Matt's your Man

by Fr. Tom Ryan P.P

The Clare Courier

03 October 2007

The Matt Talbot Novena got off to a great start in Shannon on Tuesday night last. The Novena is intended to be a spiritual help to people suffering from all forms of addictions and those who are asked to share their lives at home and at work with people who have addictions. On each Tuesday night for the next eight weeks, people will come together for one hour to pray and ask God’s help under the guidance and influence of Matt Talbot, a Dubliner who died in 1925 and who overcame his own addictions with the help of God, through prayer and the sacraments.

1884 is best remembered in Ireland as the year that Michael Cusack, “the man from Carron in Co. Clare” founded the G.A.A. in Hayes Hotel Thurles, Co. Tipperary, but it was also the year that a young Dublin man, Matt Talbot, at the age of 28 changed his life completely.

In September 1853, Charlie Talbot married Elizabeth Bagnall in Clontarf Church, Dublin. Both came from a working class background where poverty and excessive use of alcohol were the norm for many of Dublin’s population. These were the years immediately after the Great Famine when people struggled simply just to survive. Matthew was born on 2nd May 1856, the second of 12 children. Matt’s parents were good people who passed on a very solid faith to their children. Charlie was a good worker whose only weakness was that he drank too much and the consequences that this brought to a poor family.

Poorly educated, Matt began working at the age of 12 with a wine merchant, where he began sampling the drink he was bottling. One evening he came home drunk and his father made him change his employment hoping it would help. Matt moved to the Dublin Port and Docks Board, where he acted as a messenger but his addiction to alcohol was further fuelled by the whisky that was available to him in the bonded stores there. At 17 he started work with Pembertons as a builder’s labourer but by now Matt was a chronic alcoholic. At the age of 28, he found himself out of work for a week and, with no money, was unable to get any drink. He stood outside O’Meara’s pub hoping that his drinking friends would buy him drink but they didn’t.

Dejected and hurt, Matt made his way home. In 1884, at what today would be called “rock-bottom,” he went to Holy Cross College at Clonliffe where he took the pledge to abstain from all alcoholic drink, initially for a three month period. He also went to confession, Mass and Holy Communion that weekend, and this was to become part of his daily life until his death.

Matt’s decision to abstain for life from all alcoholic drink was the beginning of a long and challenging road. These changes in attitude in his life were not miraculous; they took time, effort and a lot of soul searching. In his late 20’s, he changed his attitude towards alcoholic drink, the practice of his faith and towards life in general. The practice of self-discipline was as hard for Matt as it is for all of us.

Matt’s life and story is not time bound. Matt was a man who had great faith rooted in prayer and the Eucharist who overcame addiction by using primarily the spiritual resources that are available to all who suffer addiction. There is no reason why the story of Matt Talbot cannot be repeated many times in our communities today. The two ingredients of free will and God’s help are still available to all.

Source:http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:wp0rb7_iY5kJ:www.clarecourier.ie/article.asp%3Fid%3D577+cusacks+bar+dublin+matt+talbot&cd=9&hl=en

Note: other articles and a book by Fr. Tom Ryan can be found by typing his name in the search box above.

The saints were not always perfect

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7th Sunday – homily*

Fr. Greg

Posted Monday, February 21, 2011

Source:http://gwcatholicforum.blogspot.com/2011/02/7th-sunday-homily.html


"Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."


The saints were not always perfect. You all know the stories of saints who were big-time sinners -like St. Mary Magdalene, St. Peter, and St Augustine. Here are two more who you might not know. The first is St Mary of Egypt who lived in the fifth century. During her teens and twenties, she didn't treat her body as a temple of the Holy Spirit, as we hear in today's second reading. She dressed immodestly and had many sexual encounters with men. One time, she even used a Church pilgrimage to Jerusalem as a way to hook up with men. It was on that pilgrimage, though, that she saw her sinful life for what it was. With the help of the blessed Mother, she gave her life to God and then lived the remaining years of her life in deep prayer and virtue.

The second is Venerable Matt Talbot who lived in Ireland in the early twentieth century. Matt was a real booze hound. He started drinking when he was 12 and would become the town drunk in his twenties. His alcoholism got so bad that he would sell the shirt off his back for a drink. He couldn't even quit drinking for a day, often. Finally, he made a three month pledge of sobriety that stuck for the last forty years of his life. Like St Mary of Egypt and all the saints, he lived heroic virtue on a regular basis.

