St. Matthias the Apostle

St. Matthias the Apostle was the disciple chosen in the first century to take the place of Judas Iscariot among the Twelve. As recounted in the Acts of the Apostles, after the Ascension St. Peter proposed that the vacancy be filled by one who had accompanied Jesus from the baptism of John to the Ascension and could bear witness to the Resurrection; two candidates were put forward, and Matthias was designated by lot after prayer, then numbered with the eleven.

Scripture says nothing further of him, but early tradition holds that he preached the Gospel in Judea and, by various accounts, in Cappadocia, Ethiopia, or the region around the Black Sea, and that he died a martyr. Relics attributed to him are venerated at the Abbey of St. Matthias in Trier, Germany. His election stands as the model of apostolic succession, and he is invoked as a patron of those seeking to overcome vices such as alcoholism.