Statue and Photograph of Venerable Matt Talbot

James Power's statue of Venerable Matt Talbot in Dublin near Talbot Memorial Bridge, with the only known photograph of Matt inserted.

"Matt Talbot Hope Book" Reminder

If you have not yet signed this prayer book, please do so immediately.  See details at: http://venerablematttalbotresourcecenter.blogspot.com/2018/07/matt-talbot-hope-book-important-time.html

 

Father Douglas McKay, founder of Our House Ministries in the Grays Ferry section of Philadelphia, recently blessed and wrote the first entry in the "Matt Talbot Hope Book" in the St. Michael Chapel at Our House. 

For decades, Father McKay has worked to help those suffering from addiction by leading them to Jesus Christ, the source of all life and healing.

............................................................................. 

Fr. Doug McKay is a regular guest on “The Inner Life” with Chuck Neff on Relevant Radio. Here is a link to the 6/18 show when Fr. McKay talked about Matt Talbot and Calix.  https://relevantradio.com/2018/06/the-inner-life-for-june-18-2018/

A small statue of Venerable Matt Talbot that helps supports Our House Ministries and the Calix Society is still available for sale at

https://www.calixsociety.org/matt-talbot-statue/

A Sculpture Of Matt Talbot

Michael Christie, a figurative sculptor, is a senior teacher at the Tom Bass Sculpture Studio School in Erskineville, an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. 

 

This sculpture of Matt Talbot was commissioned by the St Vincent de Paul Society in Nowra, NSW.

https://www.tbsss.org.au/galleries/teachers/

Venerable Matt Talbot: Pray For Us

 

This is just one of many online photographs of the Matt Talbot Monument, near Dublin’s Matt Talbot Bridge. The sculpture is by James Power (1918-2009), one of Ireland’s most respected sculptors. 

More about Power’s life is available at http://www.pressreader.com/ireland/sunday-independent-ireland/20090419/282497179602373

"What You Might Find at a Retreat Center Offering Matt Talbot Recovery Retreats"

It is not unusual for retreat centers that offer Men’s or Women’s Matt Talbot Recovery Retreats to have some type of memorial, statue, or at least literature about Venerable Matt Talbot. (A previously posted one is at http://venerablematttalbotresourcecenter.blogspot.com/2008/10/spiritual-awakening-statue-of-matt.html)

The following example is from Immaculata Retreat House (http://dev.immaculataretreat.org/?s=%22Matt+Talbot) in Willimantic, CT, USA:  “This retreat brings together recovering alcoholics in a setting that promotes prayer, reflection, and the sharing of one’s experience, strength, and hope with others in recovery. Matt Talbot, an unskilled Irish Catholic laborer, is revered by many as a patron for alcoholics."

  

Matt Talbot's Life Offers Inspiration & Hope

"Matt’s example has inspired many institutions, movements and individuals around the world giving hope of recovery to those who are willing to accept their weakness and need."

Source:  https://www.facebook.com/acneire/  
               2 May 2017

 

Matt Talbot Memorial Bridge Statue Space Enhanced

The Matt Talbot Dublin Diocesan Committee at  https://www.facebook.com/217785025048151/videos/vb.217785025048151/717394625087186/?type=2&theater posted the following message and very brief video on 29 March 2017:

“Recently the Matt Talbot Memorial Bridge had to undergo some necessary engineering works, during which time Matt's statute was put in storage. The Dublin Matt Talbot Committee who gifted the statue of Matt to the citizens of Dublin are delighted that the statute is once again back in it's place and looking fantastic with a new granite surround and pavement.
Our thanks and appreciation to the City Manager and Dublin City Council.”

 

 

Wooden Statue of Venerable Matt Talbot

Matt Talbot and Saint Maximilian Kolbe, O.F.M. are the patrons of the Recovery Ministry on Enders Island, Mystic, Connecticut (USA).

(http://www.endersisland.com/recovery-patrons)

Matt’s statue is located in the Enders Island Chapel of Our Lady of the Assumption. Click on the Chapel's interior photos.
 http://www.endersisland.com/photos?eventid=124%2F10977a0b-774a-9f5f-95a3-09e23447e33a

 

Memorial to Matt Talbot in the Dublin Pro-Cathedral

 Matthew Talbot, son of Charles and Elizabeth Talbot, was baptised in the Pro-Cathedral on 5 May, 1856.

