A Novena to Matt Talbot for Alcoholics

Earlier this month of May, 2008, we noted and linked a "Novena to the Holy Spirit for Addictions and Recovery" by Paul at

http://sobercatholic.blogspot.com/2008/05/novena-to-holy-spirit-for-addictions.html

Paul has, today, provided a "Novena to Matt Talbot for Alcoholics" in advance of the anniversary of Matt's death on June 7, 1925. Only Day 1 will be posted here; the subsequent days of this novena can be found on his blogspot at http://sobercatholic.blogspot.com/2008/05/novena-to-matt-talbot-for-alcoholics_30.html

Sober Catholic

Novena to Matt Talbot for Alcoholics Posted: 30 May 2008 01:02 PM CDT Today we shall begin a Novena for Matt Talbot's intercession. A novena is a series of prayers said over 9 days and is rooted in Sacred Scripture in the 9 days that the Apostles and Mary prayed between the time Jesus' Ascension into Heaven and the Holy Spirit's descent on Pentecost). We Catholics pray to (or through) saints and others believed to be in Heaven solely for their power to intercede for us. Saints have no other power than intercession. If a prayer is granted, it is because God willed it and granted it. The saint only interceded for us. Kind of like if you asked me to pray for you because of something going on in your life. Why a novena to Matt Talbot? Well, although not a saint (YET), he had been declared a "Venerable" by the Church in 1975. That is the first step towards canonization. Matt, when canonized, will probably be declared the Patron Saint of Alcoholics. In the sidebar of this blog there are a list of links in the "Catholic Resources for Alcoholics", among them are several on him. One of the best places to get to know him is at the Venerable Matt Talbot Resource Center . Anyway, Matt Talbot died on June 7, 1925. As today is May 30, today we begin the novena which would then end on the anniversary of his death. This is traditional for novenas, although you can say a novena at anytime of the year. One traditionally starts a novena 9 days prior to the feast day as your prayers are joined by everybody else that is also saying the novena.

Friday, May 30, 2008

Novena to Matt Talbot for Alcoholics: Day 1

Today we pray Day One of our Novena to Matt Talbot for Alcoholics. We begin with:

PRAYER FOR THE ADDICTED

God of mercy, we bless You in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who ministered to all who come to Him. Give Your strength to N., Your servant, bound by the chains of addiction. Enfold him/her in Your love and restore him/her to the freedom of God's children. Lord, look with compassion on all those who have lost their health and freedom. Restore to them the assurance of Your unfailing mercy, and strengthen them in the work of recovery. To those who care for them, grant patient understanding and a love that perseveres. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Pick a person in your life that you know is struggling with alcohol or some other addiction. You can pray for yourself, but if praying for others rather than ourselves we often find our own lives bettered. But if you're still in the serious throes of addiction, then pray for yourself. Others reading this novena will pray for those who have to pray for themselves.

But think about that person. And that individual is still a person, regardless of their condition. Is he/she still caught in their addiction? Or are they clean and sober for awhile but are just going through a rough patch that is threatens their sobriety? But for the grace of God go you.

Pray for that they be strengthened, that their faith become a rock upon which the hazards of daily living crash upon and disperse.

We conclude the daily novena with:

Official Prayer for the Canonization of Blessed Matt Talbot

"Lord, in your servant, Matt Talbot you have given us a wonderful example of triumph over addiction, of devotion to duty, and of lifelong reverence of the Holy Sacrament. May his life of prayer and penance give us courage to take up our crosses and follow in the footsteps of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Father, if it be your will that your beloved servant should be glorified by your Church, make known by your heavenly favours the power he enjoys in your sight. We ask this through the same Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen."

The source of these prayers is Circle of Prayer - Matt Talbot Intercedes for Alcoholics .

One Image of Matt Talbot

Matt Talbot

This image of Matt was originally found at http://mattalbotministries.org/, but is no longer a functioning website. The source of this image is not indicated. The image was later posted at http://sobercatholic.blogspot.com/.

"Matt Talbot" by Eily MacAdam

This edition of the seven page "booklet," as the author refers to it, was written after 1952, the last date referred to, but before 1975 when the Holy See conferred the title "Venerable" on Matt Talbot, which is not mentioned. An earlier edition may have been published in 1938 possibly with a different title. A search of amazon.co.uk has the same author writing this title:

"The Holy Man of Dublin; or, the Wonder of Matt Talbot, 1856-1925. With illustrations."

The edition linked here includes the Nibil Obstat and Imprimatur.

Source: http://catholicpamphlets.net/pamphlets/MATT%20TALBOT.pdf

Why God Chooses Splendid Sinners and Lovable Losers

For this (2008) printed sermon by Pastor Ray Pritchard, see
http://www.keepbelieving.com/sermon/2008-05-12-Why-God-Chooses-Splendid-Sinners-and-Lovable-Losers/ Based on 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, he says we are all splendid sinners, lovable losers, miserable misfits, and fantastic failures."

Matt Talbot...a "Loser" Saint?

You may have noticed how book and article titles about saints and saintly people have changed in recent years. Not long ago, there were such straightforward book titles as Saints, Spiritual Companions, and A Book About Saints. Today, we find such titles as Cutthroats, Crooks, Trollops, Con Men, and Devil-Worshippers Who Became Saints, Look Past the Halo: Saints had Sinful Starts, and Perfect Fools: Folly for Christ's Sake in Catholic and Orthodox Spirituality.

The following article also has one of those catchy titles, in which Matt Talbot is included in pretty good company.

"Loser Saints"

Terry Nelson

May 2nd, 2008

Posted at Abbey-Roads2

I lie awake and I moan… like some lonely bird on a roof.- Ps. 101

Psalm 101 is the fifth penitential psalm - a loser’s psalm really. Of course losers, and their heavenly counterparts - the saints who were losers, really only lost in the eyes of the world, since the eternal life they embraced in Christ is so much gain. Therefore, in Christ all become a new creation; there is no slave or freeman, male or female, loser or self-made-man-success-story; all are now one in Christ.

Yeah.

So anyway - not all Christians have reached that awareness, and if they have in theory, they often haven’t done so in practice, thus even the saints were sometimes considered losers after they converted or repented, or just because they were born poor or crippled. Naturally the world considers all Christians to be losers. We see this especially in the lives of the martyrs, who have to be the world’s biggest losers - how foolish, in the eyes of the world, are their deaths. We thought their passing away an affliction, a punishment. Yet it is the martyrs who are exalted above the heavens and reign gloriously with Christ.

God loves humility.

God loves humility so much he sent his only Son to become the most foolish man in the history of the world. Jesus did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at, rather he emptied himself, took the form of a slave, allowed himself to be mocked and treated as one insane, a veritable fool… He shared the lot of the poor and the lowly, those the world considers foolish - because of this we should no longer look on anyone in terms of mere human judgment - but we do.

Loser saints.

