Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle

About

Mother church of the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, at www.stmatthewscathedral.org

Story

Take a 36-degree virtual tour of the Cathedral at http://tour.stmatthewscathedral.org/.

The Cathedral church and parish is named for Saint Matthew the Apostle, the patron saint of civil servants, recognizing all those who serve in the municipal, state, and national governments and the many international organizations located in the metropolitan area. The church is the seat or cathedra of the Archbishop of Washington. As the Mother Church of the archdiocese, it plays a major role in the Catholic life of the nation’s capital.

Twice our Cathedral Parish has been honored with a visit here from the Chief Shepherd of the Church Universal. The first was in 1979 when Saint John Paul II celebrated Mass, and the second in 2015, our 175th Parish Anniversary year, when Pope Francis came to pray with our nation's bishops. President John F. Kennedy's funeral Mass was celebrated in the Cathedral on November 25,1963. Requiems have been held here for several heads of state. Annually, on the Sunday before the first Monday in October when the Supreme Court of the United States begins its regular term, a special Mass is celebrated praying for the Holy Spirit to guide all those who are members of the legal profession. Known as the "Red Mass" in reference to the vestment color, the Supreme Court justices, members of Congress, the President's Cabinet, diplomatic corps, local municipal, state and national government leaders, and sometimes the President of the United States join the celebration.

Mission

We, the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle, Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Washington, are a diverse and multi-cultural parish in our nation’s capital under the care of our Archbishop.

As a Christian community of faith, we seek to become closer to God through worship, prayer, sacraments, spiritual formation, and fellowship. Strengthened by this, we go forth proclaiming the good news of salvation in Christ Jesus and serving our brothers and sisters with our time, talents, and treasure. Through our evangelization in word and deed, we strive to be the light of the world as proclaimed by Saint Matthew.