In 2006 Timothy Schmalz, a Canadian sculptor, donated this memorial to the Pro-Cathedral on the 150th anniversary of Matt’s birth and baptism. 

According to the sculptor, “this bronze sculpture incorporates the traditional Irish symbol of a Celtic cross as the framework for the overall design. The sculpture clearly shows that Matt is chained to Mary and the Cross itself. These chains are broken at the lower part of the piece where the addictions are represented.” (http://www.sculpturebytps.com/large-bronze-statues-and-sculptures/religious-statues/statues-of-saints-and-luminaries/large-religious-statues-matt-talbot-monument/.) This 10 ft. sculpture can also be viewed in greater detail at

http://venerablematttalbotresourcecenter.blogspot.com/2011/08/sculpturer-timothy-schmalz-of-ontario.html.


The source of these two photographs posted 16 Jan 2016 is at http://www.christianforums.com/threads/one-of-my-heroes-matt-talbot.7928121/.

 

 

 

 

 

Honoring the Priest at Matt Talbot House

A recovering addict leaves the nightly mass in the former funeral home, now called the Matt Talbot House after the Irish ascetic. Though not formally recognized as a saint, the Venerable Matt Talbot is considered a patron of those struggling with alcoholism. (TOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer)

 

 

For the story about the “battling the violence of addiction” ministry of Father Doug McKay, click http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150315_Priest_to_be_honored_for_fostering_peace_in_Grays_Ferry.html

 

Information about the Matt Talbot sculpture in the window can be viewed at http://www.calixsociety.org/resources/talbot-statue.

Venerable Matt Talbot Memorial in Poland

These photos were taken at the Matt Talbot Memorial in Plock, Poland. The carved words in the background of the top photo quote Matt, "First of all, I have to take into account the interests of the soul.”

Sources: http://www.parafiaswaleksego.plock.opoka.org.pl/ and http://www.duszp.trzezwosci.plock.opoka.org.pl/mat.htm

We appreciate the assistance of Grzegorz Jakielski regarding information about this memorial.

 

Location of the Matt Talbot Memorial Sculpture in Dublin

There are multiple photographs online of this Matt Talbot memorial sculpture near Dublin’s Matt Talbot Bridge.

A very brief video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HjjFrGOgkA provides a perspective on the sculpture’s location in relation to the surrounding environment.

It appears 9 seconds into the video, which might be paused.

For more information click Matt Talbot Monument in Dublin

Miniature Matt Talbot Sculpture

We do not typically post information about Matt Talbot items for purchase. We make an exception, however, for a miniature Matt Talbot sculpture pictured below. This sculpture has a bronze finish and will be approximately 10.5” tall and weighs 5 lbs. and is available through The Calix Society at  http://calixsociety.org/store
Information is also available from the sculpturer, Timothy Schmalz of Ontario, Canada at http://www.sculpturebytps.com/Pages/LSsaints.htm

 

Monument to the Venerable Matt Talbot

Sculpturer Timothy Schmalz of Ontario, Canada created this monument to Matt Talbot. This original bronze 10 ft. sculpture can be viewed in greater detail at http://www.sculpturebytps.com/large-bronze-statues-and-sculptures/religious-statues/statues-of-saints-and-luminaries/large-religious-statues-matt-talbot-monument/.

Matt Talbot Monument in Dublin

These are just two of many online photographs of the Matt Talbot Monument, near Dublin’s Matt Talbot Bridge.The sculpture is by James Power, one of Ireland’s most respected sculptors.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomcosgrave/187963768/ by Tom Cosgrave

“Matt Talbot (May 2, 1856-7 June 1925) was an Irish ascetic who is revered by many Catholics for his life of self-sacrifice and mortification of the flesh.

Talbot was born the second eldest of twelve children to a poor family in the North Strand area of Dublin, Ireland. His battle with alcoholism from a young age became famous through the posthumous discoveries on his body. Having drunk excessively for 16 years, Talbot had successfully given it up and maintained sobriety for the following forty years of his life. He was known to his peers as a generous and, perhaps surprisingly given what was to follow, happy man who gave much of his wage to the poor as well as played an active part in the Irish Transport and General Workers Union in the city. He was, also, an extremely devout Catholic and was reportedly on the way to his third mass on the day he died. This in itself would have gone unnoticed were it not for the marks and chains discovered all over his body when he died on a Dublin street in 1925.