The loser saints understood that the power of the cross is complete foolishness to those who are headed for ruin, hence they ran to embrace Jesus and him crucified. It pleased God to save them through the absurdity of the Gospel, they were not always wise as the world accounts wisdom, nor attractive, often they were such that men hid their faces, ignoring them, making them outcasts. Nevertheless, God chose the weak to shame the strong, the poor to embarrass the rich, the simple to refute the wise. He chose those who count for nothing so that mankind can do no boasting before God… because it is Jesus Christ alone who is our wisdom, our justice, our holiness and our everlasting life and riches.

The names of a few loser saints I have devotion to:

(I may write about them as time goes on, for today I’ll just name a few here.)

St. Alexis, the pilgrim. He couldn’t be married so he ran away and lived as a homeless pilgrim.

St. Basil of Moscow. Another fool for Christ I write about a lot.

St. Francis of Assisi. Surprised? He was so revered in his lifetime. Big loser - even now in death - if he walked into a Franciscan friary today, would he even recognize the men as his followers?

St. Benedict Joseph Labre. Uh-huh! He couldn’t even hold a temporary job. As everyone knows he is my very special patron.

St. John of God. People thought he was nuts at first, and then his order never really was recognized until after his death.

Bl. Herman the Crippled. Nasty looking fellow who wrote the Salve Regina.

St. Joseph of Cuppertino. Considered very stupid for much of his life. His levitations caused sort of circus-freak atmosphere about him and he was hidden away from the public.

Bl. Charles de Foucauld. He founded an order that had no members until long after his death - there was very little about him I would consider normal.

St. Margaret Mary. Her own sisters in the Visitation made fun of her.

St. Margaret of Cortona. You’d have to read her life to know what I mean - way over the top.

Bl. Angela of Foligno. Drama queen.

St. Catherine of Genoa. Kind of a bitch at times.

St. Marina. Transvestite - she pretended to be a man so she could live as a monk.

St. Pelagia the penitent. Another trannie. She gave up a profitable career as a dancer/slut, left everything, and went to Jerusalem disguised as a man and lived as a hermit.

St. Mary of Egypt. She ran around the desert totally naked - you tell me.

St. Martin de Porres. Mixed race? Big loser in those days.

St. Moses the Black. He was black - and also the leader of a group of robbers - before he became a desert father.

Jacques Fesch. Murdered a police officer as part of a bungled robbery.

St. Camillus de Lellis. Dissolute gambler and failed soldier.

Ven. Matt Talbot. Laborer, alcoholic, and Irish.

St. Bakhita. Black slave becomes Italian nun and is the prioress for the community.

Bl. Margaret Costello. Blind, crippled, abandoned by her family.

St. Roch. Pilgrim, contracted the plague, later imprisoned as a spy.

St. Simeon Salus. His title, ’salus’ means ‘the crazy’. A desert monk who returned to the city to live amongst the poor - ministering to them, especially harlots - he is the Father of all fools for Christ.

St. Thais. My friend David’s favorite because she made a public bonfire of all her jewels, fine clothes and possessions. She had been an Egyptian harlot before her repentance.

Blessed Nunzio Sulprizio. Abused as a child and crippled for life, died as a teenager.

Bl. Laura Vicuna. Poor, abused, murdered by her mother’s lover.

Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati. Oh yes indeed. Disrespected and misunderstood by his family, not a very good student, disappointed in love.

The Martyrs of Uganda. St. Charles and companions resisted the advances of the king and chose to die rather than commit the sin of engaging in homosexuality.

St. Rita of Cascia. Her community made a fool of her - before that she did not have a very successful family life.

St. Christina the Astonishing.

St. Zita. A housekeeper.

So anyway - that is my short list.

SOURCE: http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:7tVt4ZhW-hsJ:terry58.stblogs.com/2008/05/02/+matt+talbot+may+2008&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=47&gl=us&client=firefox-a

A Prayer (With Beads) for Times of Temptation

Although it is our policy not to endorse such products, this prayer may be helpful to some in times of temptation. We have modified the reference to Matt Talbot as "Venerable," rather than "Servant of God." To personalize such beads, you may want to create your own. (JB)

SELF CONTROL OVER ADDICTION PRAYER BEADS~DRINKING, DRUGS, SMOKING AND OVEREATING

THIS LITTLE PRAYER ONLY TAKES LESS THAN 3 MINUTES TO PRAY AND IS VERY EFFECTIVE IN TIMES OF TEMPTATION WHEN YOU ARE LOSING YOUR SELF CONTROL.

THIS TEMPTATION, SELF CONTROL, PRAYER BEADS, HAS A BROWN WOOD CRUCIFIX, MIRACULOUS MEDAL, A MEDAL OF ST. MICHAEL , ST. BENEDICT AND MATT TALBOT. THE BEADS ARE BROWN WOOD.

YOU SAY THIS LITTLE PRAYER IN TIMES OF STRESS AND TEMPTATION.

YOU ALSO OFFER UP YOUR SUFFERING FOR A FRIEND, LOVED ONE OR THE HOLY SOULS.

THIS PRAYER IS POWERFUL BECAUSE OF YOUR PRAYERS TO JESUS, HIS MOTHER, VENERABLE MATT TALBOT, ST. BENEDICT AND ST. MICHAEL AND THE FACT THAT YOU ARE ALSO OFFERING UP YOUR SUFFERING FOR SOMEONE ELSE (example: someone you know that is sick, the homeless, others with addictions, etc) AT THE SAME TIME.

THIS PRAYER IS VERY HELPFUL IN TIMES OF TEMPTATION AND IS VERY SHORT AND EASY TO SAY.

SO INSTEAD OF GRABBING THAT DRINK, DRUG, FOOD OR CIGARETTE PICK UP YOUR PRAYER BEADS INSTEAD. THIS LITTLE PRAYER ONLY TAKES LESS THAN 3 MINUTES TO PRAY AND IS VERY EFFECTIVE IN TIMES OF TEMPTATION.

WE HAVE RECEIVED MANY LETTERS TELLING US HOW HELPFUL THESE PRAYER BEADS HAVE BEEN IN THE LIVES OF THOSE FIGHTING ADDICTIONS TO ALCOHOL, DRUGS, FOOD AND OTHER ADDICTIONS.

THESE TEMPTATION, SELF CONTROL, SOBRIETY PRAYER BEADS, HAS A ST. BENEDICT CRUCIFIX, MIRACULOUS MEDAL, A MEDAL OF ST. MICHAEL AND VENERABLE MATT TALBOT AND THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL.

THE BEADS AND CRUCIFIX ARE BROWN WOOD.

YOU SAY THIS LITTLE PRAYER IN TIMES OF STRESS AND TEMPTATION.

YOU ALSO OFFER UP YOUR SUFFERING FOR A FRIEND, LOVED ONE OR THE HOLY SOULS. THIS PRAYER IS POWERFUL BECAUSE OF YOUR PRAYERS TO JESUS, HIS MOTHER, MATT TALBOT, ST. BENEDICT AND ST. MICHAEL AND THE FACT THAT YOU ARE ALSO OFFERING UP YOUR SUFFERING FOR SOMEONE ELSE AT THE SAME TIME (EXAMPLE: A SICK FRIEND, SOMEONE WHO HAS LOST A JOB, ETC).

