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For many people, accounting is simply about numbers, tax forms, audits, and financial reports. Yet behind every balance sheet is something much more important: trust.

Whether an accountant serves a family business, a nonprofit, or a Catholic parish, the work requires honesty, careful judgment, and faithful stewardship. Those aren’t merely professional skills. They are Christian virtues.

I’ve always had an appreciation for the field of accounting. Before I was born, my mom earned an accounting degree and worked in the accounting department at Cargill (a major United States company that was expanding in the 1980s). After starting our family, she made the difficult decision to leave her career so she could become a stay-at-home mom. That choice never meant leaving accounting behind. My mom managed our family’s finances with remarkable care and, years later, used those same skills to help build a successful cleaning business. Looking back, I realize that her work with numbers was never just about mathematics. It was about serving our family well.

I’ve also felt a personal connection through my namesake: Saint Matthew the Evangelist. Before following Christ, Matthew worked as a tax collector, handling money and financial records every day. Although I eventually chose to study history instead of accounting in college, I can appreciate why the profession attracts people who enjoy solving problems, bringing order to complexity, and helping others make wise decisions.