Fr. J. Wilson Matt Born on May 20, 1918 in Eunice Louisiana Ordained on March 17 (Feast of St. Patrick), 1945 in Lafayette's St. John the Evangelist Cathedral Retired after 51 years a Priest of Jesus Christ on February 20, 1996 Died at the age of 96 on the Lord's Day, Sunday, October 5, 2014 May his soul, and the souls of all the Faithful departed, rest in peace! One of my life's greatest joys was getting to know our beloved former pastor, Fr. J. Wilson Matt, known simply as Fr. Matt. His initial 'J' stood for 'Joseph' but since childhood he had been called 'Wilson.' Prior to my arrival at Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in July of 2007 I had met Fr. Matt on only a few occasions. I was first introduced to him when I was a teenaged seminarian and he was pastor of St. Peter the Apostle Parish in Gueydan. I had gone there to attend the first Mass of the parish's new assistant pastor. Our paths crossed afterwards only rarely after that, just briefly each time, never really enough to get to know one another. The last time I saw him before I came to Sacred Heart was at St. Landry Parish in Opelousas where he was already well retired. But even by then we were no more than merely casual acquaintances. That changed when, soon after my arrival at Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Teche, I visited him at Consolata Nursing Home across the bayou. As a courtesy, I invited him whenever he wanted and felt up to it to join me in concelebrating the Eucharist on weekends and weekdays. Being Fr. Matt, he accepted on the spot! He was always a delight when he came, usually on weekends, never with a frown, always with a smile and a joke and a laugh. Also, it did not take him long once he began coming to ask, 'The prayers right after our bread and wine have become the Body and Blood of Jesus? from my chair could I pray them aloud with a microphone all the way up to the Great Amen?? I said, 'Of course!' And so he did. He frequently told me how much he appreciated my invitation and the opportunity to connect weekly with longtime parishioner-friends. As to other things, Fr. Matt was brilliant and wise, well versed in Scripture and Church teachings, very conversant on the day's issues in religion and politics, a lover of jokes and funny stories, and he especially loved being a priest. In my opinion, he was a great priest who loved us all, and we all loved him back. One of my life's greatest sadnesses was when Fr. Matt's health prevented him from joining us, first sporadically, and then no more. As his illnesses worsened and I visited him in his room at Consolata, he said to me toward the end: 'I'm ready to go. Beg the Lord to let me go.' I replied so as to make him smile: 'I'll ask St. Peter to open heaven's gates for you'(I paused)'as soon as St. Peter finds the keys!' Fr. Matt smiled, nodding approvingly, his eyes filling with tears. In his heart, he knew it was time to leave us. During the early morning hours of October 5, 2014, a Sunday 'the Lord's Day' commemorating the Resurrection of Jesus, St. Peter found the keys to heaven's gates, and opened themnjust as Fr. Matt arrived. + + + Plus A Joke Fr. Matt always loved a good joke, so here's one on the aging process. :-) From comedian Bob Hope on turning 80: 'That's the time of your life when even your birthday suit needs pressing!' :-) + + + Until next week: How y'all doin? today? Good! Me, too! Fr. J. Wilson Matt proclaimed from the pulpit for all to hear? ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING!