Apostle and Evangelist
Feast day September 21st

Matthew, the son of Alpheus was either a Galilean or a Syrian. It is thought that St. Matthew's original name was Levi and that he took or was given the name Matthew when he became a follower of Our Lord.

As the tax collector at Capharnaum, he collected duties for Herod Antipas, and, although a Jew, was despised by the Pharisees, who hated all publicans.

When summoned by Jesus, Matthew arose and followed Him and provided Him a feast in his house, where tax-gatherers and sinners sat at the table with Christ and His disciples. This caused a protest from the Pharisees whom Jesus rebuked by saying: "I came not to call the just, but sinners".

St Matthew, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote his Gospel in the Aramaic language, probably at the request of Jewish converts who spoke this language. Tradition holds that His apostolic activity was to the communities of Palestine, Ethiopia, Parthia, and Persia. It is said that after making many converts to the Faith in Judaea he went to preach the Gospel to the nations of the East.

Legend has it, that while in Ethiopia he performed one of his greatest miracles, that of bringing back to life the king's daughter. He was then able to converted the king and his wife together with the whole country to the faith of Christ. When the king died, his successor Hirtacus wished to marry Iphigenia, the daughter of the former king. But Iphigenia had vowed her virginity to God, and she persevered in her holy determination.

King Hirtacus wanted St. Matthew to persuade this princess to marry him despite her vow, but Saint Matthew, on the contrary, urged her to remain firm in her resolve. Since the vow had been taken and reaffirmed through Matthew's influence, Hirtacus had Matthew killed at the altar while celebrating Mass. His relics were discovered and transfered in the 10th Century to Salerno Italy at the coordination of Pope Gregory VII.

There is disagreement as to the place of Saint Matthew's martyrdom and the kind of torture inflicted on him. It is not known whether he was burned, stoned, or beheaded (the ax in our window).

Saint Matthew is the patron saint of bankers and accountants. In our window, Saint Matthew is also depicted with a scroll because he was the author of a Gospel.