A Tribute to Walter Matthews, Retired Director

from Fr. Ken Metz

Former NSC Chairperson, 1984-1987

Walter Matthews has been one of those special people who have been steady in their faith and service to the larger community of the Church. I remember back in the seventies how us younger guys were so filled by the power of the Holy Spirit that we thought life would always be a series of one excitement after another. We learned however that life also gives a lot of baggage for us to carry. Walter has been an example for me over the years of a man who carries well what life has thrown at him. When I retired at the end of my term as chair of the NSC, Walter and the other members of the committee gave me a picture that hangs today in my living area. It shows two trains approaching a trestle under construction over a gully. It reads Build Bridges, Not Walls. That is another thing I have admired about Walter: he builds bridges among so many people. Have a great retirement, Walter! It only gets better.