Welcome to Faith Quest at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.

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Ann Bell
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Welcome to Faith Quest at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. The Cathedral church of Saint Matthew the Apostle is the cathedra (meaning seat or chair in Latin) of the Archbishop of Washington.

As such, it plays a major role in the Catholic life of the nation s capital. It wasn t always a cathedral, however. The parish of St.

1 Welcome to Faith Quest at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, Mother Church of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. The Cathedral church of Saint Matthew the Apostle is the cathedra (meaning seat or chair in Latin) of the Archbishop of Washington. Because of this association with the archbishop, St. Matthew s is the central church of the archdiocese and is considered its Mother Church. As such, it plays a major role in the Catholic life of the nation s capital. It wasn t always a cathedral, however. The parish of St. Matthew the Apostle was the fourth parish established in the District of Columbia and was dedicated on November 1, When construction on the current church began in 1893, Washington was still part of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. It wasn t until 1939 that Pope Pius XII created a separate archdiocese for Washington. In 1947, when the process of separation was officially concluded, St. Matthew's was named the cathedral of the new Archdiocese of Washington. As the archbishop s home church, the Cathedral is a visible sign of our ties to Rome. Just as Peter was the head of the apostles in the early church, our pope heads the bishops in the Catholic Church today, who -- like links on a chain -- all trace their succession back to the apostles. We believe it is through this unbroken line of succession that the teachings of our Faith are kept secure, as each bishop hands on the doctrine that was handed on to him from the one before. On this quest, you will be exploring what reveals that unbroken lineage at St. Matthew s and makes this church unique as the cathedral of the Archdiocese of Washington. Along the way, you ll also see some magnificent artwork, too. Answer the questions below as they take you on a self-guided tour, then use the answers that you fill in the blanks to solve a final puzzle. When the puzzle is complete, you will see something so important to us Catholics: the special term that describes the unbroken line of

2 FAITH QUEST CATHEDRAL OF ST. MATTHEW THE APOSTLE 2 bishops all the way back to Peter and the apostles, who received the teaching of our faith from Christ Himself. QUESTIONS Immediately after entering the Cathedral, turn to the right and find the short hallway leading into the chapel of St. Francis of Assisi. Walk into the short hallway and, while inside the hallway, look to your left. Two people are buried inside the wall! 1. What are the names of the men buried inside the walls? James Cardinal and Patrick Cardinal 2. What position did each of them hold? of Washington Now go back out the way you came, cross through the main part of the church, past the front doors, and into the little chapel at the left of the main doors, also down a short hallway. This chapel is called the baptistry. Baptisms are performed here at the baptismal font (the basin that holds the baptismal water). 3. According to the mosaics inside the baptistry, where did St. Matthew go to preach and baptize? 4. The other mosaic in the baptistry shows a scene from the Bible. Which scene? Exit the baptistry and turn left, walking away from the main doors. To your left is Our Lady s Chapel, featuring six mosaics representing Bible passages that refer to Our Lady and the genealogy of Jesus. 5. As you stand in front of the large statue of Our Lady, in the center of the wall to the left is a panel depicting two evergreen trees. What is the difference between the two trees? Walk past Our Lady s Chapel to the small chapel to the left of the sanctuary, the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Here there is a very special structure in which consecrated hosts (the Body of Christ) are kept for the sick and dying. 6. What is the name of this ornate bronze structure? 7. To the left of the tabernacle, there are six white marble panels mounted in the wall. Each panel has a man s name on it. Who are these six men? 8. Notice that five of the six men have the same middle name. What is this middle name?

3 FAITH QUEST CATHEDRAL OF ST. MATTHEW THE APOSTLE 3 What does it mean that they have that name? 9. One of the panels has a hat that s a different color from the rest. Which of the men s panels has a different hat? Archbishop Michael J. What color is it? 10. Which of the men is the first to have an English-language motto? What is his motto? 11. Why does Donald Cardinal Wuerl have only one date on his panel? Go next to the front of the church and stop before the main altar (please do not go beyond the communion rail). 12. Face the main altar, then look upward. There is a large mosaic of a saint above the altar. Which saint is it? St. 13. Now look to the left of the altar, at the main chair where the archbishop sits during Mass. That chair has a special Latin name. It is the archbishop s 14. Whose symbol is on the chair? (Hint: it matches one of the panels by the tabernacle.) Next proceed over to the right of the sanctuary to the small side chapel called the Wedding Chapel. No, this chapel isn t called the Wedding Chapel because weddings occur here; its name refers to the event portrayed in the statuary above the altar. 15. According to the information panel at the foot of the stairs, what event is portrayed in the statuary above the altar? 16. According to the information panel, where was the statuary made? Of what materials is it made? As you head back toward the entrance of the cathedral, look up over the main doors. The magnificent mural you see depicts many important historical figures of the Catholic Church in the Americas, particularly around our local area. How many of them do you know? 17. There are two things hanging over the door, upside down! What are they? How did you do answering the questions? Check your answers below. There are many other things to see here at St. Matthew s and after you solve the final puzzle and get a stamp for your pilgrimage passport, we invite you to stay and pray a while. Your FaithQuest stamp awaits you

