Mattie’s life had many challenges – constant health issues, daily struggles with his rare form of muscular dystrophy, financial burdens and more – but his Catholic faith, nurtured by his mother, Jeni, and enriched at Holy Rosary Church in Rosaryville, Maryland, kept him rooted in the Lord. 
 
    He accomplished a great deal in his “almost 14 years” on earth. During his many television, radio, and print media interviews, Mattie spoke with authority and conviction, championing what he learned as a Catholic.
 
    Through his writings and speeches and his everyday conversations and interactions, Mattie reminded youth and adults, and families and leaders, that "hope is real, peace is possible, life is worthy, and prayer is powerful."
 
    Mattie’s lasting gift to us is his belief that we all have what he called a Heartsong – a special purpose and “reason for being” given to us by God. His life especially inspires children and teens to accept their personal challenges as they uncover their own Heartsong in their daily walk with God.

    All through history, Catholics have approached Holy Week pondering the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In 1998, in preparation for receiving his First Communion, 7-year-old Mattie Stepanek created a Lenten meditation booklet with daily Bible readings and personal responses. Titled “Ponder, Praise and Prayer,” the collection is a prayerful journey that begins on Ash Wednesday, continues through the Lenten season and Holy Week, and culminates on Easter Monday.
 
    The Bible verses Mattie selected were not the ones found in that year’s daily readings, but rather, Mattie’s own selections, including some that were his favorites, and others that he said spoke to his heart that season. The following year, Mattie, age 8, was preparing for Confirmation. Because of his disability, he was not expected to live long enough to be able to receive Confirmation as a teen. He approached Confirmation by editing his personal daily meditations in the Lenten booklet, and adding a “foreword and forthword” statement, and sharing the booklet with many members of his parish.
 
    Each page of his Lenten collection includes a Bible verse on which to reflect and ponder, a meditative response of and for praise, and a poetic offering as Mattie reached out with purpose – or his Heartsong. Mattie wrote some of the poems included in this booklet when he was 3 years old, and others when he was 6, 7 or 8 years of age.