THIS PRAYER IS VERY HELPFUL IN TIMES OF TEMPTATION AND IS VERY SHORT AND EASY TO SAY. TEMPTATION AND OFFERING BEADS {make sign of cross} LORD JESUS, I PUT MYSELF INTO YOUR HANDS THIS DAY.

{on crucifix say} I ASK YOU WITH ALL MY HEART, TO CURE ME OF THE TERRIBLE ADDICTION TO ALCOHOL (DRUGS). AMEN

CREATE IN ME AN INTOLERANCE FOR ALCOHOL (DRUGS) THAT WILL PREVENT ME FROM EVER OFFENDING YOU AND THOSE WHO LOVE ME AGAIN.

THROUGH THE MERCY AND BLOOD OF JESUS, I ALSO PRAY THAT I WILL BE HEALED OF ALL WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS OF THIS TERRIBLE AFFLICTION.

STRENGTHEN ME IN THE WORK OF RECOVERY, AND HELP ME TO RESIST ALL TEMPTATION.

TO THOSE WHO CARE FOR ME, GRANT PATIENCE AND UNDERSTANDING AND A LOVE THAT PERSEVERES.

I ASK THIS THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD. AMEN

{1st large bead} HOLY MARY MOTHER OF GOD, PRAY FOR ME.

{2nd large bead} VENERABLE MATT TALBOT, PRAY FOR ME.

{3rd large bead} ST. BENEDICT, PRAY FOR ME.

{4th large bead} ST. MICHAEL, PRAY FOR ME AND PROTECT ME FROM THE SNARES OF THE ENEMY.

{on ten small beads say}

FROM THE ATTACKS OF THE DEMONS, protect me

FROM THEIR ALL OF THEIR DECEITS, protect me

FROM THEIR MALICE AGAINST ME, protect me

FROM THE FATHER OF LIES, protect me

IN TIMES OF TEMPTATION, protect me

IN TIMES OF WEAKNESS, protect me

IN TIMES OF DESPAIR, protect me

IN TIMES OF HELPLESSNESS, protect me

IN TIMES OF DANGER OF LOSING MY SELF-CONTROL, protect me

IN TIMES OF DANGER OF LOSING MY SOBRIETY, *PROTECT ME, ST. MICHAEL

{start down on large beads}

{4th large bead} ST. MICHAEL, PRAY FOR ME AND PROTECT ME FROM THE SNARES OF THE ENEMY

{3rd large bead} ST. BENEDICT, PRAY FOR ME.

{2nd large bead} VENERABLE MATT TALBOT, PRAY FOR ME.

{1st large bead} HOLY MARY MOTHER OF GOD, PRAY FOR ME.

LORD JESUS, I PUT MYSELF INTO YOUR HANDS THIS DAY.

{say on crucifix} I ASK YOU WITH ALL MY HEART, TO CURE ME OF THE TERRIBLE ADDICTION TO ALCOHOL (DRUGS).

I OFFER UP THIS TEMPTATION AND SUFFERING FOR [name person you are offering suffering for]

{4 th large bead} HOLY MARY MOTHER OF GOD, PRAY FOR ME

{2nd large bead}VENERABLE MATT TALBOT, PRAY FOR ME

{3 rd large bead} ST BENEDICT, PRAY FOR ME

{1st large bead} ST. MICHAEL, PRAY FOR ME AND PROTECT ME FROM THE SNARES OF THE ENEMY.

{Make the sign of the cross} IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT. AMEN

SOURCE: Click "Addiction Beads" at the bottom of your screen at

http://franciscanrosary.com/

23rd Psalm for Recovering Alcoholics

The Lord is my sponsor, I shall not want.
He makes me to go to many meetings.
He leads me to sit back, relax, and listen with an open mind, He restores my soul, my sanity, and my health.
He leads me in the path of sobriety, serenity, and fellowship for my own sake.
He teaches me to think, to take it easy, to live and let live, and do first things first.
He makes me more humble and grateful.
He teaches me to accept the things I cannot change, to change the things I can, and gives me the wisdom to know the difference.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of despair, frustration, guilt, and remorse, I will fear no evil.
For Thou are with me, your program, your way of life, your twelve steps, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: rationalization, fear, anxiety, self-pity, resentment.
You anoint my confused mind and jangled nerves with knowledge, understanding, and hope.
No longer am I alone, neither am I afraid, nor sickened, nor helpless, nor hopeless.
My cups runs over,
Surely sobriety and serenity shall follow me every day of my life, one day at a time, twenty-four hours at a time.
As I surrender my will to You and carry Your message to others, I will dwell in the house of Higher Power, as I understand him, one day at a time, forever and ever.
Amen

Author Unknown

Source: This and other addiction prayers can be found at

http://www.beliefnet.com/prayeroftheday/more_prayers.asp?paid=39&faid=68

Sacred Heart of Jesus: Traditional Prayer of Reparation from the Irish

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on me.
O God, forgive me for all the sins of my life;
The sins of my youth and the sins of my age,
The sins of my body and the sins of my soul,
The sins I have confessed and the sins I have forgotten,
The sins against others in thought, word, and deed,
My sins of omission.
O, my God, I am sorry for all my sins, because You are so good;
And I will not sin again with the help of God.
God be merciful to me, a sinner.
Divine Heart of Jesus, convert sinners, save the dying,
Deliver the holy souls in purgatory.

Source: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource.php?n=303

Venerable Matt Talbot--Pray for [insert name]

Lord, in your servant, Matt Talbot you have given us a wonderful example of triumph over addiction, of devotion to duty, and of lifelong reverence of the Holy Sacrament.
May his life of prayer and penance give us courage to take up our crosses and follow in the footsteps of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Father, if it be your will that your beloved servant should be glorified by your Church, make known by your heavenly favours the power he enjoys in your sight.
Father, by the intercession of Matt Talbot please free [insert name] from all addictions--We ask this through the same Jesus Christ Our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Scroll down and see prayer on right-hand side at http://lovedsinner.blogspot.com/2008/05/veni

A Note on The Pioneer Pledge and Alcoholics Anonymous

Those participating in the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association (PTAA) sign a pledge to abstain from alcohol for life or a limited amount of time. (See http://www.iol.ie/%7Econnaughtpioneers/prayer.html)

Alcoholics Anonymous does not require a formal (signed) pledge but does suggest that the newcomer abstain from alcohol "one day at a time." Among other suggestions by AA to help the newcomer abstain from alcohol "one day at a time" is to attend 90 meetings in 90 days.

The Pioneer Pledge and Prayers

Matt Talbot originally made a three-month pledge not to drink in 1884 and later made a pledge for life. He eventually became a member of the P.T.A.A. The following edited content focuses on the Pioneer Pledge and prayers of today from their website at http://www.iol.ie/%7Econnaughtpioneers/prayer.html

THE PIONEER PLEDGE

The special way of faith which emerged from that first meeting in Dublin in 1898 was summed up by Father Cullen in the Pioneer Prayer. Some brief reflections on each of the prayer's phrases, in the form in which he composed them, will help to bring our way of faith better into focus.

