Clergy
Edward Matthews was born in 1937 in north London. Soon after the beginning of the second World War he moved with his family to Exeter, in 1947 they returned to Highbury in London. He spent 5 years as a boarder at St. Edmunds' College, Ware followed by 6 years studying at the English College in Lisbon, Portugal, where he was ordained priest in 1962.
Canon Eddie's first appointment as assistant priest was to Our Lady Queen of all Creation, Hemel Hempstead. In 1965 he became a chaplain at Westminster Cathedral and eventually, Master of Ceremonies.
He was on the move again in 1972 when he began a two-year course in liturgy at the Liturgical Institute in Rome, as well as some part-time lecturing at the Beda College. On his return from Rome he was appointed Chaplain to a comprehensive school and a part-time lecturer at the Corpus Christi catechetical institute and Allen Hall, the diocesan seminary. Eventually his latter job became full-time and residential.
1984 saw another change; leaving Allen Hall, he became director of the liturgy office at the Catholic Bishop's Conference of England and Wales. Meanwhile he had for some time been a member of the advisory committee of the International Commission for English in the Liturgy (ICEL) and chairman of its original texts subcommittee, this led to various other commission/committee jobs.
It was back to Parish life again in 1990 when he became Parish Priest of Marychurch, Hatfield. That lasted until 1993 when he was appointed to Holy Trinity, Brook Green. Finally in 2003, Bishop's Stortford, and Canon Eddie is also Dean of the Lea Valley.
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