Matthew Bridge finds the witness of God’s love for us present in every kind of beauty and is particularly moved by the beauty of great architecture and music.

  • He is single.
  • He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in architecture.
  • His hometown is Wales, and he received First Communion, was confirmed, was an altar server and sang in the choir at St. Bruno in Dousman.
  • He recently started working a remote job with Icon Fixtures as a design engineer.

Matthew Bridge

How does your Catholic faith inform your daily life?
My Catholic faith has led me to many of the experiences that have shaped me into who I am today. Firstly, through my homeschool education. I grew up in a family that prayed together regularly, attended Mass every Sunday and took preparation for the sacraments seriously. It also led me to my college choice of Benedictine, where I studied architecture, but always with the lens of Christianity and the great tradition of beauty built by the faithful.

Tell me about your experience of parish life.

I grew up being pretty involved in our parish. I became an altar server, and with my parents, I would often attend and volunteer for parish functions including fundraisers and community outreach programs like St. Vincent de Paul Society. Lately, I have been striving to stay involved by singing for Masses and volunteering when I can.

What is something that inspires you?

I have always been moved by beauty. In particular, how beauty, whether it be in art, music, poetry or creation, tells of the deeper truth of reality and God’s love for us. A particular inspiration to me has been the symbolic richness in the traditional architecture of the Church, in the great medieval cathedrals, for example. I am inspired by the communities who understood the faith and the methods of building so well that they were able to imbue the very structure of their places of worship with the story of salvation. It is a marvel that, to this day, these monuments, which they toiled and sacrificed to build, and which many never saw completed, still bear witness to the faith.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

A good friend once counseled me that each person’s journey with Christ could not be compared to anyone else’s. It has long comforted me and saved me from the pain of jealousy to recall that God’s plan for me doesn’t look like his plan for other people. It helps me to trust in the Lord always.

If you could recommend everyone adopt one daily practice, what would it be?
Search for the beauty God places in your life and reflect on it with gratefulness.

What is something people would be surprised to learn about you?

I am a pretty good cook.

What’s a place you’ve been to that was particularly impactful and why?
I had the opportunity of visiting a portion of the catacombs outside of Rome along the Appian Way. I grew up reading the stories of the early church martyrs. Walking southeast from the Aurelian walls, you can leave behind the modern city and start to grasp how far the early church went to celebrate the Mass. Going down into the catacombs and observing the ancient altars, made on the sarcophagi of the martyrs, drove home the significance of what it means to profess faith in Jesus Christ. Along this road are several churches commemorating the martyrs. One in particular where it is said Peter, while fleeing Rome for his life, encountered Jesus returning, is named after Peter’s question, “Domine Quo Vadis?” In that place he chose to turn around and bear his cross.

Favorite movie?
“The Princess Bride.” There is not, and may never be, its equal, although I put “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “The Bells of St. Mary’s” and “How To Steal A Million” in places of high rank as well.

Favorite book?
You ask a difficult question there. Choosing just one?
Nonfiction: “The Death and Life of Great American Cities,” by Jane Jacobs, 1961.
Fiction: This is probably an even split between many greats, so choosing perhaps one less familiar, “The Napoleon of Notting Hill,” by G. K. Chesterton, 1904.

Who are some of your favorite saints?

I am particularly moved by the stories of the martyrs. In my childhood, I read the stories of the early church and the persecuted Christians. Among the ancient saints, the stories of Cecilia, Sebastian, Andrew, Matthew, Peter and Paul. Francis Xavier, Maximilian Kolbe, Thomas of Canterbury and Thomas Becket also come to mind. I took the name of John Paul at my Confirmation, as I admire the holiness and paternity of that great saint.

Members of the Ascended Schola — (left to right) Joe Wiebersch, Michael Wiebersch, Thomas Mazza and Matthew Bridge — serve through sacred music ministry. (Photo by Siena Wiebersch)