FOR THY GREATER GLORY ...

I bring You the gift of my Offering, To give You love, honor, glory.
To make some return for Your goodness to me.

The central thrust of the Pioneer Association as a spiritual organization is captured in this phrase. It comes from Father Cullen who, in turn, learnt it from St. Ignatius Loyola, whose motto was: "For the Greater Glory of God." As we cannot say too often, the Pioneer Movement is not an anti-drink movement. Pioneers are primarily defined, not by what they are against, but by what they are for; and primarily they are for God and for his greater glory. We might also recall the phrase of St. Irenaeus, "The glory of God is the human being fully alive." Few things so help the glory of God in our world as the restoration of human dignity to the victims of alcohol abuse and its associated evils.

AND CONSOLATION ...

A sorrow shared is softened by the sharing,
A proof of love is to sympathize with the sufferer,
So I come to console You, wounded by sin.

The masters of prayer tell us that it is a good thing to contemplate Christ in the gospels and that, when we do so, we should take the scenes as contemporary with ourselves. It is especially in this context that people have come to speak of consoling Christ by our love and service (cfr Ps 68(69):20). It is not a form of devotion which is as widely practiced today as once was the case. If it does not appeal to an individual, it need not be insisted on.

O SACRED HEART OF JESUS .....

Your Heart is the symbol of Your undying love for me.
Those thorns tell of Your sufferings,
Those flames speak of the burning intensity of Your love.

To refer to Christ as 'Jesus of Nazareth' places Him in the context of His Life among His contemporaries two thousand years ago. To call Him 'the Sacred Heart' is a way of underlining, firstly, that our devotion is to the person of Christ; and secondly, that His love for people knows no limit of time and space. Jesus does not belong simply to those who knew Him on earth so long ago. His love is directed to each of us personally, as ours is to Him. Because He is the Son of God, he carries each of us in His heart; because He is a full human being, He cares for each of us in His heart; because He is a full human being, He cares for each with a fully human love; so that each of us can say with St. Paul, "He loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal 2:20)

..... FOR THY SAKE

The emblem of Your loving Heart I wear
As a source of strength to many in weakness and temptation,
As a powerful means to counter-balance bad example
As an effective way of lessening the weight of sin.

Usually when people join the Pioneers it is because they have seen the devastation which the abuse of drink can cause in a person's life. But underlying such concern they are also thinking of what this means to Christ, who always takes to heart the plight of those for whom He died. All sin is against Christ in some way. It is always an affront to the goodness and mercy He has shown us by giving us so much. In wishing to repair a fallen world, the Pioneer begins at the top by wishing to repair the offense done to Christ.

... TO GIVE GOOD EXAMPLE

One of the most powerful influences in society leading to the abuse of alcohol is the social pressure encouraging excessive drinking. There are many who either wish to drink alcohol in moderation or who do not wish to drink it at all ut are pressurized into going beyond what their own better judgment suggests. By insisting on personal abstinence, the Pioneer helps to create a space of freedom for others, and can be a real support for the weak and the wavering of the consumer society.

... TO PRACTICE SELF-DENIAL

Gladly I make this sacrifice for You,
for voluntary self-denial is pleasing to You.
Self-sacrificing love is a mark of Your friends.

In the following of Our Lord, the cross is unavoidable. Mostly it comes without having to be sought; but if we undertake self-denial as a voluntary exercise, it helps us to prepare for those occasions and to strengthen our self-control. It is then an age-old tradition among Christians to offer up acts of self-denial out of solidarity with Christ in His passion. In this way, we identify ourselves with His sacrifice and apply the benefits of His cross to those for whom we pray.

.... TO MAKE REPARATION FOR THE SINS OF INTEMPERANCE

I would make atonement for all sins of self-indulgence, including my own sins,
I would make up for sins and insults,
I would ward off further wounds from Your Sacred Heart.

When one offends another person, particularly a friend, it is only natural to feel ashamed of what one has done and to try to make up; in this way, the fact of one's faults becomes itself a reason for demonstrating one's love all the more. This is a human comparison to help us to understand the mystery of reparation. As well as reparation to Christ, to which reference was made above, there is also reparation to the Father. This is even more fundamental since it is an aspect of the redemptive work of Christ on the cross, offering his love to the Father on behalf of the human race; and it is something in which we can share as we offer reparation, not only to Christ but with him to the Father.

... AND FOR THE CONVERSION OF EXCESSIVE DRINKERS

I join the spiritual crusade for the sake of others.
You love these people. You died for them.
And my poor prayers and sacrifices can win grace and help for them.

This intention is the spark which kindled the entire Pioneer movement. It expresses the helping hand which the Pioneer holds out to all who are struggling with the problem of excessive drinking. Because of their own abstinence, Pioneers do not have the problem themselves, though they may have had it in the past. However, it is important that our help be given out of compassion, not out of any sense of assumed superiority. Just because the Pioneer does not have this particular problem does not mean that he or she has none. We all have our sins and our weaknesses and have no right to cast the stone at anyone. But one good thing we can do is at least to hold out the helping hand to those who are struggling with the problem of excessive drink.

.... I WILL ABSTAIN FOR LIFE FROM ALL INTOXICATING DRINKS

I promise, not a partial, but a total abstinence,
Not for one year or two, but for my whole life.
Help me to be true to my promise,
Make me a generous apostle for Your Sacred Heart.

The prayer ends with the basic statement of the Pioneer pledge. The very reciting of it is a way of renewing our offering to God.

Rev. Daniel Dargan, SJ

This was taken from and is part of the Final Report of the Interim Board on the spirituality, membership and structure of the P.T.A.A. .... 'Toward A Second Century'

Other Pioneer Prayers:

JUVENILE PIONEER PRAYER

Juvenile Pioneer = 8-11 years

"O Sacred Heart of Jesus, through the most pure Heart of Mary, I offer thee my prayers, works and sufferings in union with Thine for grace to keep my pledge faithfully. Sweet Heart of Jesus, be Thou my love always! Sweet Heart of Mary, be my Salvation!"

YOUNG PIONEER OFFERING

Young Pioneer = 15 years upwards

"Lord, for your sake, for the recovery of problem drinkers and victims of substance abuse, to make amends to your Sacred Heart for the intemperance in all our lives, I promise not to take alcoholic drink until I am at least 18 and to keep off drugs for life."

TEMPORARY PLEDGE OFFERING

Temporary Pioneer = Adult

"For Your greater glory and consolation, O Sacred Heart of Jesus, for your sake to give good example, to practice self denial, to make reparation for the sins of intemperance and for the conversion of excessive drinkers, I will abstain for one year from all intoxicating drink. Moreover, I look forward at the end of this period to obtaining life membership."

LIMITED-PERIOD PLEDGE

I promise in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and with the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary, to abstain from all intoxicating drink until ..........

