December 2008 Hidden Hero:

Brother Matt Connors

 

In this season of giving, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, who was born to become the ultimate "giver," offering the gift of His personal sacrifice so that we might know God's love in action.

With Jesus as his role model, Brother Matt Connors at Immaculate Conception Church in Clarksdale, Mississippi, exemplifies the Christian spirit of giving - and he does it all year long, in a truly dangerous, violent, gang-infested community.

He has been shot at a few times, and attacked so severely that his right eye is damaged. When he walks the streets now, he's surrounded by the young men he has helped rescue. They protect him from violent attacks and drive-by shootings with their own bodies. He's making a difference in this community by making himself an example and embodiment of charitable giving and the life-changing power that can be found in the love of Jesus - and he's laying his own life on the line to do it.

What's the secret to Brother Matt's success? It's simple, really. He shares all that he has. He talks to troubled teens. He listens to them. He helps them find work. And he's always there to help them. On many occasions, he has gone without food in order to help poor children buy a pair of shoes.

He keeps teddy bears around to give to young boys and girls who need something to hug when the world seems to have turned its back on them. On his 65th birthday in early December, someone he used to help came up from his old parish in Greenville, where Brother Matt formerly served, and returned an old favor by giving the big man a teddy bear. "He's a big old fella," Brother Matt said. "He'll be sitting right here on my desk until a kid comes in who takes a liking to it, and then he'll have a new home."

He recalls the time a rival gang shot up a family's home where a gang member lived, sending bullets whizzing by the boy's six-year-old sister. She couldn't sleep for weeks, and was always peering out the window, asking, "Is someone going to shoot at me again?" Brother Matt gave her a teddy bear and lop-eared rabbit, and each night, the girl draped the rabbit's ears over her own for comfort. Brother Matt is an expert at measuring need and giving what he can, in lockstep with the true spirit of the Christmas season.

In the back seat of his car, Brother Matt has three different sized car seats to help young mothers take their babies to the doctor. He helps young people learn how to read so that they can escape the cycle of poverty and one day land a decent job. And it's true that many of the boys have left the gangs and have jobs now. They recognize that Brother Matt has probably saved them from a life behind bars. One of them said, "Brother Matt was like the father many of us never had."

This time of year, Brother Matt offers up a lot of blankets. And just last week, when he himself had gotten a little bit of money, he bought a 14-year-old some basketball shoes so the boy could go out for the school team. Brother Matt's kitchen is modestly stocked, but a lot of what he has goes to families he feels need it more.

"This man went barefoot in order to put shoes and clothes on the boys and their families," remembers Carrie Vell Cooper, a member of the Sacred Heart parish in Greenville, "He literally will give you the shirt off his back and the shoes off his feet."

It's the completely selfless spirit of giving and leading by example that have made Brother Matt a much-beloved figure in this hard-pressed community. This Christmas season, it's good to remember and appreciate those who willingly give of themselves in order to better the lives of the less-fortunate.

What would be Brother Matt's greatest Christmas wish? "Peace on earth," he said.

It is through the generous support of Catholic Extension donors that Brother Matt and can continue his work. To learn more about helping a sacrificing missionary like Brother Matt and more than 425 priests and religious working in poor and isolated communities throughout the United States, please click here.