Ricardo Rodriguez finds St. Matthew statue in Mexico City

Ricardo Rodriguez located a fiberglass statue of St. Matthew in Mexico City to celebrate the 100th anniversary of St. Matthew Parish in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta.

Rodriguez, a visually impaired parishioner, began searching for the patron saint statue in December 2025 after being contacted by parishioner Karen Carmichael. While visiting family near Mexico City during the winter, Rodriguez visited several stores to find options for the parish. After pausing the search during the busy Christmas and Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe season, Rodriguez traveled by bus to the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in mid-January.

On January 14, Rodriguez found a shop that could create the requested statue from fiberglass. Following advice from Carmichael, Rodriguez requested a price quote for approval by the pastor, Father Raj. Carmichael later coordinated the deposit with the store to begin the project.