If, however, the pledge is broken, the badge must be taken down and not worn down and not worn again until the pledge has been renewed. Although the pledge may be given to one who is frequently under the influence of drink, the badge should not be given to such. To do so would be of no help to the individual himself and would bring discredit on the badge. The general public are not likely to think highly of the emblem they see worn by a person who was drunk as recently as the previous week and likely to be drunk again in a few days' time. The badge should not be given to unreliable persons until they have proved faithful to the pledge for at least a week.

Strict insistence on this rule by the councilors running the Limited Pledge section is absolutely necessary. Respect for the badge must be maintained and fostered if it is to continue to be a safeguard and protection for those who wear it.

The Limited-Period Pledge caters for:

• Adults who wish to take a pledge for a limited period only;
• Adults who, because of previous drinking habits, or through failure to understand the spiritual motives of the Pioneer Offering, are not yet qualified for admission.

Through this section, the Council is enabled to cater for those whom any use of alcohol may be problematic.

Admission may be granted only to those who come personally to seek it.

In every Limited-Period Pledge section, a special register of members must be kept. In this should be entered the name and address of each member with particulars of pledge (when taken and for what period). The register must be signed personally by every person taking the Limited-Period Pledge.

PRAYER FOR DRUG USERS

We commend to you, O Sacred Heart of Jesus, all whose lives have been broken through the misuse of drugs. We ask you, Lord, to protect them from harm and restore them to health, so that they can live out the years You have given them in serenity and joy. Praise to the Heart of Jesus, our King and our God!

PRAYER FOR THE CANONIZATION OF MATT TALBOT

Lord, in Your servant Matt Talbot You have given us a wonderful example of triumph over addiction, dedication to duty, devotion to Our Lady, and lifelong reverence for the Most Holy Sacrament. May his life of prayer and penance give us courage to take up our crosses and follow in the footsteps of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Father, if it be Your will that Your beloved servant should be glorified by Your Church, make known by Your heavenly favors the power he enjoys in Your sight. We ask this through the same Jesus Christ Our Lord, Amen.

Novena to the Holy Spirit for Addictions and Recovery

Matt Talbot not only prayed constantly to be sober and do the will of God but also prayed for others who had a "drink" problem.

He also worked the twelfth step of AA (well before AA was founded) by trying to help others, including his brothers and co-workers, to overcome their addiction to alcohol.

A supporter of our resource center, Sober Catholic at http://sobercatholic.blogspot.com/, has begun a Novena to the Holy Spirit for addictions and recovery leading up to Pentecost. The Introduction and Day 1 are posted below. Subsequent days of posting this novena can be found at his link.

Friday, May 2, 2008

Novena to the Holy Spirit for Addictions and Recovery

On May 11, the Church celebrates Pentecost, the time the Church was officially 'born' when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and Mary. It is also the birth of the Catholic devotion known as a "Novena", or nine days of prayer. When Jesus ascended into Heaven He promised them a new Advocate would lead and guide them. This Advocate is the Third Person of the Trinity, or the Holy Spirit. During the time after Jesus' Ascension, the Apostles and Mary spent 9 days in prayer.

The Novena begins today, and will continue once a day ending a week from tomorrow.


What I will do is today write a general prayer for the Novena, and then each day come up with a prayer for each of the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Counsel, Fortitude, Piety and Fear of the Lord). Since that would only give me 8, I decided to add a final request for the gift of sobriety. Although not one of the gifts, it would make a fitting conclusion for this Novena.

Friday, May 2, 3008

Day 1 of Novena to the Holy Spirit for Addictions and Recovery

Beginning Prayer:

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful and rekindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit, and they shall be created and you shall renew the face of the Earth.

Ask the Holy Spirit for healing during this Novena. Regardless of how long you have been sober, most of us are all still one or more drinks away from returning to our previous status as practicing alcoholics. Even if you are still in the death grip of alcohol, there is still time. When there is still life, there is still hope. God allows u-turns!

Why might there still be the threat of drinking? Perhaps we still are at odds with how to handle sobriety. Reality is still difficult to cope with on its terms. All of us, sober or not, need the Advocate, the Holy Spirit to guide us on our way. He is the real "Higher Power," the only One through whom God the Father guides and protects His own.

We have nine days of prayer and meditation before Pentecost Sunday. Spend the time wisely. Daily petition the Holy Spirit to help you. Reciting the prayer beginning each day's novena is good, as well as adding your own humble requests.

Montfortian links

For those who are interested in additional information about devotion to Mary from a Montfortian perspective, these links may be beneficial.

http://www.montfort.org.uk/links.htm provides a menu of references

http://www.montfort.org.uk/Writings/MontWork.html provides free online study of books by St. Lous Marie de Montfort

http://www.montfort.org.uk/footsteps/archive/9-1-Spring2004/td160.htm provides a different link to the Commentary on the Letter by Pope John Paul II and the letter itself that was posted earlier today.

http://www.montfort.org.uk/footsteps/archive/9-1-Spring2004/woman-cross.htm has a reflection on the Pope's letter, "The Woman at the Cross," by Fr. Mitchell, S.M.M.

Pope John Paul II, St. Louis de Montfort, and Matt Talbot

Not only were the writings of St. Louis de Montfort influential for Matt Talbot, Pope John Paul II noted their importance to him in his youth. This quote from Pope John Paul II may help those who are concerned that a devotion to Mary may compromise their worship of Christ.

As far as I am concerned, the reading of this book [True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin by de Montfort] was a great help to me in my youth: "I found the answer to my doubts," which were due to a fear that worship given to Mary "if developed too much, might end by compromising the primacy of the worship of Christ" (My Vocation, Gift and Mystery, pg. 42). Under the wise guidance of St. Louis Marie de Montfort, I understood that, if we live the mystery of Mary in Christ, there is no such risk. This saint's Mariological thought, in fact, "is rooted in the Mystery of the Trinity and in the truth of the Incarnation of the Word of God" (ibid.)." This quote is from the letter of Pope John Paul II referred to below ( text of this letter).

Commentary on the Letter of Pope John Paul II

SOURCE: http://www.montfort.org/English/news.htm

On 8 December 2003, Pope John Paul II wrote to the Religious of the Montfortian Congregations, a letter to commemorate the 160th anniversary of the publication in 1843 of the "Traité de la Vraie Dévotion à la Sainte Vierge" (True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin). In the letter he reflects on certain aspects of the teaching of St. Louis Marie de Montfort concerning consecration of oneself to Jesus through Mary. See the text of this letter.