So, the saints are not always perfect! Mary, the mother of God, is the only saint who was always perfect. If you're thinking, 'what about Jesus?', well, then, we have problems. Jesus is not a saint -He is God! He made all the saints. One kid in my last parish wanted to have Jesus as his Confirmation saint...oops… But, the saints are not always perfect. So, there is hope for us!

Now, we may not relate to the huge and dramatic sinners who became saints (some of us great sinners do). But, there is a famous quote about saints that could speak to us: "saints are sinners who never stop trying". Saints are sinners who never stop trying. That is us! We are sinners who never stop trying...to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.

We need to have the correct wisdom in approaching this commandment of our Lord. If we approach "be perfect" with the wisdom of the world (which St Paul writes is foolishness to God), then it's just for us...it's just vanity. The world is trying so hard to make itself perfect. We see this all around us in newspapers, magazines, movies, and TV. People want the perfect body, the perfect face, perfect hair, perfect this, perfect that. And, it's all for them. "The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain".

Our approach is with the wisdom of God which calls for us to become fools. We realize first and foremost that God is perfect and we can't be perfect like Him on our own. He is God! He is perfect! We can’t be perfect like Him unless He helps us. And, we only want to be perfect for His sake...not for our own. It's for His glory, not ours. This is foolishness to the world. We are fools for Christ's sake. An example of this in Matt Talbot’s life is the day he stopped by to pray in a church in Ireland. He was desperate for some Adoration as he had fallen in love with the Eucharist. This is true of all the saints. The Eucharist is how they became perfect! Well, Matt couldn't get into the church because the doors were locked. So, he knelt down on the sidewalk, and prayed in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament inside the church. He must have looked like a total fool to those passing by! He was a fool...for Christ's sake. He knew that he needed God to be perfect. And, God helped him to live a heroically virtuous life.

That is the other thing about our approach to "be perfect" - it's so much deeper than the world's approach. The world's perfection is superficial and shallow. The world swims in the shallow end of the pool; we swim in the deep end! We never stop trying to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect in regard to the virtues. We try to be merciful as our heavenly Father is merciful. We try to be loving and kind and generous as He is loving and kind and generous. The Father has given us the Son as the model to follow. If we imitate the Son's virtues, we will be like the Father.

One of the best examples of imitating the mercy of the Son is St Stephen. He was the first Christian martyr. As he was being martyred, he said virtually the same words that Christ said as he was being crucified: "do not hold this sin against them". We all have examples in our lives of how God is calling us to be perfect and holy as He is perfect and holy. Maybe your roommate hasn't spoken to you in weeks; say hello and start a conversation. Maybe there's bad blood with a family member back home. If you need to apologize to them, apologize. If you need to forgive them, forgive. Maybe it's saying hi to people on campus or on the streets. This is what we do as Christians. Jesus wants us to be unusual. Striving for perfection and holiness means doing things that aren't usually done. We won't find perfection until Heaven, but we never stop trying to be perfect in this life.

Finally, the commandment to be perfect is the culmination of the Sermon on the Mount to this point. We've been hearing the Sermon the last several Sundays, starting with the Beatitudes. Jesus has laid out how we will be happy in this life. Happiness is fulfilled in being perfect...in living holiness. When we live perfection and holiness, we live happiness.

*Note: We appreciate homilists like Fr. Greg who include aspects of Matt Talbot’s life, both for those who know of him and those who do not.
We have added the title of this homily for posting purposes.

Matt Talbot included in a Station of the Cross

In the new St. Mary Magdalen Church in Media, Pennsylvania, the Stations of the Cross include an image of Matt Talbot in Station III.

As the site indicates, “The Stations of the Cross, each incorporating a saintly person, invite us to partner with Jesus and the saints as they assist us in ou rdaily lives. These paintings were inspired by our pastor, Father Ralph Chieffo, and painted by artist Robert McGovern specifically for our church.”

III - Jesus falls the first time

(Blessed Matt Talbot)

Contrary to the artist's label, Matt Talbot is presently “Venerable,” not “Blessed,” which requires a miracle attributed to his intercession.


To see all of the Stations of the Cross on their website, see "New Church's Stations of the Cross," and click "A slide show."

http://www.stmarymagdalen.net/glass/index.

