Matt Talbot

In 1975 Matt Talbot was declared by Pope Paul VI as Venerable, one step before beatification. He grew up in Dublin and lived between 1856 and 1925. He was the second of 12 brothers and sisters. At the age of 11, he had to go to work to support his large family. All around him, everyone drank heavily, including his father. His first job was as an assistant to an alcohol seller. By the age of 13, Matt himself became an alcoholic and spent 15 years living miserably, working hard so that he could buy more booze. Once he even stole a violin from a blind beggar, so that he could sell it to buy more drinks. By the time he was 30, he came to his senses and made a resolution to stop drinking for 3 months. Once that time was over, he renewed for another 3 months, then 6 months, and eventually gave up drinking for good. He then started to attend Mass and pray often. In 1891 he became a lay Franciscan, and would spend his free time reading the Bible and the lives of saints. He started helping the poor in his neighborhood, slept on a plank of wood, and spent hours praying on his knees, even late at night. On Sundays he often attended more than one Mass. Matt Talbot died at the age of 69 on Trinity Sunday in 1925. He was buried on the feast of Corpus Christi, the following Thursday. One of his famous quotes is this: “In company guard your tongue, In your family, guard your temper, When alone, guard your thoughts.” He is the patron saint of those suffering from alcoholism.