On Sunday, November 11, 2018, Canon Matthew Weaver celebrated his first Solemn High Mass at St. Francis de Sales Oratory in St. Louis. Having been ordained by His Eminence, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, Canon Weaver addressed the faithful in attendance that it was an "indescribable joy" to be in the same church where he was ordained only three months ago on August 2, 2018. In his sermon he preached about the virtue of humility and how we "never get a second chance to make a first impression." However, he explained, that God's mercy to us sinners is our second chance. What a beautiful reminder of God's infinite love for us!
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Canon Weaver did his candidacy for the Institute's Seminary in Chicago, Illinois under the direction of Canon Matthew Talarico. Following this first year with the Institute, he continued in Gricigliano, Italy as a seminarian. Notably, Canon is not an unfamiliar face at St. Francis de Sales. In the summer of 2012, Canon Weaver visited the oratory here in St. Louis and participated in a festive competition at a nearby park where he, other clergy, and the faithful tried amicably to win a "Home Run Derby". We remember fondly that Canon Weaver won the competition! Perhaps some summer in the near future Canon could return to try and retain his title as the winner of the "Home Run Derby".
Currently, he remains very busy at the National Shrine of Christ the King, the Institute's US Provincial Headquarters, where he serves as the Secretary to the Provincial Superior as well as Project Manager for the Institute's National Shrine. May God bless him in all of his priestly endeavors and he will be kept in our prayers. The faithful are immensely grateful for Canon Weaver's presence here at our oratory for his First Mass and priestly blessings. We look forward to and are hopeful for future visits from other newly ordained priests of the Institute.
