Father Martin Matthews, C.P., Holy Cross Province (1902-1952)

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Born March 2, 1902 in St. Louis, Missouri, he often visited the Passionists at Normandy, Missouri. After he graduated from parochial school he decided to enter the Preparatory Seminary located at Cincinnati, Ohio. When he first applied to enter the novitiate he was considered too young and immature. In 1918 he was allowed to enter and he professed his vows on September 16, 1919 in Louisville, Kentucky. He was ordained on February 27, 1927 at Holy Cross Monastery, Cincinnati by Bishop Paul J. Nussbaum, C.P. After ordination he was a professor at the Preparatory Seminary, a professor of philosophy in Detroit, Michigan and later as a retreat master in Sierra Madre, California. At other times he was a preacher of missions and retreats. While most often a generous man with others, it was also true that his sharp intellect led him to be a quick critic of ideas that were not compatible with his own. He suffered a heart attack while conducting a parish mission. He died a week later.