Father Matt Foley to Deliver Invocation

Father Matt Foley of St. James Parish, a Catholic Community in Arlington Heights, will deliver the invocation at the Arlington Heights Mayor’s Thirtieth Annual Prayer Breakfast. Tickets are now on sale for the event that will be held on Thursday, February 2, 2017, from 7:00-9:00 AM at the Doubletree Hotel, 75 Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights (just west of Arlington Heights Road). The event features a breakfast buffet, scripture readings, music, and a keynote address by Major General James H. Mukoyama, Jr., United States Army Retired, and President and Chief Executive Officer, Military Outreach USA.

Father Matt was born in 1962, and was raised in Milwaukee, WI, until the family that included four brothers and two sisters moved to Libertyville, IL in 1977. After graduating from Libertyville High School in 1981, Father Matt attended Marquette University prior to beginning his seminary training. (If the name Matt Foley sounds familiar, it might be because comedian Chris Farley, a friend at Marquette, decided to use the name for his motivational speaker character that he portrayed on Saturday Night Live.)

In 1989, Father Matt was ordained to serve as Associate Pastor of St. Agatha located in the North Lawndale Community on Chicago’s West Side. During his service at St. Agatha, he focused much attention to teaching at the school and developing a gang alternative program called St. Agatha Family Empowerment (S.A.F.E.).

In 1994, Father Matt became Pastor of Santiago Apostol in Quechultenango, Guerrero, Mexico, a Chicago Archdiocesan mission. He served the mostly indigenous farmers living in 26 villages over approximately 240 square miles in the mountains of the Sierra Madres. The team of missionaries with whom he served helped develop religious education for both adults and children.

Father Matt was appointed Pastor of St. Agnes of Bohemia located in the Little Village Community on Chicago’s West Side in 2000. He helped to grow the parish, and upon his departure in 2008 St. Agnes had 6,100 Sunday worshippers attending 9 Sunday Masses. It also had a school of 470 students and religious education for 800 students, which made the parish a very integral part of the Little Village.

Father Matt is also a United States Army veteran. In 2008, he was commissioned as a Captain serving in the Chaplain Corps. Father Matt’s first duty assignment in the military was with the 82nd Airborne Division where he deployed for 14 months to Afghanistan. He was later assigned to United States Special Operations and did two short deployments back to Afghanistan. His fourth and final deployment to Afghanistan for nine months was completed at the end of May 2013 with the 101st Airborne (Air Assault).

Since 2013, Father Matt has served as Pastor for the parishioners of St. James in Arlington Heights.



Lutheran Life Communities is the sponsoring organization for the prayer breakfast. Tickets are $20 per person and may be ordered and paid for on line at http://arlingtonheightschamber.com . Individuals and organizations may also book tables. Click on events for February and then click on the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast. For more information contact Chamber Staff at the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce at 847-253-1703 or by e-mail at info@arlingtonhcc.com.