Sometimes, a special parish project becomes much more than simply finding an object. It becomes a journey filled with faith, friendship, patience, unexpected challenges, and the generous help of many people. Such was the journey to bring a statue of our patron saint, St. Matthew, to the parish in Rocky Mountain House for its 100th anniversary.
I, Ricardo Rodriguez, am a member of St. Matthew Parish in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. I am visually impaired. I was contacted by (parishioner) Karen Carmichael in early December 2025 to look for a St. Matthew statue. I live in Mexico during the winter, approximately two hours from Mexico City. When Karen contacted me I happened to be in Mexico City visiting with family.
I went out the next day visiting many stores. There were several options which I took to Karen for consideration. Karen and I visited over the phone and decided I should keep looking. It was very busy in December as people were preparing for Christmas and the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It was decided to wait until after the season to begin again.
Mid-January, I took an hour bus ride to Our Lady of Guadalupe shrine. There are many stores around the Basilica. On Jan. 14, I was able to find a store that would make the statue we wanted out of fiberglass. I asked for a quote from the store under Karen’s advice so Father Raj (pastor of St. Matthew’s) could approve. Karen then corresponded with the store directly to set up the deposit required to begin. Karen ran into some difficulty sending the money but, in the end, sent it to me and I made the trip again to give the deposit. However, we had yet another snag. I could only use my bank card for half of the deposit, meaning I would have to take the bus again the next day for the balance. All was completed by mid January.
On March 11, I made another trip to the factory to check on the statue. It was completed but not yet painted. I sent pictures to Karen. Then on March 17, I went back again to check on the statue. It was now painted. I would make at least a dozen trips from Mexico City to the Our Lady of Guadalupe over the course of Saint Matthew’s production.
We still needed to arrange shipping and pay the balance owing. Again, Karen reached out to Joyce Donald who was able to send the money as Karen was away assisting family in California. I made additional trips to make the final payment.
Next came how to get the statue home. The factory that made the statue was willing to bring the statue to the airport. At the end of March, I bought a ticket back to Canada and arranged with the factory to bring the statue to the airport April 18.
April 18 we were off to the airport for the journey home. Here is when things really got interesting. Mexico City has two airports, so the delivery was made to Airport 1, and I was at Airport 2. We were finally able to meet at the correct airport. My nephews were still with me and were able to assist me. The factory had the statue in a big box with popcorn stuffing; it looked like a refrigerator box. It needed to be better secured. I took it to a packing station just inside the airport to be fully wrapped. I paid $300 pesos to get it wrapped with plastic.
My nephews assisted me, and we were able to place it on an airport trolly. We eventually got to security and said our goodbyes. I was now on my own. When I arrived at the security gate the guard asked what was in the box. I told them it was a statue of St. Matthew. He wanted it opened. I explained that it was all prepared for the ride home. Not good enough. He took a large knife and sliced it open. All the popcorn tumbled out and surrounded the box, now in shreds.
They then x-rayed the statue and said it was fine to go. At least they did not break it to see inside. They wanted me to rewrap it. It was impossible. Now, I had two-armed guards with machine guns. They were no help. I went to another package wrapping station on the security side and had to pay an additional $800 pesos. The guards stayed with me the whole time. I eventually made it to the area where you leave your package so it can be loaded as cargo. I was now alone. The security guards left me.
I arrived early in Calgary. Kent Carmichael was there to pick me up. We went for breakfast before coming back to Rocky Mountain House. We arrived at the church with St.Matthew in one piece. I was so happy to be home with my favorite saint.
-Ricardo Rodriguez and Karen Carmichael, parishioners, St. Matthew’s church, Rocky Mountain House
September 19 was chosen for the main celebration of the 100th anniversary of St. Matthew’s church in Rock Mountain House. The day began at St. Matthew School with a free barbecue lunch and family activities from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., followed by praying the Rosary in the backyard. Approximately 500 people were at the school
Archbishop Stephen Hero presided at the 5 p.m. Mass, concelebrated by Fathers Philip Creurer, Dan Gurnick OFM, Leo Hofmann, Jim Corrigan, Andrew Bogdanowicz, and Rajesh Jesuraj SAC. About 400 people attended Mass. Supper was catered by Virgie Gumban who fed 100 people.
At 6 p.m., the history book was officially released and the statue of St. Matthew was unveiled. The foyer alcove was modified to accommodate a new statue by Morgan Duhamel and Bernie Reiner, with the beautiful background painted by Jaymee Pansacala.
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