A Time for Hope
“Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
This is a time for hope. Mattie may have died 20 years ago, but he still brings hope, renews hope, leads us to hope. Mattie wrote, “God give me hope that there is something greater than us, something better and bigger than the here and now, that can help us live.”
Mattie was a spirit meant to be – a messenger of faith, hope and peace. He has not left us. He is remembered. The messages he shared and his conception of Heartsongs live on and inspire others to believe in the power of prayer, the truth of hope and the potential of peace.
Matthew Joseph Thaddeus Stepanek was an extraordinary child. Although he faced many challenges and suffered greatly from a rare neuromuscular disease, dying just before his fourteenth birthday, Mattie’s legacy of deep faith serves as an example to children and adults long after his passing. Mattie believed his purpose in life was to be a messenger, shaping the words God placed in his heart into messages of hope and peace for the world. During his short life, Mattie became a well-known poet, published author, and inspirational speaker.
Mattie’s lasting gift to us is his belief that we all have what he called a Heartsong – a special purpose and “reason for being” given to us by God. Mattie’s faith and friendship with God sustained him through life’s most painful and difficult moments. Raised in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, Mattie attended Mass several days a week and sang in the choir as a young child. After receiving his First Holy Communion, he became a lector and then received the Sacrament of Confirmation early at the age of eight. He then served as a catechist. Mattie had a deep devotion to the Eucharist. His final request before dying was to receive Holy Communion, and his final word was “Yes!”
Born very ill and not expected to survive his first night, Mattie was baptized as Matthew Joseph in the hospital intensive care unit within an hour of his birth. When he surprised everyone by surviving, his baptism was celebrated in church a few months later on September 22 (the birthday of his late brother, Stevie).
From a very young age, Mattie insisted that God spoke into his heart. Sometimes, the messages strengthened Mattie’s spirit as he coped with the loss of his siblings and other personal challenges — including disability, bullying, and a growing awareness of a lack of peace in our world. And sometimes, he said the messages were meant for others, to help them remember and realize their Heartsongs or “unique reason for being,” and to know God’s presence in the world – even amid challenges.
Many of Mattie’s poems and passages began as expressions and prayers he shaped after a moment of private meditation or conversation with God. By the age of 5, Mattie was sharing messages of hope and peace “from God, placed in my heart for me to shape with words for our world” in writing and public speaking opportunities. Mattie loved being in church and attended Mass several days a week, and he enjoyed singing in both the Children’s and Family Choirs. After his First Holy Communion at age 7, he became a Lector at Most Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Upper Marlboro, Maryland where he and his mother were parishioners. For the next year, he studied enthusiastically for his Confirmation into the Church at age 8 (at the invitation of Cardinal James A. Hickey). By age 9, Mattie began serving as a Catechist, first teaching in the 2nd grade classroom, and then teaching the 6th grade CCD class. He was a Greeter for Masses in his parish, and well-known as “The Designated Hugger” — representing Most Holy Rosary for events at home and around the Archdiocese of Washington, DC.
Mattie was inspired by and had a devotion to many saints — including St. Jude Thaddeus (for whom he chose his Confirmation name), St. André Bessette (from whom he believed he received a miracle), St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Anthony. He believed strongly in the healing power of the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist, and his final request before dying was to receive Holy Communion.
