finding father matt

by pia
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The first ever Mass that Mike and I heard together was in St. Andrew the Apostle Parish Church in Makati. It was during Simbang Gabi that we first heard the jolly voice of then parish priest Fr. Matt Garcia. Soon after, we would find ourselves attending Mass as St. Andrew’s regularly. Fr. Matt had a way of teaching the Good News without alienating the community. He brought the point home. He had a distinctive presence about him that really made you listen to him once he stepped up to the podium.

Several years after our initial encounter with Fr. Matt, we found out that he was now assigned as parish priest of the Immaculate Conception Parish in Tondo. Despite the distance, we drove all the way to downtown Manila for a chance to meet with him and formally ask him to officiate at our wedding. We couldn’t think of anyone else who would rather celebrate our wedding rite. He was as gracious and as jolly as ever, kind enough to walk us through the draft of our misalette and make suggestions here and there. He even gave us music tips during Mass and how to capture the finest wedding moments on video!


You wanna know a secret? He and Mike actually share the same birth date, August 12! How cool is that? ☺