Matt Talbot--Urban Ascetic

Urban Asceticism

February 17, 2009

http://mycobwebs.wordpress.com/2009/02/17/urban-asceticism-2/

The subject of urban asceticism is of particular interest for the modern man. Though many people with a spiritual mind and soul are seeking solitude and the inner life, the material and social fabrics of their lives do not permit them to lead out the ideal life of silence. This comes with the conviction that there must be some forms of silence and solitude in order to come closer to the inner life. But it is also understood that it is not merely through silence and solitude that one comes closer to the inner life, and the comprehension of man’s destiny, but also through living simply, ascetically, and humbly.

There is something natural and inherently human about the life of silence and contemplation. It is something that is prevalent in almost every society, beginning with the ancients to this modern day. We find hermits, ascetics, and solitary mystics in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Ancient India and China, as well as the traditions of early Pagans. The term asceticism itself is derived from the Greek word askesis, meaning exercise. It is here that we should start, with the origin of the term, and its meaning in late antiquity to its practitioners. Today the term “asceticism” conjures up many mixed images for the layman, and too often these images are of extreme self-torture, and are not at all associated with the heart of original asceticism, nor its true nature, practice, and goal. Yes, there are extreme forms of asceticism, and they can be found in early Christian Desert Fathers such as Baradatus and Marana and Cyra, as well as certain Sadhus in India and Buddhist’s in Thailand. Extreme asceticism is best described as voluntary torture of the body, that is the deprivation of food, sleep, comfort; exposing the body to severe weather conditions; tormenting oneself with lack of personal space and dignity. However, there are other forms of asceticism, which are far more different and are in fact much more natural then one would perceive. Often this form of extreme asceticism is chastised by all great religions as unneeded.

But we should not look at extreme asceticism with chastisement as well. Extreme asceticism serves a very vital purpose in the spiritual life. Often it is taken up by those who have worked for many years perfecting this type of spiritual existence, often suffering great health risks at the process, and almost always with some sort of spiritual mentor who is a trained and expert ascetic. The extreme ascetics perform such acts of self-denial as a testament to faith, as an extreme example to everyone, especially those who cannot understand the spiritual life through other means, of the greatness of faith – that something as simple as faith can allow a man to withstand the rigors of such hardships, that faith can allow a man to live without almost any food for decades, that it can allow a man to live well into his 90s living in the open air without any form of comfort. It is often these types of actions that have inspired the faithless, and that is why they had existed in the fourth and fifth centuries in such great numbers, because many people could not believe in Christianity simply by the word alone – they needed cold hard prove of miracles, and seeing a man like Simeon Stylites living atop a pillar, in the brutal Syrian heat, eating only once a week, praying continuously for over 45 years.

But let us get back to asceticism as “exercise.” Because that is exactly what it is, it is a spiritual struggle and a spiritual exercise. Like an athlete of the Olympic games, the athlete of Asceticism practices daily under a strict regimen. The athlete of Asceticism has a strict diet, a strict set of codes that one must live by, in order to attain the height of wisdom. Much like the athlete yearns for the Gold Medal, so the ascetic and solitary yearns for the medal of wisdom, peace, and joy. And much like the athlete of the sport, the ascetic athlete must struggle daily to reach for that height. However the athlete’s struggle for gold lasts only several years, or maybe even only a season, while the ascetic’s and the solitary’s lasts a lifetime.

This exercise, however, has always been associated with the stillness of empty spaces, especially the desert. It is common to understand that if we are to find peace and silence within, we must first venture to the place where there is silence without. However, this must not always be the case, and I believe that many examples exist of ascetics, of solitaries, hermits, who live within the urban environment, exercising asceticism daily; because one could live in the desert of silence and find no peace either.

Today, there are hundreds of hermits and ascetics living within urban environment. Perhaps the one that has garnered the most attention is the Catholic hermit living in Philadelphia, Richard Withers, who has been a canonized hermit in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia since 2001. Many of those who have led ascetic lives have actually lived them among many people, and the environment is not a major player. Even such extreme ascetics as Francis of Assisi and Simeon Stylites, spent much of their later lives around a whole group of followers. Urban asceticism is simply something that has not yet garnered too much notice, as they might be among us, but we would never know. It is much easier to notice a strange hermit living on the outskirts of town in a self-made cave, then it is to notice a man or woman of piety living a life of forced poverty and penance, silence, and humility among us. Matt Talbot was such a person, and yet no one had any idea of what he was doing daily. Perhaps that is the interesting role of the urban ascetic, is that it is even more humble, for his or her actions are not done in the wide open fields or on tops of columns for all to see and venerate, but it is done in the silence and privacy of walls, here there is nothing between them and God but silence.

