Saint Matthias Bracelet

Matthias was chosen by the Apostles of Our Lord to replace Judas Iscariot. According to the Acts of the Apostles, he was selected by an assembly of the Church by casting of lots. The Bible says nothing else about Matthias, but tradition tells us preached the faith in what we now call Turkey, Ethiopia, and the lands by the Caspian Sea. He may have died at Gonio in Georgia, in Ethiopia or in Jerusalem. Some say he was beheaded at Jerusalem; others that he died peacefully.

The Abbey of St Matthias in Trier, Germany, claims to have the remains of the apostle, brought there by Saint Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine the Great. His feast day is celebrated on May 14 in the Western Church.

He is considered the patron saint of alcoholics, carpenters, tailors and the city of Gary, Indiana. He is also considered the patron of those who hope because he was elected by chance. He is depicted in art carrying the book of the gospels and an axe, indicating the manner in which he is supposed to have died. His feast day is May 14th.