ADVENT SEASON 2025

ADVENT is a special season of hope and prayer as we anxiously await the birth of our Lord and Savior. To enter more deeply into the spirit of this season, the Cathedral of Saint Peter will offer a series of Sunday Evening Prayer services and Advent reflections which will refresh in young and old alike the spirit of hope, peace, joy, and love that Advent brings.

Human beings cannot live without hope. Unlike the animals, we are blessed—or cursed—with the ability to think about the future and to fear our actions to shaping it. So essential is this to human life, that human beings cannot live without hope, without something to live for, without something to look forward to. To be without hope, to have nothing to live for, is to surrender to death in despair. But we can find all sorts of things to live for and we can hope for almost anything: for some measure of success or security or for the realization of some more or less modest ambition; for our children, that they might be saved from our mistakes and sufferings and find a better life than we have known; for a better world, throwing ourselves into politics or medicine or technology so that future generations might be better off. Not all these forms of hope are selfish; indeed, they have given dignity and purpose to the lives of countless generations.  But one of the reasons why we read the Old Testament during Advent is to learn what to hope for. The people of the Old Testament had the courage to hope for big things: that the desert would be turned into fertile land; that their scattered and divided people would eventually be gathered again; that the blind would see, the deaf hear, the lame walk; that not only their own people, but all the peoples of the earth, would be united in the blessings of ever lasting peace. Clearly, their hopes were no different from ours or from any human being’s: lasting peace, tranquil lives, sufficiency of food, an end to suffering, pain and misery.  Thus we hope for the same things as the Old Testament people, for their hopes are not yet realized. But we differ from them in two ways. First, the coming of Jesus in history, as a partial fulfillment of God’s promises, immeasurably confirms and strengthens our hope. Secondly, we differ from the Old Testament people because Jesus has revealed to us that God is not afar off, but is already in our midst. Hence, the importance in the Advent liturgy of John the Baptist and of Mary: because they recognized the new situation, they serve as models for the Church in discerning the presence of our Savior in the world. 

Our Lady of Guadalupe

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated annually on December 12, marking the day the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego in Mexico, imprinting her image on his cloak (tilma). Celebrations include massive pilgrimages to the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, special masses, traditional music (like Las Mañanitas), folk dancing, colorful processions, fireworks, and offerings of flowers, uniting Mexican culture, Catholic faith, and devotion for the patroness of Mexico and the Americas. 

The Blessed Mother’s appearance is believed to have resulted in millions of conversions to Catholicism, and her message of hope continues to inspire those of Hispanic descent.

In our community, we celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe with great faith and enthusiasm.........

Baby & Me

The program is designed for all babies, toddlers & parents to enjoy especial time with your children on Wednesday, October 29th, 2025, from 10 am until 12 noon in the classroom (201)

College & Youth Ministry

The youth ministry invites middle and high school students to participate in upcoming events. Please check the announcements to learn how to participate.

For more information, contact Ms. Ramona at

570-977-6376 or campusministry@stmatthewspa.org

Vacation Bible School

July 21st - 25th, 2025

Roar! Life is Wild, God is Good is all about exploring God’s goodness through an epic African safari adventure while celebrating a ferocious faith that powers us through this wild life! Kids will have tons of fun, all while being presented the gospel through activities such as the Imagination Station, the Hungry Herd Cafe, Stampede Sports, Safari Celebration and SO much more!

ST.  MATTHEW'S FESTIVAL 2025

We wanted to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude to all of you for the amazing support you're shown us.....