Note: Another article by the same author on asceticism that mentions Matt Talbot can be found at: http://mycobwebs.wordpress.com/2009/02/11/the-example-of-christ-in-early-syrian-christianity/

Venerable Matt Talbot

By Fr. Gabriel Burke

Saturday, January 15, 2011

http://frgabrielburke.blogspot.com/2011/01/venerable-matt-talbot.html

The Venerable Matt Talbot was born on May 2nd 1856. His parents were Charles and Elizabeth Talbot. His family at that time lived in the North Strand. He was the second eldest of 12 ,of which 6 survived into adulthood. They were a poor family. He father was a heavy drinker, so it is no surprise that Matt like his brothers became an alcoholic. Matt's formal education was about one year. Beside his name in the school role book is the word, Mitcher.

Matt started work at the age of 12. His first employment was for E & J Burke Wine Merchants.They bottled beer and stout. His first taste of alcohol was here; he used to drink the dregs from returned bottles.He then worked for the Port and Docks board and this involved barrels of whiskey. By the age of 16 he often returned home drunk.

Cusack's Bar North Strand. In Matt's Day it was O Meara's.

By the time he reached 20 Matt was a chronic alcoholic. His second home became O' Meara's Bar on North Strand. Drink became the be all and end all of his life. When he spent all his wages he would beg, borrow and steal in order to get money .He pawned his clothes and boots. He would look after horses outside pubs and the tips he got he would spend on drink. He himself recalls how he stole from a blind fiddler and pawned the violin. Then one Saturday morning in 1884 his life changed.



As usual Matt was waiting outside O' Meara's for his friends. He wanted to drink but had no money. As different men came to the Pub Matt started to scrounge from them, hoping one of them would lend him the price of a pint. Not one of them gave him money or asked him to tag along with them. Matt was devastated. He had helped many of these men in the past lending them money for drink or buying drink for them. Now it was his turn to get a helping hand and nothing.He decided to go home. His mother was preparing Dinner (Mid-day meal). Matt had resolved to take the pledge. He told his mother " Ma, I am going to take the pledge." His mother told him to take it only if he meant it. Matt was 28 and he went to Clonliffe made his confession to Rev. Dr Hickey. As is the custom he took the pledge for 3 months. Dr Hickey became his spiritual director and remained so for 25 years.

Nowadays, we have all sorts of services for those that want to give up any addiction. Matt did not have that benefit.There was no nice clinic to go to, no fraternity like the AA where one could get support. No tablets to help one through the DT's. Matt went cold turkey He had been drinking for 16 years and now nothing. What sheer hell he must of gone through.. But not a drop passed his lips. In order to fill up the time he used to spend in O'Meara's, he took to walking. One day while out walking he could smell beer and walked into Bush's Public House. However the barman was busy and did not serve the stranger. Matt felt humiliated and left. He went to Gardiner St Church and prayed. He made the resolution never to carry money with him.

During his daily walks he got into the habit of visiting a church. He did so more out of a need to rest than to pray but gradually he started to pray. In order to remain sober he went to Gardiner St Church for 5.30am mass and unusually for those times he received Holy Communion every day.Then having made his thanksgiving he went to work. When the three months of his pledge was finished, he renewed it for six more and then for life.

Matt was a member of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This organisation was founded by Fr Cullen S.J. in Gardiner St. Members pledge to abstain from all alcoholic beverages in reparation for those who drink excessively.

Matt got full time employment in T&C Martins Lumberyard. With the aid of his Spiritual Director Matt took as a rule the life the lives of the Irish saints. Work, penance, pray and study everyday. He lived an ascetical life in tune with those early Saints. He slept on a plank of wood and had a wooden block for his pillow. He slept for no more than five hours. He rose at 5am, went to mass at 5.30am, returned home for breakfast and then to work. He put in a full days work as a labourer in the lumberyard. His food consisted of potatoes and not much more. Instead of tea he drank a mixture of cold tea and cocoa.