St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, all his life, practised and preached in his missions and retreats a form of devotion to Our Blessed Lady which he called "the most perfect devotion" to her, and which is often referred to as "the Holy Slavery". About Autumn 1712, he set down his teaching on this devotion in a book which has become, as Pope John Paul says in this letter, a classic of Marian spirituality: "True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin". After St Louis Marie's death in 1716, his followers in the Company of Mary continued to make this devotion a major part of their teaching and preaching, but, for some reason, they never thought to publish his book, although they possessed the manuscript. They did, however, value the manuscript sufficiently that, when the French Revolution brought chaos to the Vendée region where the Mother-house of the Company of Mary was, they hid it, along with other precious papers, in a field nearby. After the revolutionary fury had abated, they retrieved these papers and put them back in the library of the Mother-house, but then, it seems, forgot about them. It was only in 1842 that one of the members of the Company of Mary, doing some research in the library, came across the old manuscript and recognised the handwriting of St. Louis Marie. The manuscript was quickly authenticated, and in 1843 was published for the first time as "Traité de la Vraie Dévotion à la Sainte Vierge" (Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin).

Some 20 years later, in 1862, Fr. Frederick William Faber, of the London Oratory, made the first English translation of the book and had it published in London. There have been a number of English editions published since that time, in the United States as well as in Gt. Britain. In 1883, Bishop Herbert Vaughan, at that time the Bishop of Salford in England, and the founder of the Mill Hill Missionaries, wrote a letter recommending St. Louis Marie's book to all the clergy of the diocese. When he was transferred to Westminster Archdiocese in 1892, he did the same for his clergy of that diocese.

St. Louis Marie's book has been an inspiration to many thousands of people throughout the 160 years since its first publication. Our present Holy Father has several times acknowledged its influence on him, as he does again in this letter. It is well known that Frank Duff, the founder of the Legion of Mary in the 1920s, made the "Holy Slavery" the basis of the Legion's spirituality. Others in the English-speaking world who have been deeply influenced by it include Matt Talbot, Mother Mary Potter (foundress of the Little Company of Mary), Eddie Doherty and Catherine de Hueck Doherty (these two the founders of the Madonna House apostolate based in Combermere, Ontario).

St. Louis Marie de Montfort and Matt Talbot

Today, April 28, is the feast day of St. Louis Marie de Montfort, whose writings had a significant influence on Matt Talbot during the last forty years of his life. The chains that were found on Matt's body after his death were part of his "Total Consecration to Mary," which was popularized by de Montford. Today, however, the wearing of a chain or medal reminding one of holy slavery to Mary is an optional practice.

Links for further reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_de_Montfort

one biography of St. Louis de Montfort's life

St. Louis de Montfort's works and articles about his spirituality.

Online texts of Louis de Montfort's works

A Single Vocation

Bernard McGuckian, SJ

The Sacred Heart Messenger

August 2007

YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED: Each month, Fr. Bernard McGuckian answers some of the questions you ask about the faith and its practice..

There seems to be only two vocations spoken of in the Church: to marriage or to religious life. What about single celibate people, who neither want to marry nor take Holy Orders or enter a relig-ious congregation? Could ‘singledom’ be described as a vocation?
John.

It is true that the two vocations mainly spoken about in the Church are marriage and relig-ious life with the result that the fulfilled single life that so many people live is largely a forgotten topic in religious literature and discussion. However we should not forget that the goodness of single people has not been overlooked.

Single and Heroic

Among the more than four hundred lay men and women beatified or canonized by the late Pope John Paul II many were single. In our own times the heroic virtue of both Venerable Matt Talbot (1856-1925) and Edel Quinn (1907-1944) has been officially recognized and the Cause of the Servant of God, Frank Duff (1889-1980), founder of the Legion of Mary has been recently introduced.

All three were single people who walked closely in the footsteps of Christ under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Venerable Matt, a working man whose excessive drinking led to problems in his early life, is now known worldwide for his subsequent asceticism. He changed so radically in his late twenties that the rest of his life took the form of an extraordinary re-sponse to Christ’s warning that ‘unless you do penance you will likewise perish’ (Lk.13:3).

Co. Cork-born Edel, both a competitive and competent tennis player and according to the Frenchman who fell in love with her, ‘a sylph-like dancer’, spent the last years of her short life (she was only 37 when she died) spreading the Gospel around East Africa, in spite of debilitating tuberculosis.

Frank Duff, a highly-placed civil servant, abandoned a promising career to spend his life in the service of the poor and marginalized. His work was so blessed that it turned into the Legion of Mary which still mobilizes millions of other lay people like himself in the cause of evangelization around the globe.

To these three ‘singles’ we could add a fourth: John Anthony McGuinness, a civil servant and member of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul who combined Matt Talbot-like austerity with selfless dedication to the Dublin poor.

Completion of Baptism

None of these three people felt called to the Sacraments of Matrimony or Holy Orders nor did any of them take religious vows. All of them, however, in early adulthood became aware that at baptism, the first of the Christian sacraments, they had received a vocation.

The late distinguished Irish writer Mary Purcell, single herself and an exemplary lay Christian, suggested that the reason for not having ‘Amen’ in the baptismal formula was to indicate that the real ‘Amen’ was to be a life in keeping with the sacrament. This seems to have been the mind of the Church from the earliest days. Evidence for this appears in an inscription over a tomb in the ancient catacombs at Rome: ‘He has completed his baptism’.

A truly Christian death was seen as the completion of a journey that began at baptism. This is still true today. Whether we are married, religiously vowed or single, we have all still the same vocation. ‘This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you’ (Jn.15:12).

Body of Christ

To love one another is the vocation of all Christians. Whether the word ‘singledom’ is approp-riate for the vocation of some of us is a moot point. It would not be if it seemed to authorize opting out from involvement in the Body of Christ of which we all are members with a specific role to play. Membership of the Body of Christ excludes anything like setting out on a ‘solo run’. If anything, the single person is called to a more self-sacrificing and even more universal love.

The unmarried person, as St. Paul noted, is free to love and serve God and a large number of others in a way that would be well-nigh impossible for those with special and unavoidable obligations to members of their immediate family circle. Don’t we all know unmarried men and women who use this freedom, not to withdraw into some form of isolation and non-involvement but to throw themselves enthusiastically into the great Christian adventure?

Exceptional People

It has to be conceded that the qualities that led to the reputat-ion of holiness of the people mentioned above are hardly run-of-the-mill. Few so-called ‘ordinary’ single people lead lives that catch the popular imaginat-ion as did theirs. To most people Edel Quinn’s life seems more like that of an extraordinary foreign missionary in the mould of a St. Francis Xavier rather than of a modern young woman with a love for sport and dancing.
The rigorous fasting of Matt Talbot is more reminiscent of the penitential life of the legendary Curé d’Ars than of your ordinary working man who goes quietly about an honest day’s work without any song and dance. And Frank Duff seems more in the mould of the founder of a great religious order than of a self-effacing civil servant who took early retirement to do something different.

Yet the difference between the lives of these outstanding people and those of other single people is not so much a question of kind as of degree. Like Edel, Matt, Frank, Mary and John, every one, whether married or single, has a mission in life. As Cardinal Newman puts it: ‘God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission - I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next.’

Prayer

One of the main fruits of prayer, something that loomed large in the lives of all the people mentioned here, is that it helps shed light for each of us on our ‘mission’. We should all pray frequently in the words of St. Paul, when suddenly ovewhelmed on the road to Damascus: ‘Lord, what am I to do?’ (Acts 22:10). This was not a ‘once off’ prayer. Throughout his life he kept asking the Lord for further light as his situation and circumstances changed. If we follow this example of the great Apostle to the Gentiles we are unlikely to go too far astray.

