BRIDGEPORT—Bishop William E. Lori has announced that Nancy Bundock Matthews of Fairfield will be leaving her post as chancellor of the Diocese of Bridgeport on January 20, after almost nine years of distinguished service to the diocese. She and husband, Jeff, will be relocating to Naples, FL.

An attorney and mother of two grown children, Matthews was named to the top diocesan lay administrative role in October 2003, after serving as president of the St. Joseph High School Advisory Board and working in government service.

“The diocese is losing a great friend, a true leader, and a woman of deep convictions and love for the Church. As chancellor she brought considerable skills and expertise, a strong moral compass, and an equally strong sense of compassion. Nancy worked both locally and nationally to defend the Church, and it is difficult to provide adequate recognition for her great service,” said Bishop Lori at a farewell dinner held recently in her honor.

As an expression of his gratitude Bishop Lori presented her the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice (For the Church and the Pope) medal from Pope Benedict XVI. Also known as the "Cross of Honour,” the medal, established by Pope Leo XIII on July 17, 1888, is given for distinguished service to the Church by lay people.

In praising Matthews, Bishop Lori noted that her years of service encompassed some of the most difficult challenges the Church has ever faced, beginning with the sexual abuse issue and later including threats to religious liberty on the part of state and national government.

The chancellor functions as the top lay administrative officer of the diocese, working closely with the bishop. The duties of the chancellor cover a wide range of operational matters, including the oversight of diocesan corporations and boards.

“I’m grateful to Bishop Lori for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime to serve the Church and to work with those who have devoted their life to Jesus Christ. This has all been very special for me and a blessing in my life,” Matthews says.

The chancellor says that as she prepares to depart, she is not only grateful for Bishop Lori and all those whom she has worked with, but for the contributions made by those who served the diocese in the past.

“In this kind of role, you really build on the good work of all those who came before you and contributed to the Church. It’s important that we acknowledge their contributions while also moving on with the work of the present day.”

She said that her job was made easy by Bishop Lori’s collaborative style, his caring and his accessibility.

“He really has a fine collaborative process that listens to many voices and involves people from the grass roots up. I think people rallied when we faced difficulties because he is in touch with the diocese and really cares about his pastors, priests, educators and all the faithful.”

She said that she was speechless twice in her tenure at the diocese; on the day the bishop first asked her to serve as chancellor and recently when trying to say goodbye to the priests of the Presbyteral Council. “I found it difficult to say anything but thank you.” They gave her a standing ovation in gratitude for her service.

At the time she accepted the post, she was one of the few women chancellors in the Catholic Church across the United States. She immediately emerged as a strong leader and defender of the Church who did not hesitate to take on state and national leaders when they overstepped their bounds. She also helped to lead efforts to reorganize diocesan operations, improve efficiencies, and better serve the parishes.

The chancellor earned a place in diocesan history when working beside Bishop Lori, she helped to lead opposition to the now infamous Senate Bill 1098. Proposed by the judiciary committee of the state legislature in 2009, it sought to reorganize and regulate the Catholic Church in Connecticut.

Unconstitutional on its face, the proposed bill was met with strong opposition when callers blew out the capital switchboard and more than 5,000 people rallied at the State Capitol in Hartford to protest. Shortly after that event, the Office of State Ethics tried unsuccessfully to put arbitrary limits on the Church’s right to defend religious liberty at the rally. With the chancellor’s leadership, the diocese successfully filed suit under the Federal Civil Rights Statute and the investigations promptly ground to a halt.

“Bishop Lori understood the implications immediately. He taught us that we can take neither freedom of speech nor freedom of religion for granted,” says Matthews. The story was reported around the U.S. and helped to crystallize the Church’s response to the growing threats to religious liberty.

While the diocese faced many challenges during her tenure as chancellor, it also moved ahead with innovations in Catholic schools, expansion of pastoral services, a new web-based parish finance program, and renewed evangelization efforts. The diocese also saw 12 of its elementary schools achieve Blue Ribbon status from the U.S. Department of Education, while creating Safe Environment and financial management programs that have become models for other dioceses across the nation.

“I have to say that I don’t consider anything to be my achievement. Bishop Lori was always five steps ahead of us. My great experience and joy was to work with him and the incredible senior team, both lay and clergy, to fulfill his vision and support the mission of the Church,” Matthews says.

Matthews succeeded Marylee A. MacDougall, who was the first layperson to hold the position of chancellor in the Diocese of Bridgeport.

Born and raised in Bridgeport, Matthews graduated from St. Joseph High School in Trumbull and Smith College. She received a J.D. degree with honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1986.

Prior to being named chancellor, Matthews practiced law and served as deputy treasurer of the State of Connecticut. Long active in political and community affairs, she has also served on several local and state commissions, including the Bridgeport Financial Review Board, the Fairfield Charter Revision Commission and the state’s Sheff Panel.

As chair of the St. Joseph High School Advisory Board of Directors, Matthews headed the St. Joseph Capital Campaign to raise funds to renovate the school’s five science labs and to increase the Endowed Scholarship Fund. She is the recipient of the first St. Joseph High School Alumni Council Sister Catherine Fanning Award in recognition of her commitment to community service.

Nancy and Jeff Matthews are the parents of daughters, Sarah and Claire, and members of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Fairfield.

She will continue to serve Bishop Lori and the Catholic laymen and women with expertise in constitutional law and religious liberty issues.

“Now is the time for people to identify as Catholics and to step up and defend the Church. Freedom of religion is not simply the freedom to worship but the right to publicly articulate values and live according to those values both as individuals and the larger Church. We’re fortunate that Bishop Lori is bringing his leadership skills to this important effort in our nation.”

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