He became a member of various confraternities and went to all their meeting. After the various confraternity meetings he returned home where he had a plan for study and spiritual reading. He learned to read by using the Bible.

Matt lived an ascetical life but he also lived in the world. Matt was a member of the newly formed

Irish Transport and General Workers Union founded by Jim Larkin. When the Lock Out occurred in 1913, other workers came out in sympathy. Matt was no different to the others. He too down tools. At first he did not take his strike pay, he then decided to take it and divided it among families that needed it. He never took part in picket duty. He was a trade unionist all his working life and never crossed a picket. Having learned to read and write he was familiar with the Church's social teaching and often spoke to his co-workers about their rights and obligations

.

Matt lived all his life in a small area of Dublin; the furthest he ever went was to Adam and Eve

Church on Merchants Quay. He was charitable and gave money to many organisations including the missions. He was a hard worker, both his employers and his co workers testify to this. He lived an obscure life and would have died unknown except for the fact he dropped dead in the street. He was either on his way to or from the Dominican Church and collapsed in Granby Lane. When they tried to revive him and open his clothes, they discovered chains on his body.That one act threw him from a life of obscurity into to a worldwide figure.

Matt was originally buried in Glasnevin, but his body was interned in Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Seán Mc Dermot St. Archbishop Byrnes opened the Diocesan Enquiry in 1931. The process went to the Holy See in 1947. Pope Paul VI declared him Venerable in 1975.

Note: We appreciate Fr. Burke publishing this article on Matt Talbot, which we have slightly edited, including photographs. Click the link above for the complete posting.

A 1949 reflection about Matt Talbot

Fr. Michael Sweetman, S.J. published this five-page reflection on Matt Talbot in The Irish Monthly (1949), twenty-four years after Matt's death and six years before Matt was declared "Venerable" by Pope Paul VI.

29131CC3d01.pdf Sweetman.pdf

A Book of Hours for Those Affected by Addiction

Harriet Roberts has published Praying Throughout the Day: A Book of Hours for Those with Addictions (2007) by Liguori Publications. This is a very fine resource for anyone who is affected by addictions and chooses to pray within the format of The Liturgy of the Hours.  The book's contents and a review are available at http://www.amazon.com/Praying-Throughout-Day-Hours-Addictions/dp/0764814796#reader_0764814796

The 12 Steps and Catholicism

Earlier this week we posted a letter by Fr. John Bonavitacola about a statue of Matt Talbot as an image of liberty placed on the grounds of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Tempe, Arizona, (http://venerablematttalbotresourcecenter.blogspot.com/2011/01/matt-talbot-as-image-of-liberty.html). In the letter that follows, Fr. John notes that there need not be a conflict between the twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and Catholicism. (We have previously noted on this resource center site that Fr. Morgan Costelloe, former Vice-Postulator for the Cause of Matt Talbot, has discussed in his book, Matt Talbot: Hope for Addicts (2001, Veritas Publications), Matt's recovery journey in light of the twelve steps, decades before AA was founded. (JB)

Letters from the Pastor
Fr. John Bonavitacola
January 2, 2011
Dear Friends,


Our Annual Mass of Gratitude for the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous takes place Saturday, January 8 at 9am followed by a Pancake Breakfast in the Hall. Come join with those who have been blessed with recovery from addiction with the help of the 12 Steps and their families and friends. Addiction and compulsive behaviors have made the life of many a person and their loved ones unmanageable to varying degrees. Gratefully we live at a moment when recovery is possible in ways that weren't prior to the program that was started by Alcoholics Anonymous.

One of my purposes in making this an annual celebration is to make clear the connection between religion and spirituality that is often severed because of a faulty understanding of 12 Step Programs. I also want to show that you can be in recovery and still be a very good Catholic. In other words there is no conflict between the 12 Steps and Catholicism.

The founders of AA knew that they would fail if they tried to promote their new found success with traditional marketing or advertising. The reason for this was that they understood that anything that would pump up the ego of the alcoholic was extremely dangerous to his sobriety as alcoholics find sobriety only through a process of deflating their overly swollen egos. Humility is essential to recovery. But the problem they faced was how could they manage to have AA accepted as a legitimate moral program and not be seen as some fringe or cult-like group if they refused to promote it?


