| Mattie J.T. Stepanek | |
| Birth Name: | Matthew Joseph Thaddeus Stepanek |
| Birth Date: | 17 July 1990 |
| Birth Place: | Washington, D.C.[1] |
| Death Place: | Washington, D.C. |
Matthew Joseph Thaddeus Stepanek (July 17, 1990 – June 22, 2004), known as Mattie J.T. Stepanek, was an American poet (or, as he wanted to be remembered, "a poet, a peacemaker, and a philosopher who played")[2] who published seven best-selling books of poetry and peace essays. Before his death at the age of 13, he had become known as a peace advocate and motivational speaker.
Matthew Stepanek was born on July 17, 1990. Stepanek's parents divorced when he was a child.[3] He was raised in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, and later lived in Rockville, Maryland.[3] His hero was former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, who described Stepanek as "the most extraordinary person whom I have ever known".[3] [4] [5] [6]
Stepanek had the rare disorder dysautonomic mitochondrial myopathy. His three older siblings died from the same illness. The condition was unknown until his mother was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease in 1992, after all four of the children had been born.[3]
Stepanek was a poet and speaker. He wrote six volumes of bestselling Heartsongs poetry books, and a collection of peace essays that also became a bestseller.
He was the lyricist for Music Through Heartsongs performed by Billy Gilman.[7] The album was released by Epic Records in April 2003. It debuted at number 109 on the Billboard 200 and at number 15 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
Stepanek died at age 13 at Children's National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., on June 22, 2004. He was interred at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Silver Spring, Maryland.[8]
Shortly after Stepanek's death in 2004, the non-profit Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation was established by a group of citizens in Rockville, Maryland, where Stepanek had lived.[9]
In 2008, the We Are Family Foundation hosted the first annual international Three Dot Dash Just Peace Summit based on the message Stepanek offered in his book Just Peace.[10]
On October 21, 2008, the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Park was dedicated in Rockville, Maryland, at an event attended by Oprah Winfrey, Nile Rodgers, Billy Gilman and others.[11] Pepper Choplin set words from Stepanek's final peace speech to music, and a 100-voice choir performed the debut of the song "Look Up Way Down". Central to the park is its Peace Garden, which has a design based on the peace imagery Stepanek used in his book of essays Just Peace: A Message of Hope. In the Peace Garden there is a life-size bronze statue of Stepanek and his service dog, Micah, surrounded by chess tables.[11] Throughout the park are presentations of quotes from Stepanek.
On June 6, 2010, a performance of Heartsongs took place at Carnegie Hall. It featured Stepanek's poetry, set to music by composer Joseph Martin. The music was performed by 200 members of Distinguished Concerts Singers International—including its Children's Choir—under the direction of conductor Stephen Roddy.[12]
In 2011, Oprah Winfrey named Stepanek as one of her all-time most memorable guests in the 25-year history of her show. Mattie convinced Oprah not to retire from her show on its 20th anniversary, saying by email that the show was "good for the world and good for [Oprah]."[13] During the final studio audience taping, Stepanek's mother and Oprah shared memories of Stepanek; they discussed his life story as told in the book Messenger book; and Oprah called him "a messenger for our times."
In 2013, the National Catholic Partnership on Disability posthumously honored Stepanek with its Youth//Young Adult Leadership Award.
At the behest of the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Foundation, in 2013, Barbara Mikulski, a United States senator from Maryland, sent a letter to US President Barack Obama, wanting to declare July 17 (Stepanek's birthday) a national peace day in Stepanek's honor. In July 2014, Ben Cardin, a junior United States senator from Maryland, joined Mikulski in introducing Senate Resolution 509, which was approved by the Senate and which honors Stepanek's life and peace legacy.[14] [15] In 2017, the city of Rockville, Maryland, voted to declare Mattie's July 17 birthday as "Peace Day" at a local level in perpetua, as a statement of support for the National Peace Day Campaign.
On September 21, 2012, the feast day of Matthew the Apostle, the Mattie J.T. Stepanek Guild was officially initiated. The purpose of the guild is to gather information and investigate Stepanek's life for the possible cause of canonization in the Catholic Church.
On June 22, 2014, a Memorial Mass at the Franciscan Monastery in Washington, D.C., commemorated the tenth anniversary of Stepanek's death. It was con-celebrated by several priests from the Archdiocese of Washington.[16]