Matthew Kemnitz graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota with a B.A. in Communications. He has over 17 years of experience working for the Catholic Church.
Matthew and his wife Olivia were both evangelized, catechized and formed at the St. Lawrence Center at the University of Kansas where they both became Certified Catechists. Matthew went on to teach in the St. Lawrence Center’s Catechetical Institute and in the Bishop Helmsing Institute for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. He also taught 7th grade Religion in a Catholic school and has done Youth Ministry, Confirmation Preparation, Adult Education, RCIA, Marriage Preparation, and Campus Ministry having served as the Director of Evangelization and Catechesis for the St. Lawrence Center at KU.
Matthew has done MA graduate work in Theology and Ministry through the Maryvale Institute in Birmingham, England, and in Catholic Bioethics through Holy Apostles College in Cromwell, Connecticut. He has also completed a Certification in Catholic Health Care Ethics through the National Catholic Bioethics Center.
He served two years as the Vice President of Mission and Ethics for Saint Jude Hospice where he help expand the company into 8 dioceses and directed the company’s Catholic identity, spirituality, ethics, and mission education.He was also the Director of Advancement for St. Benedict’s Abbey for five years where he directed and executedall gift solicitationfor the Abbey including annual giving, planned giving, major gifts, capital campaigns, Abbot’s Table Banquet solicitations and other funds.
Matthew spent a year in seminary formation and discerned that his call was to marriage and family. Matthew and his wife Olivia have seven children and reside in Atchison, Kansas.