William Matthews (priest)
William Matthews, occasionally spelled Mathews, was an American who became the fifth Roman Catholic priest ordained in the United States and the first such person born in British America. Born in the colonial Province of Maryland, he was briefly a novice in the Society of Jesus. After being ordained, he became influential in establishing Catholic parochial and educational institutions in Washington, D.C. He was the second pastor of St. Patrick's Church, serving for most of his life. He served as the sixth president of Georgetown College, later known as Georgetown University. Matthews acted as president of the Washington Catholic Seminary, which became Gonzaga College High School, and oversaw the continuity of the school during suppression by the church and financial insecurity.
Engraving of William Matthews by George Parker, 1868
Matthews descended from a distinguished Maryland family that included Charles Carroll of Carrollton, a cousin of Matthews.
St. Patrick's Church, of which Matthews was pastor for 50 years, as it appeared between 1809 and 1870
St. Peter's Church on Capitol Hill, completion of whose former building Matthews oversaw
Gonzaga College High School
Gonzaga College High School is a private Catholic college-preparatory high school for boys in Washington, D.C. Founded by the Jesuits in 1821 as the Washington Seminary, Gonzaga is named in honor of Aloysius Gonzaga, an Italian saint from the 16th century. Gonzaga is the oldest boys' high school in Washington, D.C.
Clocktower of St. Aloysius Church
Gonzaga hosts Peddie School for a 2018 football game