4 FAITH QUEST CATHEDRAL OF ST. MATTHEW THE APOSTLE 4 just inside the main entrance, in a box atop the credenza on the right, as you face the altar. (Note: there are two credenzas just inside the entrance, one on each side of the center doors.) Feel free to send photos, posts, or tweets to share your experience here with other Faith Questers on Facebook ( or And don t forget to update your status on the leaderboard at Come back again and God bless you! To schedule a guided tour, contact us at x512. Visit our website at for an online tour. FAITH QUEST ANSWERS 1. James Cardinal Hickey and Patrick Cardinal O Boyle 2. Archbishop of Washington 3. Ethiopia 4. The Pool of Bethesda where Jesus found the man who could not get into the pool to get healed, because he was lame. 5. The evergreen tree on the right is rooted in the river of life, the living waters of Christ, and growing on it is a rose tree (the yellow rose being emblematic of Our Lady of Lourdes). The evergreen tree on the left, which is not rooted in the river of life, is overgrown by vines of sumac and bittersweet. Notice also that the two trees are tied together by a white veil symbolizing sanctifying grace. This is linked with a blue veil representing the Blessed Mother. The trees are bent downward, suggesting that grace may be obtained through Our Lady s intercession. 6. Tabernacle 7. They are the six archbishops that have governed the Church in Washington, D.C. 8. Cardinal. Five of the six archbishops were created cardinals by the popes of their day, and so had the honor of using Cardinal as a sort of middle name. 9. Archbishop Michael J. Curley s hat is green because he was never made a cardinal. 10. Theodore Cardinal McCarrick was the first archbishop to use an English-language motto in the Archdiocese of Washington. His motto is Come, Lord Jesus. 11. Donald Cardinal Wuerl only has one date on his panel because he is still serving the archdiocese; the second date is the year at which the various archbishops have finished their service by retiring or dying. 12. St. Matthew the Evangelist (Matthaeus Evangelista, in Latin), patron of civil servants. 13. Cathedra -- remember, that s where the term cathedral comes from, because it is the church with the bishop s (or archbishop s) seat. 14. Archbishop Michael J. Curley s seal is on the cathedra because he was the first archbishop of the archdiocese. 15. The betrothal (engagement) of Mary and Joseph 16. Italy; the statuary is made of wood covered in gold leaf 17. These red hats are called galeros, part of the formal clerical dress of cardinals in former times. Now, upon the death of a cardinal, the tradition has arisen of hanging a galero in the cathedral upside-down, where it remains until it decays and falls. These two galeros commemorate the two deceased Cardinal-Archbishops of Washington, Patrick O Boyle and James Hickey, who are interred in the crypt by the Chapel of St. Francis.

5 FAITH QUEST CATHEDRAL OF ST. MATTHEW THE APOSTLE 5 FINAL PUZZLE For your final puzzle, find the words that were underlined on the previous page in the word search below. After you circle all the words, write the remaining letters in order to spell out the special term that describes the unbroken line of bishops going all the way back to the apostles. (Ignore the X s.) Words to find: archbishop cardinal cathedra Curley Ethiopia green Hickey Italy Matthew O Boyle tabernacle P A E P I Y O L S E T O O L E T A L L E A I H K Y N A C C T X R C S I O A L W H Y I D D I N B E Y I H E R E R B H O G O S A L E H T H R U P C C B R T T E C C I E A S A U E A S R A T I M O N C N C X A What do we call the unbroken lineage from Peter to all present-day bishops? This is the primary way the Church preserves the teachings of the apostles through the ages:

Welcome to Faith Quest at Our Lady, Star of the Sea!

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