In a life reminiscent of the Early Christian monks in Ireland, who believed that a life of sacrifice, prayer and devotion would bring them closer to God, chains were found all over Talbot's body. A heavy chain had been clamped securely around his waist with more chains around an arm and another the knee of the devout mass-goer. Some attributed the chains to his repentance for his sins, an interpretation which evokes images of Rodrigo Mendoz's penance in the Roland Joffé movie, The Mission. Talbot's story quickly filtered through to the large Irish émigré communities and within Ireland he rapidly became an icon for Ireland's large temperance movement, the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association.

As word of Matt Talbot spread, countless addiction clinics, youth hostels, statues and much more have been named after him throughout the world from Nebraska to Warsaw to Sydney. One of Dublin's main bridges today is also named after him. Pope John Paul II, as a young man, wrote a paper on him. In 1931, Archbishop Byrne of Dublin opened the sworn inquiry into the alleged claims to holiness of the former dock worker. The Apostolic Process, the official sworn inquiry at the Vatican, began in 1947. On October 3 1975 Pope Paul VI declared him to be Venerable Matt Talbot, which is seen as a step on the road to his canonisation, a process which needs evidence of a physical miracle in order to be successful. Matt Talbot was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, until 1972 when his remains were removed to Our Lady of Lourdes church on Seán McDermott Street, Dublin 1. He remains a legendary figure in the folklore of modern Dublin.”

Matt Talbot Monument

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31068574@N05/4780546840/in/photostream/ by Le Monte 1

Matt Talbot Monument Bronze Information Plaque

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31068574@N05/4779918645/ by Le Monde 1

Matt Talbot as an image of liberty

 

 

Our own statues of liberty

Fr. John's (Bonavitacola) Weekly Letter

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Tempe, Arizona

July 4, 2010

Freedom is first and foremost an inside job. What does political freedom matter if the human person is not free internally, spiritually. History is dotted with examples of men and women who despite the lack of political and physical freedom demonstrated the power of spiritual freedom: Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Nelson Mandela, Fr. Walter Ciszek are some contemporary examples that come to mind. Yet even though we unlike them have the benefits of political freedom we still find ourselves too often less than free. The freedom of the will to choose to be truly and authentically human and make decisions accordingly is what Christianity tries to teach us in regards to sin and grace. That is why things that diminish the capacity of the will to freely choose, things like force, fear and compulsion are the very things we seek to eliminate through our spiritual practices. One of the hallmarks of modern living is that it so often sets us up for addictive, compulsive behavior.

 

 

I recently received from Cardinal Rigali, my hometown Archbishop, a copy of his new booklet entitled: "Let the Oppressed Go Free: Breaking the Bonds of Addiction". In it he reminds us of the devastation that addiction causes to individuals, families and societies. And aptly he points out why the Church must offer hope and help for both those who are struggling with addiction and their families and loved ones. With our vast spiritual treasury we have plenty of tools that can help others to find recovery.

 

Hence the reason for the statue of Matt Talbot. Matt Talbot was an Irish Catholic drunk (some would say that is redundant!) from Dublin. Despite repeated attempts to quit drinking and taking "the Pledge" numerous times he always found himself drunk again. Periods of dryness were always followed by worse relapse. Finally Matt realized that no amount of will power could prevent him from taking the next drink. That power he realized had to come from outside himself. So he surrendered himself to God and embarked on a life of prayer, penance and service. He found that the more he was faithful to these the less temptation he had to drink. In fact he discovered the real secret to happiness was anonymous and selfless service. The statue itself reminds us that first through the Cross, Matt died to his own will and with the assistance of the Virgin Mother the chains of addiction were broken and he truly experienced a spiritual awakening. Finally his hands are not raising bottles to his lips but are rather raised in prayer.

