Rainalda Aurelia Igoe was born March 11, 1923 in St. Louis, MO. She was the second of three girls born to John Igoe and Anastasia Fuller. Her mother named her after a Notre Dame sister because she liked the name. She was born at home two months premature. Someone gave her mother a St. Benedict medal that she pinned to Rainalda. She reached normal weight by nine months.

At the age of five, Rainalda began school at St. Michael’s where formal instruction in reading and writing began immediately. When her family moved to St. Leo’s parish the next year, Rainalda was promoted to second grade because she was ahead. In midyear, she was promoted to the third grade. Thus, she graduated from grade school at age twelve and from Rosati-Kain High School at age sixteen. She received a National Youth Agency work scholarship from Fontbonne College, where she majored in sociology and psychology and minored in biology.

There were times when Rainalda considered a religious vocation, but she said, “not yet.” At the end of her senior year, she got a scholarship to study social work at St. Louis University. While attending school she worked part-time for Catholic Charities, and loved every minute of it. She felt her religious and spiritual life deepening. She attended daily Mass, read Thomas Merton, and worked with the Legion of Mary. She received a master’s in social work in 1948. The call to serve God in religious life continued to surface. She was ready to fill out an application for the Sisters of the Good Shepherd when she had an emergency appendectomy. The doctor recommended not thinking of entrance for at least six months. This led her to discernment that resulted in a call to the contemplative form of religious life.

Rainalda visited Clyde for the first time in April 1951. She was told that if she wanted to enter, she needed to apply by August of that year as she was at the age limit of 28. She entered August 1951 and made first vows on February 24, 1953, receiving the name Matthias. She later remarked, “I have appreciated the name, and when we were permitted to change back to our baptismal name, I did not do so. I found the life of Matthias, although sketchy, had similarities to my spiritual journey. He was with Jesus from the beginning but not chosen at the beginning. He had followed as a simple disciple, patiently learning how to be meek and humble of heart.” Final vows were March 13, 1958.

A few months after first profession, she was asked to teach Latin to the novices, particularly the psalms that were used in the Divine Office. This was a real test of faith because she had only two years of Latin in high school, and it had been fourteen years since she had touched a Latin book. She accomplished it by keeping one step ahead of the class. She also worked in the correspondence department and as portress during these first years.

Recognizing in Sr. Matthias a keen intellect, Mother M. Carmelita sent her and Sr. Pascaline Coff to St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana in 1956 to study theology. A doctorate in theology was not granted to women in those years, so she received a doctorate in sacred doctrine. Upon her return, she was assigned as secretary to the prioress and to the cause for canonization of Fr. Lukas, OSB, an early chaplain of the Clyde community. This cause was dropped in 1974.

In 1965, Sr. Matthias was sent to the Kansas City monastery where she was appointed sub-prioress. She helped lead the community in studying the documents of Vatican II and gave input on human growth and psychology. After the 1968 General Chapter, Sr. Matthias was appointed prioress in Tucson and served two terms. In the mid- 1970’s, there was much interest in trying small experimental communities. Approval was given for a small community' on the Clyde grounds and Sr. Matthias agreed to be part of this group. The building chosen for this endeavor had been used for canning, so several weeks were spent washing sticky walls in preparation for the move. The sisters of this group were assigned to work in the Clyde printery (until the 1978 General Chapter). During this time, Sr. Matthias was sent to study patristics and scripture at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. 

Sr. Matthias was elected to the General Council 1978 - 1982 and for a second term 1982 - 1986. She remained in St. Louis afterwards, which enabled her to be near her aging parents. She also worked in the correspondence department and served as sub-prioress. In 1996, she moved to the small community in Wyoming. The Wyoming weather proved to be too frigid and she transferred to the Tucson community in 1997. There Sr. Matthias once again did correspondence work, served as secretary to the prioress, and wrote the community chronicles. She volunteered to help in the St. Louis infirmary as pastoral minister in early 2000. When the infirmary was moved to Clyde in 2001, Sr. Matthias returned to Tucson. She started developing her craft skills and began weaving and making dream catchers.

Ongoing health problems necessitated a move to Our Lady of Rickenbach Health Care Center in 2006. She died early morning March 23, 2018 with her profession companion Sr. Dawn Vercellino praying with her. Sr. Matthias had once said that besides her 50th Jubilee, she anticipated that another ‘happiest day’ would be “the really great one, when I answer the Lord’s call to “come” into the “heavenly kingdom.” She was survived by her monastic community, her sister Marcella (Sr. Anna John, CSJ), her niece Jackie Harris, her nephew Lt. Col. Arthur Hayes, and the next generations. Funeral liturgy and burial were on March 26, 2018.