Deacon Larry Matheny serving
St. Ignatius Loyola, Ijamsville
by Judy Williams, CEM Center
Photo: Courtesy of Owen Sweeney, Catholic Review

On Sunday, May 21, at the cathedral of Mary Our Queen in Baltimore, Cardinal Keeler ordained 11 men permanent deacons.  Larry Matheny, of St. Ignatius Parish, Ijamsville was one of those who answered God’s call to serve.  [Link: Catholic Review, select  05/26/2005 issue]

 Originally from Falls Church, Larry and his wife, Carol, and their two daughters, Clare, 17; and Teresa, 14 reside in Lovettsville, Virginia.  Larry is employed by Loudoun County Mental Health services as Director of Residential and Day Support Services.  Since 1996 Larry and his family have been members of St. Joseph-on-Carrollton Manor parish in Buckeystown.  Now that Larry is Deacon and has been assigned to St. Ignatius Loyola parish in Ijamsville, the family will become members of that parish.

Though newly ordained to the Diaconate, Larry has long been active in parish ministry on different levels.  While completing his undergraduate degree in psychology at George Mason University, Larry, along with his wife, Carol, participated for two years in the Northeast Center for Youth Ministry, a youth ministry internship program.  From 1981-1985 the Mathenys worked as professional youth ministers at parishes in New Jersey and New York. They returned to Virginia in 1985 and have remained active in youth ministry in this area as well.

During the late 1990’s, while at St. Joseph’s in Buckeystown, Larry also served in the parish RCIA program (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults).  Active as he was, Larry began to feel there was something more involved in living his faith.  He saw a notice in one of the Sunday bulletins from the Archdiocesan Office of Clergy Personnel for an Inquiry Session – an informative meeting for those considering the Diaconate.  He attended the session, and after much prayerful thought and discussion with his wife, decided to take the classes which would prepare him to become a deacon.

The next three years were spent studying, ministering with a fourth year in parish internship at St. Ignatius, under the supervision of Fr. John Jicha.  Larry describes his training as very family-oriented.  Carol, his wife, attended many of the classes with him.  After all her support and participation in the training process, Larry felt a little sheepish that he was the one being ordained, and not Carol.  But Carol reminded him that he was the one who was being called.  And so it was Larry who was ordained on May 21, but not without the constant support of his companion wife.

When Larry reflects upon his faith-filled journey to the diaconate, he considers that with his wife as his partner, they are much like the couple to whom the resurrected Jesus appeared on the Road to Emmaus, from Luke’s gospel…

    And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, …
    …. while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them.
    With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight.

    Then they said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning (within us) while he spoke to us on the way and
    opened the scriptures to us?"

                                                                                                                                        Luke 24: 15, 30-32
 

 We welcome Larry to ministry in Central Maryland!