1st century
Saint Matthias the Apostle
The apostle who, according to the Acts of the Apostles, was chosen by lot to take the place of Judas.
Biography
Matthias was among the disciples who had followed Jesus from his baptism to the Ascension, without being one of the Twelve. After Judas's betrayal and death, the eleven remaining apostles decided to choose a replacement between two candidates, Joseph called Barsabbas and Matthias, and cast lots while praying for God to reveal whom he had chosen.
The lot fell to Matthias, who was thus numbered among the Eleven, completing the Twelve Apostles once more. According to tradition, he later preached the Gospel in Ethiopia, where he was martyred.