Longmont Lessons: The Spiritual Light of Matt Richardson

“Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to give shelter to the poor wanderer?” – Isaiah 58

It was Aristotle who talked about how nature abhors a vacuum. This is an ideal entry to capture the essence of a stand-up man like Matt Richardson. I know on good authority that the ancient Greek philosopher had Matt in mind when he delivered his message 4,000 years ago.

Tony GlarosLongmont Lessons

While Matt’s deep Christian heart is in play every Sunday at St. Luke’s Orthodox Church in Erie, he has also proven to be very comfortable with hammers and nails. Using his skills, fueled by his devotion to Christ, Matt travels just south of the border to Rosarito, Mexico, where he volunteers every summer with Project Mexico and Saint Innocent Orphanage. The California-based nonprofit, run by the Orthodox Church, builds homes for the poor.

With approximately 109,000 inhabitants, Rosarito is a sparkling tourist oasis on a steep cliff along the Pacific Ocean. The program, Matt notes, “has kind of grown organically. The house we built (this summer) is quite small, only two rooms. People are incredibly grateful for it.” This year, Matt recalls, the 24-person crew was blessed with the services of a professional plumber and carpenter who traveled from a parish in Lancaster, PA. “People who work in the profession and are willing to take on some leadership,” he confirms, while posing relaxed in the church library after Sunday worship. “The trick is to get the children involved too.”

Project Mexico’s roots go back decades. Since 1988, the group has built solid, weatherproof homes for some of the city’s most deserving families. Each house, Matt explains, is built in just four days by a small army of volunteers. This time, Matt was joined by two of his four children, Noah, 17, and Micah, 14. “These are small and very Spartan houses. There are many people there who live very desperately.” In 2020, the Mexican government reported that 29.1% of the city’s population lived in moderate poverty; 2.16% were in extreme poverty.

As a tourist, I have personally seen Rosarito – the good and the underbelly. Two years ago my wife and I spent part of our vacation here. Although it is steeped in gentle sea breezes and gourmet cuisine, we couldn’t help spying disheveled children wandering the dusty streets and alleys. The abundance of stray dogs added to the layer of gloom of doom.

What lifted our spirits was the dramatic statue of Christ, high on a hill overlooking the city, telegraphing comfort amid the pain for everyone, regardless of socio-economic status. Matt agreed that, apart from the tourist traps, a short drive from Tijuana, “we live in the midst of grinding poverty. It’s overwhelming.”

“We go there to live a life steeped in spirituality,” says Matt, 48, a software engineer, noting that prayer intervals are carefully and thoughtfully baked into the workday. “We pray at breakfast, and we pray when we arrive on site. We end the day with prayer.” He said he wanted his boys “to be able to see that there is a possibility of living a life connected to God.”

Project Mexico partners with St. Innocent Orphanage, also located in Rosarito. Launched in 1996, the 16-hectare farm serves as a home for orphaned boys. In addition to public education, tutoring, sports and extracurricular activities, St. Innocent peppers the schedule with spiritual nourishment and, as the website explains, “tremendous amounts of love from all the staff and volunteers.”

It may come as a surprise that outside of music and art festivals, the Rosarito occasionally includes warnings from the US Embassy about drug cartels operating in the shadows. “We’re pretty isolated,” Matt notes, in a reassuring tone. “In general, our site is safe.”

To show their appreciation, many of those families awaiting new homes will invite members of the workforce for lunch. While Matt’s valet always has the hat on, there are times when caution is needed. “Last year, half the group was eliminated” by an intestinal infection, he recalls. “Noah threw up.”

Yet it would take much more than the potential of foodborne illness or prehistoric sewage systems to drive Matt away, leave the inherent challenges behind him and turn his attention instead to a world of sublime possibilities, including his passion for mountain climbing.

Another potential dealbreaker for some centers is touring, “where you need a vehicle that can handle the roads where half the concrete or asphalt is gone,” to walk away from God’s call on his heart to touch others.

In order to earn the €800 that each volunteer costs, money must be raised. “Awareness is growing,” he says enthusiastically. “Famous people in the parish are trying to cover that.”

Joey Faissal, one of Matt’s close friends from church, notes that wherever God sends Matt, he will always take his love and his light with him on the journey. His involvement through programs like Project Mexico “is enormous. First, by setting the example of service to both our youth and the people whose homes he builds. Moreover, by being an example of sacrificial love for others, of whom Christ is our perfect model.”

With his second mission trip to Mexico a cherished memory, Matt and his sons are reunited with the rest of the Richardson family in Longmont, in the shadow of the mythical foothills. What he carried with him, he says, informs him, a fragrant reminder of the exalted position his faith occupies. “It’s part of the redemption process,” he declares, leaning forward and giving me a piercing look that assures me he means business. “I want to help people, sometimes to my own detriment,” he admits. “Christ asks so much more of us. Most of it feels difficult.” But he is sure that this “is so easy.”

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Tony Glaros, originally from Washington, DC, is a longtime reporter and former teacher. He says living on the Front Range produces euphoria.