Although he wasn’t Catholic, since Matthew Eichner married his wife Mary Ferranti in 1994 at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Connecticut, Catholicism has been a part of his life, as they raised their two children and he accompanied her to Mass.
“Italian culture and Catholicism are very important traditions in her life, and became important to my kids and me too,” he said. Their daughter Giovanna is now a sophomore at Boston College and their son Massimo is an intern in the athletics department at Georgetown University.
Eichner added, “Living with a person of genuine humanity and faith for 26 years can’t help but rub off, and I had always enjoyed going with her to Mass... She lives her faith in a way that is welcoming to others in all her interactions.”
Matthew Eichner and his wife Mary Ferranti stand outside St. Matthew's Cathedral in Washington, D.C., where they have attended Mass together for years. (CS photo/Andrew Biraj)
Eichner, who is an economist and works for the Federal Reserve Board, moved with his family from New York City to suburban Maryland in 1998, and they began attending Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, D.C.
“I found myself looking forward to Mass each Sunday,” Eichner said, noting that he especially looked forward to hearing the homilies by Msgr. W. Ronald Jameson, the cathedral’s rector.
When the coronavirus pandemic halted public Masses for a couple of months in the spring of 2020, Eichner and his wife watched the livestreams of the Masses, and when the cathedral like other local Catholic churches reopened in the summer with strict safety precautions, they returned to church.
“Despite the pandemic and all of its effects so visible in the city, I walked home from Mass feeling uplifted and hopeful, inspired by the stories of Jesus and his disciples,” said Eichner, whose family had moved to Washington, D.C., in January 2020, just before the pandemic impacted life in the area.
He noted, “Somehow over the last year, listening to Msgr. Jameson, I was ready to be more involved directly (in the faith). I understood more directly what the journey of faith was, and what it meant to be a disciple,” and the Mass “just became a big part of my life over the past year.”
Matthew Eichner (CS photo/Andrew Biraj)
That year, Eichner decided he wanted to become Catholic, and he contacted the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) program at St. Matthew’s Cathedral.
“It’s a time like this, I felt being part of a community is so important, and this is a community I love to be a part of,” he said.
Joining the RCIA program there, Eichner said, “I found myself among a very interesting and diverse community of catechumens and candidates. I enjoyed talking about faith, discussing the Church’s broad and deep teachings on social justice and learning about Scripture.”
One of the things they reflected on in RCIA, he said, was that the word “catholic” means universal, and he said he could see that in the diversity of St. Matthew’s parishioners and in the people in that program, who represented many different backgrounds and experiences.
Eichner praised the leadership of Theresa Prymuszewski, the pastoral associate for faith formation at St. Matthew’s, who coordinated the RCIA sessions that were held virtually through Microsoft Teams video conferencing. He appreciated the serious conversations the group members had as they were coming to terms with their newfound faith.
Prymuszewski said Eichner brought “a depth of insight and faith to each RCIA session.” The people preparing to become full members of the Catholic Church at St. Matthew’s met on Wednesday evenings virtually, discussing the United States Catechism for Adults and the New American Bible, and after the cathedral’s livestreamed Masses on Sundays, they connected virtually to discuss and pray about those Scripture readings.
The cathedral’s RCIA coordinator said she has been “inspired by the strength of soul” of those participants, and she was privileged and honored to accompany them on their faith journeys.
At the April 3 Easter Vigil at St. Matthew’s Cathedral celebrated by Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory, Eichner was among 16 people who became full members of the Catholic Church. He was among four elect who were baptized and confirmed by the cardinal and received their First Eucharist from him.
Cardinal Gregory confirms Matthew Eichner during the April 3 Easter Vigil at St. Matthew's Cathedral. (CS photo/Andrew Biraj)
Among those attending the joyful, nearly three-hour long liturgy was Eichner’s wife Mary, again with him at Mass at the cathedral, this time as a fellow Catholic. Msgr. Jameson, whose homilies had been instrumental in Eichner’s faith journey, concelebrated the Mass, and Prymuszewski, who had facilitated the diverse RCIA group’s virtual gatherings these past months, was there in person with them, watching them receive the sacraments that they had prepared for and seeing them united in faith.
Interviewed via email and by telephone a few days before the vigil, Eichner said, “Christ’s resurrection resonates with me particular this year, as my Baptism approaches and as there is an increasing sense of hope, as friends and family begin to get vaccinated, that the pandemic may come to an end.”
Asked about how his life would change after Easter, he said, “I look forward to being a member of the St. Matthew’s parish and community, growing in faith and working with the social justice ministry and creation care team.”
And Eichner said his bonds would continue with those who had joined him on his faith journey. “Eventually and only when it’s safe, I hope to invite Theresa and the RCIA team as well as my fellow catechumens over for dinner,” he said.
