In Chicago's early days, people didn't contemplate where they went to church. It was as obvious to them as their neighborhood and their culture. "When Saint Matthias was founded in 1887, the only reason why you would come to the church is to hear mass in German," explains Father Terry Keehan, the church's current pastor. "In 1910, the only reason why you would have gone to Transfiguration of Our Lord and not another parish would have been to speak Polish. And people went to Queen of Angels when it was founded in 1909 if they were Catholics who didn't speak either German or Polish."
Today, choosing a church is a much more personal and complex decision. Where people once went to the closest church in their neighborhood, now that's problematic for people who are much more mobile than the religious folk of the past. "Young people today have grown up in a consumer-oriented society," says Father Terry. "They tend to shop around for a church they like. Where it is doesn't matter as much." That's why Father Terry and the parishioners work hard to make Saint Matthias as welcoming as possible for everyone. The former college basketball player is full of ideas that encourage people to get to know what the parish is all about.
Named for the thirteenth apostle who replaced Judas, Saint Matthias was founded in 1887 by German and Swedish farmers who came to the area to work for Budlong Pickle Farm, which at the time was one of the largest pickle and onion farms in the U.S. The current church building dates to 1915 and is the largest Romanesque style church in Chicago. In the 1930s and 1940s, the neighborhood's population began to shift and more non-Germans started to become involved with the parish. "A lot of people see the Catholic church as unchanging," says Father Terry. "But in fact it has been one of the most pliable organizations as it serves people worldwide and interfaces with just about every culture on earth."
In 2003, Saint Matthias became a two-parish community when it joined with Transfiguration of Our Lord, located a short distance away at Carmen Avenue and Rockwell Street. This made for an even more multicultural mix than the parish already was. Every Sunday, Transfiguration of Our Lord offers masses in Spanish and in Tagalog, the language of the Philippines. "The Tagalog mass is actually one of our most-attended masses," says Father Terry. Still, changes in the social dynamic of today are definitely affecting the parish. "The parishioners who have been in this church their entire lives are just beginning to pass away," says Father Terry. "We have many young families with children moving into the neighborhood, which has seven Catholic churches within a two-mile radius. I tell the parishioners that we all have to be aware of this and that we all must be responsible for building a friendly community. I encourage them to step up and introduce themselves if they see a new face." Don't be surprised if you see an ad for Saint Matthias on the "L" or if you receive a postcard in the mail. Father Terry is determined to get the word out to people looking for a friendly community of faith.
Father Terry doesn't quite fit the mold of what many people might expect from a Catholic priest. For example, you might run into him playing pool at a local Lincoln Square establishment. He's approachable and easy to talk to. And he is accepting of those with other beliefs outside the Catholic Church. He came to the priesthood in later life. His dad worked for National Harvester and moved the family around to several cities including Cincinnati, San Mateo in California, and then finally to Arlington Heights where they settled and Father Terry spent most of his childhood. After high school, he went to University of Nebraska on a basketball scholarship. "I played in the NCAA finals the first three years I was there," recalls Father Terry. He received a bachelor's degree in speech pathology and went on to get a master's degree in organizational communication. After college, he worked in pharmaceutical sales. "Through all of these things I always thought about being a priest," he explains. "My vocation as a priest is related to my parents. They both always went to church and participated in everything, from joining organizations to serving as leaders. What that said to me is that church may not always be perfect, but it is meaningful and worthwhile."
As he went though this life transformation, Father Terry became fascinated with what calls people to more committed service of the church. "One of my first jobs as a priest was to work with post-college aged men and women who were interested in entering priesthood or the convent," he explains. "The whole focus of my ministry was this topic. I am still intrigued by how god calls people." 1995 brought him to Lincoln Square for the first time when he became a full-time associate pastor at Queen of Angels. He fell in love with the neighborhood and knew it was where he most wanted to be. "I absolutely love the community," he says.
By the time Father Terry had reached his fourteenth year as a priest, he was trying to figure out what he wanted to do next. "After ten years as a priest, I was eligible to take a six-month sabbatical to pursue a program in professional enhancement," he explains. He developed the idea to do a research study on why young adults went to church or did not go to church. He traveled all over the U.S. and asked pastors to identify ten young adults in their parish who were heavily involved with the church. Father Terry met with these young people and gave them a questionnaire that he had developed with the help of sociologists. He then asked them to give the questionnaire to their friends who didn't go to church, based on the thought that the subjects would be more candid with their peers.
