You're listening to All Kinds of Catholic, with me, Theresa Alessandro. My conversations with different Catholics will give you glimpses into some of the ways we are living our faith today. Pope Francis has used the image of a caravan. A diverse group of people travelling together. On a sometimes chaotic journey together. That's an image that has helped to shape this podcast. I hope you'll feel encouraged and affirmed, and may be challenged at times. I am too in these conversations.
Before we get into my conversation with Matthew today, I wanted to tell you a bit more about this podcast. I'm putting it together myself, and I've had to learn lots of new skills.
But I've done that just because when I look back over my own life, I know that I've been inspired by talking to Catholic people, yes, 'all kinds of Catholic' people, many times on my own faith journey. I hope you've already noticed the transcripts for each episode. For some people, that might be an easier way to access the conversations. I'd be really interested to hear how you're finding listening to these conversations. You can get in touch with me to ask questions or make comments and really feel that you're participating in these conversations.
You'll see in the episode notes that I have an email address where you can reach me. And if you're listening on your phone, you'll see that you can text the show too. Do think about letting me know how you're finding it. I will be really interested. And I'd like to be able to share some of your comments and questions in future episodes too, so that more people are involved in the conversations we're having on this podcast. But for now, let's move on and listen to today's conversation with Matthew.
I'm really glad to, welcome you this morning, Matthew, to this conversation. So thanks for joining me today, Matthew.
Thank you, Theresa. It's lovely to be here.
We're gonna talk about, you know, where you can see God working in your life and maybe where sometimes you haven't been able to and, you know, what you're doing. I know you lead a very full life. So where would you like to start?
Let's start with the main thing I do, Monday to Friday, working with some special needs young adults, at a young young adult college. If we start talking about that maybe.
Okay. Okay. So tell us what what that looks like then and how you came to be doing that.
So I had to, for doing that, I had this friend, he is a student at, at this college. I was a student at the same college as well, until a year later, he invited me to the head office at this college, to meet, some very senior people, and they saw potential in me. And, they fast tracked me to an interview where I got an appointment with them, working at the head office and going in and out of their different centres. I got a distinction at customer service. And then on the back of that, I became a learning support assistant, working with some of the country's most vulnerable people. And it is, it can be, very draining. It can be very stressful, but very rewarding at the same time.
Okay. And is there any faith basis at that college where you work or or not?
I would like it to be, but it's not. Okay. That that we don't understand the Catholic faith.
So I was gonna say, you're not sharing your faith in your work then?
I do try to, even though it's not a Catholic college. It's not even a Christian college. It doesn't have any religion attached to it. But I do talk quite a bit to my friends, my colleagues about my faith in my life. And, things I think it's a positive I I think they perceive it in a very positive way. I think they've learned a lot from me. Okay.
Okay. So what kinds of things do you tell them about then? What things that you're doing at the weekend, going to church. What sort of things do you have? What sort of conversations do you have?
Well, I go to church and, that, the big thing is they don't really understand the concept, what marriage is in in their life. So they don't understand that. So we have a big conversation about it, maybe at the pub or something like that after work. But, that's a big key area they keep asking questions about. Things that they're a bit confused about would be why I go to church sometimes maybe Saturday, or Sunday evening.Normally, I can normally get to Mass on Sunday evening. They think it's a Sunday morning thing. So ask questions about that, things like that, really, and the different times why I go to church in Easter, Christmas, etcetera, things.
Not everybody manages to have those conversations at work, you know, so so that's really interesting. Okay. And then, I know that you've you've got other things you do outside of work too. I know that you do some voluntary work, for example. Does that, is that something that your faith has influenced?
Yes. I believe so. So I've always known I had a a calling to be in the emergency services, especially to be a police officer one day, Always there, all my life, but I can't be a police officer right now or any other front line because I need to get my maths. The college I work at, I have a very close friend. One of my best friends, he, before he joined the college, he was a qualified maths tutor. So he teaches me maths every Tuesday after work for an hour, and we're making progress. And so in a few years' time, hopefully, one day, I can be able to be a police officer some one day. So, yeah, I volunteer the with the police and I volunteer at London Fire Brigade as an instructor with fire cadets. Again, that's helping working with young people and, trying to help them progress and, make them a better person in life. Similar to working at the college, except that at the college they're more vulnerable, and they all have special needs unlike where there's a lot of autistic people at the fire service. There's more autistic people in the fire service than there is in any other emergency service, which is, which is a big fact. So I do work with lots of autistic people with the fire service, but at the college, they're more vulnerable, very vulnerable people. Also, I volunteer as a radio presenter on a hospital radio station at the local hospital. I would normally go around the wards and collect the patients' requests and then play them for 2 hours on Sunday afternoon. People can hear me on the radio, 1 till 3 on a Sunday afternoon.
