Take 5 with Father: Powered by the Spirit
Father Matthew Tatyrek (NTC/Juan Guajardo)
HE IS: Father Matthew Tatyrek, pastor of St. Peter Parish in Lindsay since 2018. He also served as parochial vicar at St. Michael Parish in Bedford and chaplain at Nolan Catholic High School.
WALK THIS WAY: He and his brother were raised in Vernon by parents with a strong faith, but “it was my dad’s responsibility to get us out of bed on Sunday.... Especially as boys, what your father sees as important will ultimately become important to you.”
CALLED: While a student at Texas Tech University, he grew more and more involved in the parish and less involved in his ROTC responsibilities. He dropped ROTC and began discerning a call to the priesthood.
HEART OF THE CHURCH: After two years at a Texas seminary, he completed his seminary formation at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. One of the graces was “to experience on a daily basis the universality of the Church,” plus he took advantage of the opportunity to make pilgrimages to sites including Lourdes.
ORDAINED: May 21, 2016, at St. Patrick Cathedral.
LASTING LEGACY: St. Peter Parish, established in 1892 and rebuilt after a fire and again after a tornado, is a beautiful legacy to the time, talent, and treasure that generations have invested in building and maintaining the historic structure.
Understanding the importance of the parish to Cooke County families, he “wants to guide it in prudence.”
HIGHS AND LOWS: Experiencing the day-to-day living of the Christian faith is the “most challenging and the most rewarding part of [priesthood], because ... oftentimes in the parish setting you experience, on a day-to-day basis, the full range of human experience, from sadness — celebrating a funeral — to joy — preparing people for marriage.”
POWER UP: At Confirmation and other opportunities, Fr. Tatyrek emphasizes the Holy Spirit.
He said, “It’s by the power of the Spirit that we celebrate Mass. It’s by the power of the Spirit that we do any of the sacraments. It’s by the power and urging of the Spirit that we pray. It’s the power of the Holy Spirit that conforms us to the person of Jesus, so that God the Father can see His Son in all of us.”
HEALTHY HABITS: A walk after lunch is a good opportunity to pray the Rosary and meditate while staying physically active.
KNOW THIS: He hopes parishioners know “They are loved, and the Lord desires them, wants them. Secondly, ... by your Baptism you have dignity and part of that dignity is to be an evangelizer, be a model of the faith."