 

The spiritual tools he used eventually would become incorporated into AA's Twelve Steps. Without knowing it Matt had found a solution to the "drink" problem that had eluded men for centuries and upon which would later become the model for effective sober living in the 20th century. The brilliance of AA's founders was that they took simple spiritual truths that had been around for centuries and arranged them in an order that was both acceptable and usable for the alcoholic. Today of course those same 12 Steps have been used for recovery from many addictions other than alcohol. Matt Talbot discovered the essence of the 12 Steps long before there were the 12 Steps: the admission of personal powerlessness, faith, surrender (Steps 1,2,3), confession, penance, amends (Steps 4,5,6,7.8,9), prayer/sacraments (Steps 10, 11), service (Step 12).

 

This image of Matt Talbot (who is at the first step of canonization hence he is called Servant of God [officially "Venerable"] because he demonstrated a life of heroic virtue) should remind us of the spiritual treasury that is at our disposal that we can use to "let the oppressed go free". It should also inspire us to reach out to those who suffer from addictions.

 

The other image is entitled "Charity". This beggar extending his hand for assistance reminds us that in each person we meet Christ, hence the nail wound in his hand. Also it brings to mind the words of Jesus: "whenever you did it for the least of them, you did it for me". Christ disguises himself in the needy. In serving the poor we serve Christ himself. I wanted something in our sights that honors our St. Vincent de Paul Conference and the many volunteers who each day serve the poor. Our SVDP at Mt. Carmel is not just active it is "hyper-active"! Which in this case is a good thing. I hope this little figure continues to inspire all of us to donate, contribute and assist our St. Vincent de Paul work.

 

Both these figures were created by Catholic artist Timothy Schmaltz of Ontario, Canada.  Let these be our own statues of liberty: proclaiming that this Church is a place to find freedom.

Source: http://www.olmctempe.com/pastor_letter_archives/2010-07-04-Our_Own_Statues_Of_Liberty.html

 

Note: The statue of Matt Talbot that Fr. John is referring to can be found at

http://www.sculpturebytps.com/Pages/CloseupPages/MattTalbot.html

 

 

"Spiritual Awakening" Statue of Matt Talbot

This life-size bronze statue of Matt Talbot graces the back gardens of Loyola Retreat House in Morristown, New Jersey (USA).

The sculptor, Brian P. Hanlon, calls the statue, "Spiritual Awakening."

The plaque reads, " May this statue serve as a testimony to the miracle of sobriety and be a model to the suffering alcoholic."

Source: http://www.hanlonsculpture.com/awakening.htm

Information about the retreat house can be found at

http://www.loyola.org/main.html.

This photograph can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=matt%20talbot&w=32441538%40N00

Mother Mary, Matt Talbot, and a Porn Addict

As this story indicates, the influence of Matt Talbot is wider than just for those interested in recovery from alcoholism. More about Matt F. and his ministry to youth and adults can be found at his website below.

My Story

Matthew F.

By the time I was 12 years of age I was hooked on pornography.

I remember as a young boy, probably 6 or 7, playing in my grandparents back yard. I was making 'dirt bombs'. Dirt bombs or 'dirt ronnies' are when you grab fist fulls of hard dirt to throw at someone. The Harder the better. Me and my brother would spend hours out there mucking around throwing dirt ronnies and climbing Nan's TV tower. I remember very distinctly stumbling into my Pops shed and finding a center fold of a naked woman. I was completely captivated by it, it was beautiful and yet something in me knew I shouldn't be looking at it. Every time I'd come back to Nan & Pop's house I'd go back to that picture and stare at it.

About the age of 13 I had a good size stack of porn hidden under my bottom drawer. My best mate and I would steal them from newspaper shops and collect them. One day my Dad brought home this do-it-yourself carpet cleaning kit thing and so everything had to be lifted up off the floor to be cleaned (you know where this is going). Dad found my stash of porn under my bottom drawer which I had thought was an impenetrable hiding place. Dad came outside and said "nice collection of playboy's and penthouses you got there Matt, just don't let your mother find out." Now God bless my Dad, he's a good man and looking back I can see that he was trying to relate to me, trying to be nice. What he did though, was reaffirm the lie I'd been believing that real men look at porn and that there was nothing wrong with that.

At this time in my life I had a Granddad who hid porn in his shed, a Father who almost congratulated me for having my own stash, a grade 8 teacher who told us on a school camping trip that masturbation was "a good and healthy thing" and to top it off I had my best friends Mum who would take us to video stores and hire porn for us so me and my friend could go back to his house and watch them after dinner.

