In 1968 a young Matthew Tartal left his homeland of Czechoslovakia when the Russians invaded the country.

Tartal was at a military acadamy in his native country at the time.

Tartal fled to Austria when he obtained refugee status in the hopes of eventually coming to Canada.

The events left a lasting mark with Tartal, who at the time, was taken in by the Catholic church in the area.

“The church helped me with food, clothing and shelter. I’ll never forget how they helped me in a time of need,” stated Tartal.

It’s an act of kindness that has remained in Tartal’s mind over the years.

When the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue was stolen from the front lawn of the Catholic Church, Tartal realized a way he could repay the good deeds once given to him by the Catholic Community in Austria.

Tartal offered to purchase a new statue for the congregation.

“The Holy Trinity Catholic Churchs community is very grateful to Matthew Tartal for his generous donation that allowed us to purchase a new statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” according to Father Ben Marino,

“It was a heart break to see that the statue had been taken back in September.”

Although the theft was reported to the RCMP and covered in the Pass Herald, no information as to its whereabouts came to light.

The original statue was purchased by the Knights of Columbus and dedicated to the unborn.


Bishop Henry had blessed the statue 5 years ago and the church is expecting that he will do the same with the new statue in May of 2014.

“Once again Matthew, thank you so much. You answered our prayers,” Father Ben Marino and the Catholic Community.

It is a story that exemplifies that good deeds are remembered years later and that one good deed does indeed cause a ripple effect.