SOURCE: http://www.messenger.ie/j/page327


NOTES:
Fr. McGuckian serves on the Matt Talbot Committee and has written other articles about Matt, which are posted on our site.
Even though Matt had the opportunity to marry in sobriety, he believed it was God's will to remain single and chaste.
Mary Purcell, who is mentioned in this article, has written significant biographies of Matt Talbot and are posted on our site.

Matt Talbot Sunday 2008

For those in or near Dublin, Ireland on June 1, 2008, there will be a Matt Talbot Sunday Mass at 4 p.m. at the Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Sean McDermott Steet. Matt's remains were enshrined in this church in 1972.

Fr. Damian O'Reilly, Vice-Postulator of the Cause for the Venerable Matt Talbot, will be the celebrant.

The church's website is http://parishes.dublindiocese.ie/seanmcdermott/

Matt Talbot Committee

	Some of the articles that have been posted on this site refer to the "Matt Talbot Committee," which is directly involved in furthering the cause of Matt Talbot for sainthood. Its 2008 membership follows: DUBLIN DIOCESAN MATT TALBOT COMMITTEE Chairman: Most Rev. Diarmuid Martin Executive Chairman: Rev. Damian O’Reilly, Vice Postulator Secretary: Rev. Philip O’Driscoll, C.C. Members: Mr. Patrick Behan, Mr. Thomas Brennan, Brother Christopher Carroll, Mrs. Patricia Ferrari, V. Rev. Brendan Quinlan, P.P., Mr. Anthony Malone, Mrs. Mary McCann, Rev. Bernard McGuckian, S.J., Mr. Gerard McLaughlin, Mr. Bernard Nolan, V. Rev. Michael Casey, Adm. Mr. Charles Sydner, Paula Murray, Vera Brady. Source: http://www.dublindiocese.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1088&Itemid=505

Who is Ireland's favourite saint?

A contest was held on the Gerry Ryan Show in 2005 to determine Ireland's favourite saint. The first article presents the story behind this quest. The second article details the effort to put forth Matt Talbot as the favourite saint. To enhance readability of these articles, click on each link after the word "SOURCE."

The story behind the Gerry Ryan Show’s great quest
by Evelyn O’Rourke


On Wednesday, the 12th October – which was the 30th anniversary of the canonisation of St Oliver Plunkett – we launched the ‘Gerry Ryan Show’ quest for Ireland’s favourite saint on RTÉ 2FM. The quest was to take about three weeks, with the winner due to be announced on November 1st, All Saints Day.


For weeks our desks were groaning with the weight of postcards, envelopes and scraps of school book paper as listeners rushed to nominate their favourite saint!
But how did this madcap adventure begin?

I have been working as the reporter on ‘The Gerry Ryan Show’ for three years now and we are always dreaming up weird and wonderful ways to entertain and stimulate our audience. I was in France at a friend’s wedding recently, and as I sat in the church, I suddenly thought that with the media’s current obsession with lists – everything from the ‘best movie’ to ‘the worst Eurovision song’ – wouldn’t it be great to tap into a religious theme and discover Ireland’s favourite saint?

Our listeners are a fantastically diverse bunch but whenever we touch on religious subjects we get an overwhelming response. I knew that Irish people in particular have huge affection for saints, regardless of their actual relationship with the church. I spoke to Gerry and the team about my idea and they were fully supportive from the outset. And so the masterplan was created….

On that first day, the 12th of October, we invited Fr Michael Collins (curate with Dundrum parish) to join Gerry Ryan and myself in studio as we launched the quest. We spent an hour or so on-air trawling through many, many possible contenders for the title.

After that first day we were able to collate the votes we had received and we issued a list of ten contenders. They were St Brighid, Venerable Matt Talbot, St Padre Pio, St Anthony, St Martha, St Martin de Porres, St Therese de Lisieux, St Gerard Majella, St Jude, and Pope John Paul II.

The inclusion of the late pope caused a stir, but interestingly he polled most favourably on the web as opposed to the phone or by post, so votes for him were probably reflective of the younger section of our audience. Another candidate whose huge fan base interested me was St Gerard Majella. He is the patron saint of expectant mothers and many mothers contacted us to say that they had relied on him during their pregnancy. The Venerable Matt Talbot was another popular candidate, due in no small part I believe, to the intervention of Fr Bernard McGuckian SJ, who enthusiastically canvassed on his behalf on the programme!

During the campaign we eliminated the candidates one by one, and finally the day came when we had to name the winning saint. After many thousands of votes on the web, by phone, by email, by text and by post, there could only be one winner.

While St Padre Pio had many, many supporters, in the end St Anthony, with his unique way of helping people find lost articles, won out.

St Anthony is officially (well, according to us anyway!) Ireland’s favourite saint…

SOURCE: http://www.amdg.ie/2005/12/20/finding-irelands-favourite-saint/

Pushing the case for Matt Talbot as Ireland’s favourite saint
by Barney McGuckian SJ

Late in October, Evelyn from the Gerry Ryan Radio Show phoned. “We are looking for Ireland’s favourite saint. Will you “root” for Matt Talbot?”

A Reflection on Petitions to Matt Talbot

An innovative Pioneers novena in Co. Clare
by Pat Coyle




The lovely west Clare seaside holiday town of Kilrush (next stop America) looks a lot bleaker on a freezing cold November night, and as we were driving to it the voice of Ralph Mc Tell kept singing in my head –“Oh it’s a long long way from Clare to here…”



We travelled a few lonely, winding roads that dark evening so it was a great surprise to me that over 700 people had travelled along many similar roads for almost nine weeks to make the Matt Talbot Novena. It was organized by the Pioneer Association in Clare, in the beautiful St Senan’s Church, Kilrush, and I was the guest speaker on the second last night.



I’d been invited by Fr Tom Ryan the parish priest of Shannon and family friend who had been sent to my native Derry to help out some years ago. Whilst there he married my parents not long before they died. No – don’t re-read that sentence – you got it right – and don’t think scandalous thoughts about my mum or my dad (who, God rest him, had Alzheimer’s). One particularly bad day he got very agitated and wanted my mother to leave the house as he couldn’t remember marrying her and thought they were living in sin. She was at the end of her tether when Fr. Tom just dropped in for a visit. I asked him to marry them with a blessing, which, knowing the situation, he duly did, and daddy was happily settled for another while.



Anyway, that night I was deeply moved as I heard petitions to Matt Talbot read out. Heartfelt requests for people sick, in trouble, or alcoholic. One petition really touched me. ‘Dear Matt Talbot, please help me and my wife to stop drinking so much.’ I thought about their children and I spoke about alcoholism and how it affects families. I have direct experience of the disease which is a physical, mental and spiritual one, and I’m aware that whilst there is great help for the alcoholic it’s often family members who are traumatized, wounded by the illness, and indeed sick themselves, and who are totally neglected.