It got to the stage where I was masturbating and looking at pornography basically everyday (thanks to the internet), and the further and further I sunk in my addiction the more defensive I got towards the notion that porn was in anyway "bad" or "degrading". I'd tell myself that I just liked the beauty of womanhood more than guys that never looked at it. I told myself I wasn't hurting anyone. I said whatever I could to justify it.

In the year 2000 when I was 17 I had a life changing experience and became a Christian. This was the most profound and joy filled moment of my life. It also posed a problem. No matter how much I tried to justify my porn addiction the reality was and is that porn and Jesus don't go together, kind of like chewing gum and chips or toothpaste and orange juice. So I tried with all my might to stop. But like a alcoholic or a junkie I kept relapsing and going back to it like a dog goes back to lick up its vomit.

I knew that this wasn't the kind of man I wanted to become. What kind of man closes the curtains in his room and clicks around on the internet with his pants around his ankles all for the sake of tingly feelings in his groin. I knew this was a counterfeit of manhood and prayed constantly that I would be free. Over the course of the next few years I continued to struggle. Sometimes I'd go days, sometimes weeks, sometimes even months without looking at porn or masturbating. But those times of freedom were book ended by another hopeless fall.

Allow me to cut a very long story short.

One night while my beautiful pregnant wife was out I had had enough. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. Sick of trying so hard not to fall when it seemed only to make it worse. My first child was about to be born in 7 months and I KNEW this had to end. But how?

I saw a statue of Venerable Matt Talbot who is on his way to sainthood. In his life became addicted to alcohol at around the age of 12, he would even come home at times without a shirt or his only pair of boots because he had sold them for alcohol. This man and I were in a very similar situation for he too was sick of what his addiction was doing to him. I read how he went to a church and took a pledge for 3 months that not one drop would touch his lips, it was hard but he made it and then took the pledge for a year and finally for life. He fell in love with Jesus in the Eucharist. He considered himself a slave of Mary (don't be afraid of the language, I'll explain).

This statue I saw had a Celtic cross with a chain that ran around the border, in front of the cross was the Mother of Jesus who had the chains across her chest and in front of Our Lady was Matthew Talbot, on his knees, the chains around his wrists were broken and he was set free! From that day forward I to took a pledge for 3 months that I would not look at porn or masturbate, after the 3 months I took it for life.

I have prayed the rosary daily understanding that I could not overcome my addiction by will power. At the end of each rosary I hold up the beads in my hands and say "Mother Mary, I have taken up your chain, now take off myne!" What can I say? She has!! I am now experiencing a freedom from this I never knew possible. I figured that if I ever overcame porn than I'd still be severely tempted but would be strong enough to resist.

You want to know the reason I no longer look at pornography or masturbate anymore? I have NO DESIRE to. FREEDOM is POSSIBLE! I am not a man with any sort of super human self control but I am free.

We have to understand that women are beautiful, the most beautiful creatures on earth, it is good and holy for us men to be attracted to them! Even now as I drive down the road, if there is a billboard of a beautiful woman it turns my head! This is okay but we need to make a decision at that point. Do we praise God for her beauty or do we lust? The problem with Porn isn't that it shows too much, it's that it shows too little! Too little of the person! This is the problem! Women are beautiful, the naked body is BEAUTIFUL but divorcing the body from everything else is completely unhealthy in every respect. Looking back now I see that those women I looked at in the porn may as well have been dead for all I cared, because I was only after the body!

I know firsthand how addictive pornography can be, but I also know that true freedom and healing are possible.

Don't fall into the trap of saying that very foolish thing people say about porn, "Hey, everything is fine in moderation". No it's not. I can give you a few examples of things that are very much NOT okay in moderation: Racism, cocaine, suicide, prejudice. While alcohol is a blessing from God so long as we do not abuse it. Pornography is always wrong because someone is always being exploited. So while yes, pornography can become an "addiction" where it over runs your life. This does not mean that it is healthy in moderation.

Source: http://www.whodoesithurt.com/id12.html

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This may be the statue that Matthew is referring to in his story.hiT& A

A 12-Ste

& AA 12-Step Program Recovery Creed

http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:ptoiARbuT6kJ:www.ourladyoftheisland.org/foundersway.htm+matt+talbot+statue&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=38&gl=us&client=firefox-a