After publishing the book Alcoholics Anonymous, a Jesuit priest named Fr. Ed Dowling happened to get a copy and he marveled at the similarity between the 12 Steps and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Fr. Dowling managed to track down Bill W, the cofounder of AA, which was not so easy since AA at that time was very strict about the anonymity of its members. He knocked on Bill W’s door on a very windy New York evening and Bill’s first thought after seeing the disheveled priest was that this was another drunk looking for help! Fr. Dowling wanted to know where Bill had gotten these 12 Steps and if he used any of St. Ignatius works. Bill, a bit confused by the question admitted he had no idea what the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius were. At that point both men began to realize that God was doing something big in the history of spirituality. All AA did was arrange the spiritual principles that the ages had handed on down in a new way that enabled alcoholics to recover. Fr. Dowling, and many other clergymen endorsed the program of AA giving it the needed nod from organized religion.

Bill W continued a friendship with Fr. Ed and often consulted many other clergymen so as to make sure the new program of AA was on solid spiritual grounds. Bill also would frequently stress that AA was not a substitute for religion and that AA would be forever in debt to the religious men and women who nurtured AA at its beginning. And in the book, "Alcoholics Anonymous,"  members are encouraged to return to their places of worship where they will find “new avenues of usefulness and pleasure” and where they and their families can be “bright spots” in their congregations. In other words the recovered person and their recovered family can offer much to those who sit in the pews with them and still suffer because of alcoholism or addiction. Thank you to the many, many recovered members of our parish and their families who have so generously shared their “experience, strength and hope” of pain and healing with those who still suffer in our parish. Remember you never know when you will be needed to help another, but you can’t help another if you are not there to pass it on!


And to the families whose loved ones have died as a direct result of alcoholism or addiction or who are still wounded by the scars of this disease please come and pray with us for your loved ones. Together let us continue to “trudge the road of happy destiny”. Until January 8 may God bless you and keep you!


"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next."
Amen. -- Reinhold Niebuhr


Source: 2011, Jan 2, 2011 - Annual Mass of Gratitude 

Note: The prayer at the end of this letter is known as "The Serenity Prayer" in its "long- form."

Mini-biography of Matt Talbot included in new book

Although Matt Talbot is not yet a saint, he is frequently used as an example of recovery from alcoholism in such books with "saint" in the title. (JB)

Saints for the Sick: Heavenly Help for those who Suffer (2010, TAN Books)

by Joan Carroll Cruz

 

Source:  http://www.amazon.com/Saints-Sick-Heavenly-those-Suffer/dp/0895558327

 

Book description: "In this intriguing new book, bestselling author Joan Carroll Cruz presents 76 mini-biographies highlighting saintly Catholics who faced intense, long-term suffering and disability with sweetness, peace and love for Jesus Christ. These stories show the triumph of God s grace where the world finds only ugliness and approaching death. They describe some lives so recent that the saint s family members are still living today, with many causes for canonization being currently active in Rome.

 

Included here are Bl. Zelie Martin, who died of breast cancer; 14-year-old Bl. Isidore Bakanja, the Scapular martyr from Africa; the famous leper priest, St. Damien of Molokai;  Venerable Matthew Talbot, the alcoholic; St. Germaine Cousin, rejected because of a birth defect; and little Nennolina Meo, who died from cancer of the bone, lungs and brain. Also included are persons who suffered from paralysis, amputation, deformities, breathing problems, mental illnesses, kidney ailments, intestinal disorders, and more as well as from medical treatment itself.

Particularly remarkable are the children who suffered, including young people ages 15, 13, 12, 11 and even 6 ! For these there was no grasping at the remnants of earthly life but rather an eager anticipation of Heaven. These children showed unwavering resolve to suffer for the love of God and the conversion of sinners and they endeavored to console their parents.

SAINTS FOR THE SICK is a book that reinforces our Catholic faith and gives renewed hope to those who are dealing with bodily struggles. Moreover, it puts us in touch with heavenly intercessors who will gladly help us for they know exactly what we are going through on earth."

Breaking the bonds of addiction

In our earlier posting today titled, "Matt Talbot as an image of liberty," Fr. John Bonavitacola refers to a recent book by Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, Let the Oppressed Go Free: Breaking the Bonds of Addiction (2009, Basilica Press).

Here is part of an interview by Lou Baldwin with Cardinal Rigali about this book:

“I found it (Q & A format) quite satisfactory,” Cardinal Rigali said. “The text itself could be quite precise because the questions were precise. That way we got around excessive generalities. The formula is something like the ‘Baltimore Catechism;’ there is something to be said about that.”

