Matt Talbot (1856-1925) was an Irishman known the world over for his fight against alcoholism… Although his life is only partially known, Matt Talbot is one of the most mysterious figures… Revered by Catholics for his recovery from alcoholism, Matt Talbot is considered by many Christians to be the Patron Saint of alcoholics, thanks to his piety and mortification of the flesh…
Matt Talbot was born into a poor Dublin family. Second in a family of 12 children, Matt is often left to his own devices, and at an early age experiences the torments of alcoholism, influenced by his father and brother, who are also exposed to heavy drinking… Matt Talbot left school at the age of 12, and got a job in a beer store, which did little to improve his alcoholism… Soon bored with the job, he finds a new position in a whiskey store… Matt Talbot drinks on the job, spends all his money at the pub, borrows money from friends and family, and gradually accumulates more debt… He even steals a fiddle to sell it and spend it on booze…
In 1884, Matt was at his worst. Gradually becoming aware of his recurring alcoholism, he decides to “make a commitment” to stop drinking… To do so, he went to the College of St Croix de Clonliffe, and took an oath to stop drinking for 3 months… This period passes slowly, and Matt struggles to wean himself off, but manages to do so without any deviations… At the end of the 3 months, Matt decides to extend his commitment, and signs up for 6 months, then for life… That’s the end of alcoholism for him: we’ll never see him with a pint in his hand again.
Initially insensitive to religion, Talbot rediscovers Catholicism after his withdrawal… From then on, Talbot decided to lead a life of piety and generosity… In 1890, Talbot became a member of the Franciscan order, and in 1915 moved into a tiny apartment in Dublin, where he led a life of accete, eating little, sleeping on wooden planks, praying at every opportunity (even at work), and going from mass to mass whenever time allowed…
Talbot died on June 7, 1925, on his way to mass… He collapses, struck down by chronic heart failure… The Irishman’s body is quickly transferred to hospital, where it is stripped naked. A chain is wrapped around his waist, while other chains and ropes are wrapped around his arms and legs. In keeping with his religious commitment, Talbot inflicted countless physical abuses on himself during his lifetime.
The religious community soon began to make much of the discovery… Matt Talbot, who once lived a life of anonymity, now passes into posterity following his death… He is buried in the Glasnevin cemetery: many people pay their last respects to him…
Since then, Talbot has become an emblematic figure in the fight against alcoholism among Catholics the world over. Many hospitals and rehab facilities have been renamed in his honor, as has a bridge in the heart of Dublin (the Talbot Memorial Bridge). On November 6, 1931, Byrne Archbishop of Dublin opened an inquiry under oath into this worker’s alleged claims to sainthood (former home station). The official investigation under oath at the Vatican began in 1947. On October 3, 1975 Pope Paul VI declared Matt Talbot venerable, a step on the road to his canonization, a process that requires proof of a physical miracle in order to succeed.
Matt Talbot’s remains were transferred from Glasnevin Cemetery to Our Lady of Lourdes Church on Sean McDermott Street, Dublin in 1972. The tomb has a thick glass panel through which Talbot’s coffin can be viewed.
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