San Mateo has one of the most dramatic conversion stories in the New Testament. He was sitting at his tax collector's booth — one of the most despised jobs in Roman-occupied Judea, since tax collectors worked for the occupiers and often skimmed for themselves — when Jesus walked by, looked at him, and said two words: Follow me. Matthew got up and left. Everything. And then he threw a dinner party to introduce Jesus to all his outcast friends.
He went on to write the first Gospel — the one that begins with the genealogy connecting Jesus to Abraham and David, the one that gives us the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, and the Lord's Prayer. Not bad for a tax collector.
He's the patron saint of accountants, tax collectors, financial professionals, bankers, customs officers, and bookkeepers. His feast day is September 21st.
Who Is St. Matthew?
Matthew (also called Levi) was a Jewish tax collector working for the Roman government in Galilee. His willingness to work for Rome made him a social outcast among his own people. His conversion and subsequent ministry — eventually dying as a martyr in Ethiopia, according to tradition — represents one of the New Testament's clearest statements about who Jesus came for: not the already-righteous, but the ones everyone else had written off.
His Gospel is the most Jewish of the four, the most concerned with demonstrating that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures, and the most quoted Gospel in the liturgy.
Best St. Matthew Gifts
St. Matthew Medal — His image often depicts him with a winged man (his Gospel symbol, as one of the four Evangelists) or with a money bag (his former profession). A classic devotional piece.
"Follow Me" Print — The two words Jesus spoke to Matthew make one of the most powerful short-phrase prints in Scripture. Clean typography, for a home, office, or study.
St. Matthew Gift for a Financial Professional — A medal, a prayer card, and a quality pen or desk item for an accountant, banker, or tax professional. The patron saint of their field, acknowledged with style.
St. Matthew Feast Day Gift (September 21) — A small, curated faith gift for someone named Matthew or Mateo, or who has September 21 as their confirmation saint's feast day.
The Gospel of Matthew (Beautiful Edition) — A single-Gospel edition in a gift-worthy format. For a graduate, a new Catholic, or someone beginning a deeper engagement with Scripture.
From the tax booth to the ends of the earth. St. Matthew shows that no starting point disqualifies you from the story.