His particular topic, the Cardinal said, was chosen by him in consultation with Basilica Press.

“This is something that is very relevant and useful, and I was hoping by writing it I could make a contribution that could help people in their lives. I’ll be very pleased if it will get into the hands of people it will help or those who will help them.”

Although the Cardinal’s book cites such traditional addictions as alcohol and drugs, others noted didn’t exist a decade or two ago; for example, online shopping and cyber-pornography. This leads to the question, is today’s environment more conducive to addictive behavior than in the past?

“I believe today’s environment is much more challenging,” the Cardinal said. “Technology, for its many blessings, does present special difficulties. In that sense you can say the environment is more conducive to addictive behavior.”

As addiction is acquired, he said, “freedom is wounded.” It is important to try to ward off addiction long before it takes place because once it takes hold free will is gone.”

Addiction, he said, “actually leads to slavery, and in doing so we have tremendous violence done to one of our greatest gifts, which is the gift of free will.”

In the book the Cardinal advocates the use of spiritual advisors, prayer and the sacraments of penance and the Eucharist for those fighting addictions.

“Prayer is extremely important in overcoming addiction and avoiding addiction to begin with,” he said. “For those who are in the household of our faith, penance and Eucharist are so important. Their value, their power, can never be over-estimated.” To try to overcome addiction through willpower alone is absolutely insufficient. It is not only problematic it is impossible.

Cardinal Rigali likened this approach to the heresy of Pelagianism which said man can ascend to God by his own power.

“Just as that was successfully debunked over the years we know that in addictions you cannot raise yourself up by your own power alone,” he said.

Willpower is to be absolutely cultivated but it is to be combined with natural and supernatural means.

One of the natural means prominently covered in the book is the Twelve Step Program. It was originally designed to overcome alcohol addiction but has since been adopted for many other addictions.

“A very important principal of the Twelve Steps is to speak of the power of God or at least of a Higher Power, and that’s something essential to overcome addictions,” the Cardinal said. “It is a great thing that it is so recognized now, if not universally recognized, certainly greatly recognized, the need to rely on the power of God and His help through which we receive grace and strength.”

There are natural helps and supernatural helps, and “the Church draws our attention to this and says, ‘Don’t be discouraged. God’s love abides with His people.’ For those who have slipped into addictions it is possible, with God’s help, to overcome them,” Cardinal Rigali said.

“Let the Oppressed Go Free” is the seventh book in The Shepherd’s Voice Series, according to Alan Napleton, President and CEO of Basilica Press and is available through its distributor, Catholic Work
(800-932-3826) or through religious bookstores.

Following upon the early positive reception of the book, there will be a conference based upon the book and its topic of addictions through the lens of Catholic teaching."


Note:  The homily and remarks by Cardinal Rigalis at this conference can be found by clicking:November 5, 2010: "Let the Oppressed Go Free: Breaking the Bonds of Addiction" Remarks to Conference Participants

November 5, 2010: "Let the Oppressed Go Free: Breaking the Bonds of Addiction" Homily During Mass for Participants ]

A review of this book by Professor Oliver Morgan of the University of Scranton can be found at:  Let the oppressed go - Page 1 of 7 Let the oppressed go free ...

Source of interview: http://cst-phl.com/cardinal-rigalis-new-book-tackles-the-problem-of-addictions-p1086.htm. 

We greatly appreciate all of this information being available online.

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

 

 

Imagining Matt's Tenement Room

In contrast to Flora Mitchell's commemorative painting of Matt Talbot's room (THREE WORKS COMMEMORATING THE LIFE OF MATT TALBOT, the second photograph is of "a typical room in a tenement, not unlike the room in which Matt Talbot would have lived," according to the St. Agatha's Parish, Dublin, website (http://www.stagathasparish.ie/archive-pictures/1918-1928). St. Agatha is a church where Matt regularly attended mass and where the current parish priest is Fr. Brian Lawless, the current Vice-Postulator for the Cause of Venerable Matt Talbot.

