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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, November 28, 2013 | 20 Saint Matthew's celebrating 25 years of work in Oakville by Nathan Howes Oakville Beaver Staff For 25 years, the Saint Matthew Roman Catholic Parish has been promoting goodwill in the community. On Saturday, it will celebrate its anniversary with a dinner and dance at Le Dome Banquet Hall, 1173 North Service Rd. E., that's expected to draw 500 churchgoers, including three bishops and former pastors and priests. "It's important for people to have a chance to give thanks and celebrate joyfully what exists (here). This will really be the highlight of the year," said Rev. Mark Gatto. "We've had a num- ber of events throughout the year, but this is really the climax." He noted the church makes an effort to "serve the larger community of Oakville. We're not here just for ourselves, but we're called to be an instrument of good in our community." The church was established in 1988 and congregation members originally gathered for mass at St. Matthew Catholic Elementary School, said Gatto. "A number of Catholics in the neighbourhood were coming together and really wanted a place to celebrate the Eucharist and have a church," he said. "They canvassed the area to find out how many Catholics there were and if there was an interest (in building a church)." Interest from the community peaked a few years later, which led to the erection of the church on Monks Passage, where it still resides. "Rev. Leonard Strohmeyer always insisted from the beginning that he was here to build a community of faith, not just a building, although a building was going to come, too," said Gatto. "Strohmeyer, (who) was here for 12 years, helped establish the building." The congregation is now comprised of 5,000 registered families with students from six Catholic elementary schools and several high schools. "We have people from Asia, Africa, South and Central America and Europe. It's a very diverse, but very lively parish with lots of young families," said Gatto. "I would estimate there's 15,000-20,000 Catholics within this area that come under the umbrella of this parish." The challenge going forward, he said, will be maintaining the community the church has built while continuing to grow. The church will also focus on adult faith formation and its youth and young adult ministry groups. "Catholics here are formed in their faith, know their faith and are striving to live it. It's a welcoming parish where there's a sense of hospitality and people that come here feel welcomed and received," said Gatto. For more information, visit www. saintmatthew.ca. Chorus & the Halton Regional Police Chorus o ce C present ... .. 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