That's made me feel a bit stressed now, Matthew, that you know more about working in audio than I do. I'm just, I'm making it up as I go along here, but I'm speaking to somebody who's got a lot of experience I hadn't realized.
That's right. Started about 15 years old, I think it was.
That's amazing service. So while you're presenting the radio program, are you also, you know, operating the equipment and all of that, bringing in the sound and
Yes. Do the fades up and down, press the buttons. I just love radio. I love listening to radio, talking on the radio. I love being on the radio, and I get lots of good feedback from senior management. They really like my voice, and the patients really like listening to me.
Where does your faith fit into this? What is it about making yourself available to present a hospital radio program? Where where does your faith come into that?
Yeah. I used, I mean, I used to do a Christian program with a former presenter. We're still very good friends. We have some contact on a regular basis. Yeah. I think he might come back. I used to do a Christian program on a Sunday afternoon. That was that was brilliant. I really enjoyed doing that. I used to be his personal assistant, choosing the right music for him, pressing the buttons on the right Christian songs, and he would just talk and say things from the bible and things like that. That was great fun. Hope he comes back, and then we can do that again. But, yeah, that brings in the faith quite a bit.
In the next segment, I asked Matthew about visiting Lourdes. Just before we get into that, I thought I'd explain for anyone who doesn't know, Lourdes is a place of pilgrimage in Southwest France. If we were in France now, we'd be calling it Lourdes. This is the place where Our Lady is said to have appeared to a child, Bernadette, now Saint Bernadette, in 1858. Today, Lourdes is a bustling place of pilgrimage that has thousands and thousands of visitors from all over the world every year. Some people listening will have visited Lourdes with friends and family, or perhaps with a huge diocesan pilgrimage group. People who are ill or frail often visit Lourdes, and people who are not ill, looking for some kind of healing, and often finding it amongst the quiet reflective prayer and the hustle and bustle.
And I think I'm right in saying that you've been to Lourdes quite a few times.
Yes. I have.
Yes. Okay. And how do you find that?
Oh, I really enjoy Lourdes. I always have a great time. So I've been twice so far, and I'm going again this summer, which will be my 3rd time. Made some great friends. I've had some healing, I think, from it, especially last year, going to the grotto. Can't wait to go again this summer.
Right. Okay. And what do you do? What's your role while you're there? Because I think you go with a group. Would that be right?
Yes. So I go, it's a big group of people in the diocese who go there every year. I go as a helper. Yeah. Just a helper for pushing wheelchairs and helping the elderly people get around Lourdes and maybe help with some personal care sometimes if needed. Just build on the relationships with the elderly people. Take them to the grotto. Take them to the Masses and all the events going on in Lourdes.
Okay. Okay. So it seems like a a lot of your life, Matthew, is about, you know, being of service to other people, actually.
Absolutely. Yes.
And that's where you feel comfortable?
Yes. Yes. Absolutely. It totally is. Yes.
What's it like being at Mass in Lourdes? You know, I've only been to Lourdes once. I remember Mass in the Basilica, you know, it was absolutely beautiful. Amazing to have people from all over the world. So I don't know, have you had some special Masses while you've been in Lourdes that have kinda stayed with you, that you've been really glad to be part of?
What's it called? The International Mass, that's part of what you're saying, the different nationalities were there, and the whole Basilica is packed with people. That's a great Mass, I think. But in saying that all the Masses are great, all the Masses are brilliant.
Okay. So I feel like we're skirting around your faith a little bit, and and it is hard to talk about faith, actually. It's another thing that can feel quite personal. But I wonder if you can share anything about, are there particular prayers that you like? Are there particular bits of scripture that speak to you? You know, how how would people know that you're a Catholic?
You've certainly mentioned talking to people at work, but what about in your own life? Where does it show up?
Let me think. Well, we say grace at meal times in the house, every meal time, my family. Try and say a prayer before I get to bed. There's no particular prayer. I've got some prayer intentions that I just pray every night.
Okay. That's very meaningful. So prayer is part of your daily life. And do you sort of feel the presence of God sometimes, as you're going about the many things that you do?
Yes. Yes, I do. So working with the young adults professionally at the college, seeing them change. And at the start of the year in September, they're a very different person to the end of the academic year, August, and especially after 3 years. They're there for 3 years. They're very different person. To see them change over time, then be able to go back into the community, get a job, and not to have any of these behaviours that maybe concern the community, not have that anymore. I see God working in their life, And then, obviously, it's through me. He's been working through me to help them become that person after 3 years. That that's the big big thing. Yeah.
Okay. Well, that's very inspiring, Matthew. Thank you. That's really inspiring.
That's fine. Thank you.
Well, I've really enjoyed our conversation today, Matthew. Thanks so much for being here and giving some of your time to talk.
Thank you. Bye bye.
Thanks so much for joining me today on All Kinds of Catholic. A new episode of this podcast is released each week on Wednesdays. I do hope you'll tune in again.