Matthew Fichter

Home Parish
St. Anthony of Padua, Washington, DC

Interesting Facts
I am the youngest of 6 children. Growing up in the summers I swam for the local community swim team. My best and favorite stroke was butterfly. I also played baseball from the age of 4 to 17. My favorite position in high school was pitcher and catcher. I enjoy visiting MLB ballparks and thus far have traveled to 13 of the current 30 ballparks as well as an additional 4 which no longer exist. Surp
isingly I have never had a cavity (knock on wood) despite my love for candy and sweets. Two favorite sweets are Sour Patch Kids and Reese's Peanut Butter cups. In Middle School I agreed to play the tenor saxophone upon finding a drummer was not needed. I played the tenor sax until I was a Junior in High School.  

My Life Before Seminary
In the Fall of 2015, I graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.S. in Civil Engineering. Shortly after graduating I began work in February 2016 as a Project Engineer with The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company (WT). A highlight while working with WT was the chance to live and work in Carry, NC to help complete a 3-month renovation project there. After approximately 3.5 years with WT, I signed a 1-year service commitment with Franciscan Mission Service (FMS) that brought me to Brookland, Washington, DC. While a member of FMS, I lived in intentional community with 15 other missionaries/volunteers and worked full-time at The Father McKenna Center as their food pantry coordinator. Following my time with FMS and The Father McKenna Center, I became an AmeriCorps Service member where I worked 1.5 years with Raising A Village Foundation (RAV), a small non-profit organization focused on providing academic support to students in DCPS and local low-income housing communities. As a Site Lead with RAV, I helped manage a team of tutors at Eastern HS and Anacostia HS. In the summer leading up to Seminary, I worked as counselor at the Sacred Heart Summer Camp in La Plata, MD. 

What Convinced Me to Enter Seminary
A self-guided retreat book entitled "33 Days to Merciful Love" by Fr. Michael Gaitley had a big impact toward my decision to pursue seminary. In my discernment journey a great challenge has been overcoming internal discouragement, fear, and lack of confidence in my ability to be a true witness and light to Christ and a servant leader of his Church. Especially in the role of a priest that is responsible for the care of thousands of souls. This book, however, introduced me to a saint I knew nearly nothing about at the time. It introduced me to Saint Terese of Lisieux and taught me about her Little Way in which weakness and smallness is seen as an avenue for grace rather than obstacle to serving God. As found in 2 Corinthians 12:9, the Lord says to St. Paul "my power is made perfect in weakness”, and as John the Baptist says in in John 3:30, "He must increase; I must decrease." Through the help of friends, family, prayer, spiritual direction and vocational direction, I further discovered the beauty of a life in total abandonment to the will of God and in the battle trenches that is the battle for souls where the priest immerses himself. Further, I became more aware of the intense need for priest laborers here in my home Archdiocese of Washington, a place where I have seen and witnessed the grave hunger and thirst and poverty of body and spirit in the lives of so many who reside here. Encouraged by the example of little St. Terese and her complete trust in God and motivated to live a life in total service to God and his Gospel message, I found pursuit of seminary to be the necessary next step along my path of discernment. 

Other Interests
I enjoy traveling and road trips, especially to historical sites, National Parks, new states and new countries. Thus far I have traveled out of country to Peru, Mexico, Canada, Spain, and the Bahamas, but would love to see more of our world and experience the beauty and variety of culture it contains. I enjoy walking and biking and playing basketball with friends. I am an avid sports fan and follow the Baltimore Orioles, Maryland Terrapins, Villanova Wildcats, and Philadelphia Eagles the closest. I enjoy visiting my family who is now spread across Maryland, Arizona, and Montana.