At around 5:45 in the morning an alarm goes off, then another at 5:50, and finally a third alarm at 6am goes off to wake one of Fenwick’s most beloved Friars, Father Matt. Fr Matt has had to teach most of the students at Fenwick during their freshman year for Theology I and has made notable impressions on students at school dances, football games and at Mass. At around 6:30, Fr. Matt attends a morning prayer with the other friars at Fenwick. After the prayer, he gets ready for his first period class, Theology I with the Freshmen. When asked what class he likes to teach the most, Fr. Matt stated, “I’ve taught Theology I more than anything else here at Fenwick, and while it can be challenging to keep new freshmen focused, it is a great privilege to introduce them to the Scripture and help them develop the ability to read and understand the Word of God.”
Fr Matt begins getting ready for classes at around 7:15, until his first period with the freshman. He teaches four freshman classes and one senior class throughout the day, and is run by the bell schedule like ours. Around 5:45 pm, the friars have an evening prayer, after this Fr Matt talks about how he has a daily dinner with his fellow friars including Fr. Peddicord, Fr. J.P, Fr. Johnson and five other friars that he lives with. When speaking about this Fr Matt says it’s like living with a big family. The friars pray together, eat together and sometimes have evening meetings together where they talk about “sports, student antics, or theology.” Fr. Matt says he was inspired to become a priest because of his patron saint, Saint Dominic and his interest in wanting to help others.
Campus Minister, Ms. May shared a story about how she had her office next to Father Matt’s classroom last year, she said, “I got to overhear his classes and he brought to life the stories of the Bible so vividly with his storytelling skills and his booming voice.” Father Matt is a beloved member of the Fenwick faculty, he is a friendly face in the halls, patient with the freshman, and a wonderful teacher.