I don’t think I have ever spoken to a more receptive group. There was an incredible silence in the Church for the 20 minutes of my talk. Lovely, gentle people came up to me after to tell me their own stories, and each used the same phrase, that they would have heard a pin drop as I spoke. Nothing to do with me, but a lot to do with the reality of alcoholism in Ireland today and the painful tentacles the illness sends out to all who come in contact with it.



I am not a pioneer myself and would really miss my glass of wine, but I am deeply grateful to the pioneers for their generosity in giving up alcohol altogether as a spiritual gift to help those addicted and those suffering from the alcoholic’s behaviour. And as AA and AL-Anon (the twelve-step group for anybody affected by another’s drinking which has helped me greatly) will tell you, real and healthy recovery from the effects of the disease of alcoholism requires a spiritual dimension.



From Kilrush to Shannon, same novena, same talk, different people – 400 of them – many families and many young people. But similar petitions and the same great faith in Matt Talbot and a God who would hear their prayers. More people to talk to afterwards, more pain, more hope.



The whole experience was very moving. Fr. Tom, his parishioners and the people of West Clare were warm and welcoming. As he drove me to Limerick to catch the train for Dublin in the wee small foggy hours of Wednesday morning we talked of the importance of the novena, the people and the Pioneers.



“Well you’re from the Jesuit Communication Centre,” he said, “and the Pioneers in Kilrush and Ennis and further afield are the Jesuit link with Clare.” And it was great to have been with them. I have lovely memories as I write this at my computer in the JCC, still humming that lovely song but knowing it’s really not so long a way from Clare to here!




SOURCE: http://www.amdg.ie/2005/12/20/not-so-long-a-way-from-clare-to-here/ The title of this 2005 article was changed for posting purposes.

Venerable Matt Talbot: Can an Alcoholic Become a Saint"

by Fr. Kevin Shanley, O.Carm.

The late Fr. Kevin Shanley, O.Carm. gave the following 2004 talk about Matt Talbot as part of the "Life is Worth Giving" Series in Darian, IL., USA. The original, typed text of this article, which is dated 2002, can be read as is (with white background pages) or a blue background by clicking each page. Note that the birth date for Matt is incorrectly listed as 1853 rather than 1856.

This, like some other homilies and articles already posted, might be considered "introductions" to Matt Talbot.

http://carmelnet.org/shanley/Shanley2004-03.pdf

"Life of Matt Talbot" (1942 Ed.) by Sir Joseph Glynn

The person most responsible for making Matt Talbot well known in Dublin and all of Ireland shortly after Matt's death in 1925 was Sir Joseph A. Glynn.

A friend of Glynn's, who knew Matt for 25 years, suggested that Glynn write a short sketch of Matt's holy life for his fellow Dublin workers, although Glynn had not previously heard of Matt Talbot. Within months Glynn wrote a twenty page pamphlet titled, "Life of Matt Talbot, a Dublin Labourer," which was published in 1926 by the Catholic Truth Society of Ireland and sold 10,000 copies within four days. Another edition was published in 1927 which sold 120,000 copies within a few months. In 1928 the first edition presumably in hardback with the title, Life of Matt Talbot, was published and subsequent editions have been published, including this 1942 edition that is available online at the link below. (These books have long been out-of-print but do periodically appear for sale at amazon.com and eBay at a reasonable price.)

Being the first biographer of Matt's life so soon after his death, Glynn had the opportunity to interview many who knew and worked with Matt. Later biographers regularly used Glynn's editions for their own biographies. Mary Purcell's biographies, which were first published in 1954 and benefited from interviews at the two official Enquiries about Matt Talbot's holiness which opened in 1931 and again in 1948, are the most definitive and result in some different conclusions about Matt than does Glynn. Therefore, the serious student of Matt Talbot might begin by reading Glynn's 1942 edition followed by Mary Purcell's Matt Talbot and His Times (1977, American Edition) and her Remembering Matt Talbot (1990).

Glynn's Life of Matt Talbot is provided online courtesy of the University of Chicago and the Open Library website established by The Internet Archive.

Either click the homepage at http://www.archive.org/details/MN5135ucmf_8 and then click the flashing text to view the book to the left of your screen or go directly to http://www.openlibrary.org/details/MN5135ucmf_8 to begin reading. Click the right page to turn the pages forward or click the left page for previous pages.

A personal reflection on Matt Talbot

by WI CATHOLIC

November 29, 2007

Today, I have been reminded of one of my favorite Irishmen, a recovered alcoholic who long ago was asked to take another favorite Irishman of mine under his wing and intercession. Since then, I have added many others (Irish and non-Irish, bless their hearts) to his intercession.

This man began drinking at AGE 12!!

His life had become so unmanageable by the time he was 28 that he "took the pledge" to not take a drink for three months. Even his mother doubted his ability to stop, telling him not to do it if he did not mean it.

He did.

He found that there was only ONE who could help him succeed, and often begged the One not to let him slip back into where he HAD been. That One is the "Higher Power" of AA/Alanon, the "God as we understand Him" of the Old Timers in AA/Alanon, the God of the Old and New Testament. He is the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Matt Talbot spent the rest of his life serving His Lord, in prayer and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, 'working the fifth' by examining his conscience and frequent Confession, daily attendance at Mass, and giving most of his earnings away. This, years before the start of AA.

He read books (with LITTLE education) that I have not begun to desire to read by great men/women of the Church (like St John of the Cross). Few people outside his own little corner of Ireland knew of him. Until his death, that is .

When he died on the street of a heart problem, they were not even sure of who he was, but when he was identified, and his belongings taken from his room, they were amazed to learn of his devotion, his piety, his life. Within a short time, word spread, including to Rome.

Alcoholics the world over have gained strength to recover from his example. A recovering friend of mine said that there may NEVER be a physical miracle for his Beatification or Canonization, but there are MANY spiritual miracles as a result of his life, his recovery, and his intercession from Heaven. I pray that God allows two physical miracles in order for him to be called ST MATTHEW TALBOT.

Alcoholism is a physical affliction as well as spiritual. Body, mind and soul are all affected, as are every family member and friend of the person who has 'crossed the line' into dependency on the drug of alcohol (whether wine, beer or liquor). So in MY humble opinion, each and every person who has been aided by devotion to him IS already not only a spiritual miracle, but also an emotional and a physical miracle. Every family member and friend is also blessed and benefited by that miracle of sobriety. Lives are changed and restored.

But my opinions do not matter.

Venerable Matt Talbot, I once again ask you to aid my loved one, my family members, my friends, and all those that I have placed in your care over the last 20-25 yrs since I first heard of you. Bring them to the grace, presence, and the blessings of God. Bring them to recovery. Bring them to Him, the Author and Giver of Life so that they may also merit Eternal Life.



God bless!

"O Virgin, I ask only three things:

• the grace of God,
• the presence of God,
• and the benediction of God."

~Prayer of the Venerable Matt Talbot

Source: http://wicatholicmusings.blogspot.com/2007/11/matt-talbot.html