Fr. Matthew J. Malek, OFM Conv., was ordained as a Conventual Franciscan priest for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis in 2013. He received his Masters of Divinity from the Washington Theological Union that same year. He served three years as an associate pastor at a parish in Terre Haute, IN, before relocating to Minneapolis, MN, to serve as a priest for the Archdiocese of St Paul-Minneapolis and to pursue a Master of Counseling Psychology at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
Fr. Matthew completed his counseling training in 2019 and works as an associate therapist for a local agency. He states that he has “a vocation within a vocation,” combining spirituality and psychology to help people heal their wounds. He is also passionate about preaching, teaching, and reaching those who are “on the margins of society, especially those who do not have basic necessities such as food, shelter, and clean water.”
As both priest and counselor, Fr. Matthew loves to visit different parishes. Preaching for Cross Catholic Outreach is a natural fit for him. He says: “It is a privilege to invite others in this vital ministry. This is the Gospel in action, on the ground, helping some of the world’s most vulnerable, just as Jesus Christ calls us to do as Christians.”
