Matteo Calisi is married to Giovanna De Pascalis and he has two sons, Daniele and Francesco, aged respectively 16 and 9. Matteo studied Music at the Conservatoire and Theology and Bizantinology at the Ecumenical Faculty in Bari. He is a Music Professor at the State School.
The three main branches of Matteo's Christian commitment are: The Catholic Charismatic Renewal, the Ministry of Reconciliation and the Ministry of Worship. These ministries lead him to minister in an international context. He has held conferences in more than fifty different countries in Europe and in Asia and in North, Central and South America.
Matteo co-operates with different charismatic ecumenical and theological magazines in Italy and abroad. He also wrote three books - published in the Italian language - which deal with the themes of music , praise, worship, holiness and ecumenism.
In 2001, at the presence of Senators, Deputies, Ministers, Ambassadors and Bishops, Matteo held a Conference in the Parliament of the Italian Republic, in defence of the laws protecting the rights of the Family. He held also another conference at the Supreme Court of Cassation in Rome at the presence of Lawyers, Judges and Magistrates.
Matteo Calisi is an international leader of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the Catholic Church. Since 1975 he has been involved in the Renewal in the Holy Spirit (RnS) in Italy and for several years he was a member of its National Service Committee (CNS).
He is President of the Community of Jesus in Bari, which he founded in 1983 and which is a Charismatic Covenant Community. The Community of Jesus has a special ecumenical sensitivity and is committed in the missions abroad. At the moment the Community of Jesus has about 20 branches throughout Italy. In 1992 the Community was canonically recognised as a juridical personality by the Ecclesiastical Authority in the Catholic Church and since 1994 it has become member of the Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant Communities and Fellowship (CFCCC) of the Pontifical Right.
Since 1996 Matteo has been a member of the Executive Committee and representative for the Europe of the Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant Communities and Fellowship (CFCCC) and in 2001 he was elected Vice - President.
In 1993 Matteo entered the Council of the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services (ICCRS) which has its head office in the Vatican. At the moment Matteo is the Vice President of ICCRS and the ICCRS representative in Italy, in the Republic of San Marino and also in the South Europe. He has also been delegated to represent ICCRS at the Dicasteries of the Vatican Curia and to preside over the ICCRS Sub-Committee for Ecumenism.
Since 1996 Matteo has also been the ICCRS delegate to represent the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the Work Group "ad hoc" of the Ecclesial Movements and New Communities at the Pontifical Council for the Laity of the Holy See. It was this work group that organised the International Congress of Movements and New Communities in the Pentecost 1998, the International Congress of Catholic Laity during the Jubilee of 2000 and the Seminar on the ecumenical commitment of the ecclesial movements in 2001.
In November 2001 Matteo was a moderator to the International Colloquium on "Prayer for Healing and the Charismatic Renewal in the Catholic Church" held in Vatican and organised by the Pontifical Council for the Laity in collaboration with ICCRS.
In November 2002 he will be the main speaker at the 20th Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Laity in Vatican. He spoke on the theme "Eucharist: source and culmination in the lay people's life".
By virtue of his collaboration with the Holy See, periodically Matteo meets the Pope John Paul II in private audiences.
Appointed by the Archbishop of Bari as an "expert member" of the Diocesan Secretariat for the Ecumenism and Dialogue, Matteo is also member of the Ecumenical Group of his city. The Ecumenical Group is made up of representatives from the Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Churches.
Since 1990 he has been the national delegate for the Sector of Ecumenism and Dialogue of the Renewal in the Holy Spirit (RnS) in Italy and has participated in the meetings of the Episcopal Committee for Ecumenism of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI). He was the editor of the magazine "Ecumenical News letter".
In 1992, together with the Pentecostal Pastor Rev. Dr. Giovanni Traettino (Bishop-Chairman of the Evangelical Church of the Reconciliation), Matteo founded the Italian Charismatic Consultation (ICC), a joint committee of Catholic Charismatics and Pentecostal Evangelicals which started a dialogue between Catholics and Pentecostals in Italy. At the moment Matteo is co-president of ICC together with Rev. Traettino. The CCI organised eight "Retreats for a Brotherly Dialogue" on theological themes.