 The grass-roots research he gathered from six parishes in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, Minnesota, California, and Illinois went into an article in a book called "The Basic Guide to Young Adult Ministry" by John Cusick and Kate DeVries. "Doing this study was one of the best things I've ever done as a priest," Father Terry says. What the study found is that the number one reason for not going to church is that young people are too busy. As for the young people who do go to church, their reason for going is the positive community experience associated with their involvement. "What people tell me all the time is that they don't need to go to church to express their spirituality," says Father Terry. "In America at this moment, we're now pulling religion and spirituality apart. We need to find a new moment to try to integrate them again." Father Terry took what he learned during his sabbatical and applied it to his next position as pastor of Saint Matthias, which he took on New Year's Eve of 1999.
A variety of activities at both Saint Matthias and Transfiguration of Our Lord offer opportunities for people to get involved with the community. When Father Terry was at Queen of Angels, he helped found the Ravenswood Catholic Young Adults, a social group of 20-30 year olds from Queen of Angels, Saint Benedict's, Our Lady of Lourdes, Saint Matthias, and Transfiguration of Our Lord. "It's a group of married and single adults who get together for social, spiritual, and service activities," explains Father Terry. The group hosts a popular speaker series every summer called "Theology on Tap." "They have a really great New Year's Eve party every year, and they also do great service activities like volunteering at soup kitchens," he says.
Both Saint Matthias and Transfiguration of Our Lord help the less fortunate in the Lincoln Square community on a daily basis. "People come to our back door and get fed every day," says Father Terry. "Peg Wills runs our service program, called Reach Out. We help people find a place to stay and offer support to get them on their feet. Transfiguration does the same thing and has a food pantry in the basement." Donations are welcomed at any time to help support these activities.
Events throughout the year help raise needed funds for the parish and its school. Every May the school holds a Global Fest. Different classes take on different cultures each year and learn as much as they can about them. "It's a way to highlight who we are as a multi-ethnic community," says Father Terry. "Last year we consecrated wine from eleven different countries. The kids have a procession where they carry the flag of their assigned country and they perform traditional dances. There's also a beer garden with food. It's something we're really proud of." This summer, Father Terry is planning "An 'L' of a Hunt," a scavenger hunt that will revolve around the "L." On the first Sunday of October each year, the church holds its "Friends of the Grape" wine auction, which also helps raise money for the school.
When the Saint Matthias and Transfiguration of Our Lord parishes joined in 2003, they consolidated the schools and brought the children over to the Saint Matthias facility at Ainslie Street and Claremont Avenue. Saint Matthias Transfiguration School currently has more than 200 students ranging in age from pre-kindergarten to 8th grade. In 2005, the school hired a principal named Mary Riehnhart who brought a strong technology focus to the curriculum that still exists today. "Mary really brought her vision to the school," says Father Terry. "She did an excellent job. Now she's coordinating all of the technology for the entire Archdiocese in Washington D.C." All students in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grades have laptops they can use every day. "Our benefactors helped get us the laptops," explains Father Terry. "Now all we need to do is maintain the technology we have. We're really on the cutting edge of technology for any school. The kids are exposed to project-based learning and are taught problem-solving skills. All students participate in an annual project with a theme that changes every year."
Saint Matthias Transfiguration is a dynamic parish serving the Lincoln Square community and beyond. "We're here—like La Bocca della Verita and all of the other businesses are here—to serve the community," Father Terry says. "One of the things I enjoy most about what I do is that I can be with people in significant moments in their lives, and share a belief and faith in god in those moments." That's partly why he and his parishioners work so hard to welcome anyone who visits the church. "My job is to help people's lives when they come through these doors, whether they'll be back or not," Father Terry says.
St. Matthias Transfiguration Parish and School
2310 West Ainslie Street
Chicago, IL 60625
773.506.2191
www.stmatthiastransfiguration.com
www.values4life.com
Parish Office Hours
Monday - Friday 9:00am - 8:00pm
Saturday 9:00am - 4:00pm
Sunday 9:00am - 1:00pm
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