Rev. Matthew J. Twiggs Center honors late former pastor

Renovated last year, the inside of the former rectory of St. John Vianney Parish in Stockholm today feels cozy with its big chairs and couches, stately wooden fireplace, and large gathering room. Together, these features help welcome the many young people of the parishes of St. John and St. Thomas the Apostle in Oak Ridge who use the repurposed space as a new religious education and youth ministry center.

You could say the center seems warm and “homey” — like its namesake, the late Father Matthew Twiggs, the beloved former pastor of both St. John and St. Thomas. He died last year on Aug. 7 at 74 years old. Parishioners still miss his presence. Many remember “Father Matt” as a “big kid” who loved playing jokes and as a kind and caring priest. Having marked its first anniversary in February, the Rev. Matthew J. Twiggs Center pays tribute to his commitment to the young people of the parishes.

“The kids loved Father Matt. He was so loving, sincere, and funny,” said Alyssa Carolan, the parishes’ religious education and youth-ministry director and lifelong St. John parishioner. She headed the two-and-a-half-year project to develop the center — the vision of Father Ben Williams, pastor of both parishes. “Father Matt made young people a priority. I connect with him when I’m in the center,” she said.

Over the past year, the center has been used for religious education classes, meetings for leaders of the annual Antioch retreat, and small-group gatherings. The center hosted its first event in February 2022 — an Antioch retreat. It’s appropriate because Father Twiggs helped bring Antioch to St. John, where he was named pastor in 1996. The priest was appointed administrator of St. Thomas in 2012 and later was named pastor of the parish.

Over the years, Father Twiggs enjoyed critiquing Antioch witness talks and then attending the retreats. He also is remembered for his being a Green Bay Packers fan, and for his dogs Shadow and Coco. His interests included playing golf and listening to Neil Diamond songs. In 2019, Father Twiggs received the Person of the Year Award from the Department for Persons with Disabilities [DPD], a part of diocesan Catholic Charities, for his service to clients.

Many parishioners with affection for Father Twiggs volunteered to make the center a reality with a complete renovation. The army of workers included Deacon Kevin Combs, who converted a first-floor office into a chapel with an altar built by Deacon James Camarano. Soon, a donated oil painting that bears the late pastor’s likeness will greet visitors as they enter the center, a spacious home where he was its last resident.

“The center is a fabulous space now. It was a labor of love,” said Father Williams, who was named St. John’s and St. Thomas’ pastor in 2021 when Father Twiggs retired to Florida. The current pastor called the look of the center’s interior “old-fashioned” with its warm wooden fireplace and floors. “It’s fitting because Father Matt was an old-fashioned priest. He was a loving pastor. He also supported the youth of the two parishes and DPD.”

One worker on the renovation project was Elena Spagna, 19, a college student and St. John’s parishioner who has been part of the parishes’ youth ministry for the past five years. She called the new center a “space that helps young people be themselves and deepen their faith.”

“I’m super happy with the way the center came out,” Spagna said. “It’s great that it’s named after Father Matt, who was cool — funny and always smiling.”