For his ministry of Reconciliation Matteo collaborates with various international ecumenical organisms, such as:
the Society for Pentecostal Studies (SPS), seated in the United States,
the co-ordinating committee for the Conversation between Roman Catholic and Non-denominational Christians, sponsored by Centro Pro-Unione seated in Rome,
the European Charismatic Consultation (ECC) seated in Germany,
the Executive Committee Towards Jerusalem Council II (TJCII) for the dialogue between Messianic Jews and Christians, seated in USA.
On several occasions Matteo has been called to give lectures during conferences for pastors and leaders. As a Minister of Reconciliation he has been often invited in both catholic and protestant Universities and Faculties all over the world. He carried out his ministry in churches of different Christian denominations by attending congresses and banquets organised by them.
With the Community of Jesus in Bari, annually Matteo organises Kairòs: International Meeting for the Peace of the Nations (in 2000 for Peace in the Balkans, in 2001 for Peace in Jerusalem, in 2002 for Peace in Europe and in 2003 on the theme New Evangelisation and new Martyrs in Europe) with speakers (Bishops, Cardinals, Rabbis, Pastors…) coming from all over the world and of different denominations: Catholic, Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Pentecostal, Non-denominational and Messianic Jewish. Annually the Community of Jesus organises also an International and Interdenominational Worship Conference. Leaders such as Mike Bickle, Don Moen, Martin Nystrom and Michael Coleman (Integrity Music), Mike Herron etc… were the main speakers of the last Worship conferences.
At the moment the Community is organising two important events: the first dialogue between Roman Catholics and Messianic Jews and the Reconciliation Day with Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant leaders. Both these events will be held in Bari in 2003.
The value of Matteo's ecumenical ministry has received also official recognitions:
" in 1995 the Pontifical University St. Thomas Aquinas conferred Matteo with a Certificate of Merit for "his commitment and offering his services for the Unity of the Christians".
" In 2001 Matteo was the main speaker at the Christian Conference in Princeton (NJ) in the USA.
On that occasion a Committee of Christians of different denominations (Presbyterians, Baptists, Catholics, Charismatics, Pentecostals and Non-denominationals) gave him the International Fellowship Award for his commitment in the progress of the unity and reconciliation of Christians. In 2001, together with some leaders of different churches in United States of America, Matteo founded an organisation called International Center for the Reconciliation of the Christians, Inc. (ICRC).
The Holy Spirit gave to Matteo a heart to build in Bari an International Center for the Reconciliation of the Christians. This will be a place where Christians from different churches who profess Jesus as the only Lord and Messiah will meet to worship and proclaim God's Word to the world.
This Ministry of Reconciliation is based on the process of transformation and sanctification of the Church, Bride of Christ. In this process is indeed important to eliminate every barrier, every stain and wrinkle of division among the Christians in order to prepare the Bride for the wedding banquet of the Lamb (cfr Ap 19:7).
From 1976 to 1987, as a worship leader and Christian musician, Matteo led the National Service of Song of the Italian Charismatic Renewal. In 1987 he founded the National Service of Music and Song (SNMC), a Symphony Orchestra and a Choir made up of about 120 members, which he directed until 1997.
The SNMC served during many National and International conferences organised by the Catholic Charismatic Renewal (RnS and ICCRS) and during the Ecumenical Charismatic Conferences organised by ICCOWE, ECC and ICC. The SNMC served also before the Pope John Paul II in 1990 (during the International Retreat of Priests organised by "Evangelisation 2000") and in 1998 (at the Congress of Movements and New Communities organised by the Pontifical Council for the Laity).
This Worship Ministry is inspired by the "Restoration of the Tend of David" (cfr At 15:16).
In the last twenty years Matteo has composed and recorded much liturgical and charismatic music. In the past he was Artistic Director and Producer of Christian music for various publishers. Matteo published International Worship music and translated into Italian songs of Integrity Hosanna Music, Maranatha Music, Word Music, Thankyou Music, Servant Publication, etc… Matteo gave concerts for the Hosanna International Christian Artists Multifestival in USA. He also led seminars and conferences for Worship leaders and Christian musicians.
From 1995 to 1999 he was Co-ordinator of the International Consultation of the Artists of Catholic Music.
Matteo Calisi is married to Giovanna De Pascalis and he has two sons, Daniele and Francesco, aged respectively 16 and 9. Matteo studied Music at the Conservatoire and Theology and Bizantinology at the Ecumenical Faculty in Bari. He is a Music Professor at the State School.