By Gia Myers • Posted February 9, 2026

Jeffrey Shields brings a lifetime of ministry, music, and missionary outreach to his role as Missionary Hub director at St. Matthew Parish in the Mayfair section of Northeast Philadelphia.

Shields’ journey began across the river in Salem County, New Jersey. Today he lives in Deptford, “right over the Ben Franklin Bridge” from Philadelphia.  He brings with him a rich personal history shaped by faith, family, music, and service.

Shields grew up as the fourth of eight children – four boys and four girls – and was homeschooled from grades one to 12.

His formation included Catholic homeschool groups and Christian co-ops, as well as a home life deeply immersed in the Church. His parents were both youth ministers. Years later, he would even serve in the same parish role his mother once held, working alongside one of her former students who became his colleague in ministry.

“I was involved in ministry from a pretty young age,” Shields recalls. Stories of young martyrs, especially St. José Sánchez del Río, captivated him and stirred a desire for heroic faith.

Music quickly became another avenue for spiritual growth. Shields learned to play guitar in middle school, and by high school he was a musician in a youth group band.

His faith deepened further through Charismatic youth groups and conferences at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, where he first “fell deeply in love with the Lord.”

Inspired by St. Catherine of Siena’s charge to “set the world on fire,” Shields felt called to evangelize.

After high school that desire led him to NET Ministries, a Catholic organization that sends young adult missionaries around the country. For a year Shields traveled with a team of 11 others, living simply, staying in parishioners’ homes and convents, praying daily, and giving retreats for young people.

“It stretches you out of your comfort zone,” he said. “It teaches you how to talk to people.”

Following NET Ministries, Shields served in a variety of youth, young adult, and music ministry roles at several New Jersey parishes.

In 2016 he founded Forgotten Truth Ministries, through which he has led retreats, holy hours, and worship experiences in the Dioceses of Camden, Wilmington, and Scranton.

As a singer/songwriter, he believes deeply in the evangelizing power of sacred music. “Music is a powerful tool,” he said. “It can open the soul to God.”

Shields first arrived in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 2021 to serve as director of campus ministry at Roman Catholic High School. During his four years in that role, he led a ministry team of more than 20 students and found the young people remarkably open to faith formation. He coordinated Kairos retreats, pro-life events, Lenten initiatives, and liturgical needs for the school community.

His path toward the Missionary Hub began when he attended an archdiocesan listening session last year and learned about the newly created role. Shields felt immediately drawn to it.

“I thought it was very bold and very creative,” he said. “I like to think outside the box when seeking to draw people closer to the Lord.”

After prayer and discernment, he applied and was selected.

His first priority as Missionary Hub director is simple but essential – getting to know the surrounding community.

From there, Shields hopes to develop creative ways to engage local families, build marriage and family ministries, and expand service outreach.

The mission, he says, belongs to every believer.

“We’re living in a post-Christian society, and all of us are called to be missionaries,” Shields said. “All of us have someone in our own family who has fallen away.”

Shields draws inspiration from three saints who shape his approach to evangelization. His confirmation patron, St. Peter, teaches him to lead with “great enthusiasm and humility.”

He turns to Mary under the title of Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, recognizing that every person carries “knots” as the burdens and struggles of life, some of which pull them away from faith.

Finally, he looks to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, patron saint of missionaries. Her “little way” of prayer, sacrifice, and small acts of love reminds him that missionary work needs to begin in the heart before it reaches the streets.

With a background in missionary outreach, a love of creative evangelization, and the inspiration of three saints, Shields seeks to “set the world on fire” for Christ in the Northeast Philadelphia Missionary Hub.