Stacy Williams Duncan at chaplain@stmatthewsday.org.


Chapel

Chapel is an integral part of our School's religious and communal life. All students attend Chapel on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings. Eucharist is celebrated during our Special Chapels approximately once a month in conjunction with the major feasts of the Christian year. The format is a mix of formal prayers, the reading of Christian scriptures, engaging stories, singing songs, and community announcements. Middle School students provide leadership for Chapel by serving as readers, acolytes and ushers. Beginning in fourth grade, students have the opportunity to be part of the School choir that provides musical leadership for Chapel and other events.

Service Learning

St. Matthew's students participate in a wide variety of community service activities throughout the year. The goal of the service learning program is that students will engage in the deeper learning that comes from discussing why people of faith are committed to helping those who are in need, reflecting upon the experience of serving and how it causes us to be transformed.

Middle School Retreats

At. St. Matthew's, we believe that it is much easier to engage Middle School students in spiritual, emotional, and moral development work when they are in a relaxed retreat setting. Each of our Middle School classes takes two retreats a year.