THREE WORKS COMMEMORATING THE LIFE OF MATT TALBOT

These paintings are by Flora H. Mitchell, 1890-1993, and this text is from Whyte's at http://www.whytes.ie/ImageDisplay.asp?Auction=20070917&offset=140&IMAGE=142)

"The Venerable Matt Talbot (1856-1925) was a working class Dubliner who renounced alcohol and led an exemplary life of piety and clarity. He died on the way to Sunday Mass and was initially buried in a pauper's grave. In 1952 his remains were exhumed and transferred to a double vault, depicted here. He was beatified by Pope Paul VI.
Individual titles are No. 18 Rutland St, Dublin, where Matt Talbot resided (exterior of building), Vault, Glasnevin Cemetery, and No. 18 Upper Rutland St., Dublin (interior)"

Note: We appreciate these paintings being available online for viewing by Whyte's.
Information about the artist can be found at http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-61551592.html or by emailing us at ven.matt.talbot.resource.center@gmail.com
for the complete article.

Stained Glass Image of Matt Talbot Praying

This "cropped" 2010 stained glass image of Matt Talbot is from a larger stained glass located at The Shrine of the Penitent, St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Kentwood, Michigan. See our December 21, 2010 post for more detail:
http://venerablematttalbotresourcecenter.blogspot.com/2010/12/2010-stained-glass-of-matt-talbot.html

2010 Stained Glass of Matt Talbot

 


This stained glass surrounding one exit at The Shrine of the Penitent, St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Kentwood, Michigan, represents Venerable Matt Talbot, as a drunkard (on the left) and after conversion and recovery (on the right). The overall architectural design of the Shrine and church focuses on a place where sinners and penitents, might find refuge, comfort, and forgiveness. 

(Besides the Matt Talbot stained glass, each of the additional eight exits surrounded by stained glass, not reproduced here, represent a saint or other whose actions before total conversion to God reinforce the belief in penitence: St. Mary Magdalen, a woman possessed by seven demons; St. Augustine of Hippo, a hedonist; King David, adulterer and murderer; St. Dismas, a condemned thief; St. Peter, who denied the Lord; St. Paul, a zealot and persecutor of the early church; The Prodigal Son, the selfish squanderer; and All Souls, in need of God's mercy.)

This slightly reorganized information above is from the "The windows of St. Mary Magdalen" brochure which can be downloaded at http://stmmagdalen.org/wp-content/uploads/SMM-window-booklet-4-2012.pdf

A newspaper article about the artist and some photographs can be found at http://www.mlive.com/living/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/04/church_member_designs_new_stai.html


(The image of Matt Talbot praying appears in the December 22, 2010 post at http://venerablematttalbotresourcecenter.blogspot.com/2010/12/new-stained-glass-image-of-matt-talbot.html)

UPDATE:  On July 1, 2012, a destructive fire destroyed most of St. Magdalene Catholic Church in Kentwood, Michigan, which housed “The Shine of the Penitent.”

Of the nine stained glass exit images created by Maria Orr (http://www.mlive.com/living/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/04/church_member_designs_new_stai.html), five were totally destroyed while four survived with repairable smoke damage, including that of Venerable Matt Talbot.

While the church will be rebuilt, the status of the stained glass images is uncertain at this time. The pastor’s column can be found at http://stmmagdalen.org/wp-content/uploads/0708045.pdf and contributions may be made at http://stmmagdalen.org/resurrection-fund/

Stained Glass of Venerable Matt Talbot

This image of Matt Talbot is located at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. http://www.sacredheartlanc.org/storage/matt%20talbot.htm. As noted at

http://www.sacredheartlanc.org/parish_info/tour_of_the_church.htm, this stained glass of Matt among others..."depict saints who best represent the occupations and professions of the church members." We appreciate this image being available online.

Matt Talbot and the Gardiner Street Parish

The following article appeared at  http://www.jesuit.ie/where-we-work/pioneer-total-abstinence-association

"The Church of St Francis Xavier in Gardiner Street was one of the first churches to be built in Dublin after Catholic Emancipation (Catholic Relief Act) in 1829. The church in Hardwicke St opened in 1821. By 1829, however, it had become too small for the congregations. In that year, then, the first stone was laid, and the first Mass was said in the new parish church on May 3, 1832. The Jesuits had been in the Hardwicke St area since the 1730s, on the site now occupied by the Sacred Heart statue. They opened a school there, and in 1841 this became Belvedere College. Many well-known people of faith have been associated with the church. Among them is [Venerable] Matt Talbot, a recovered alcoholic whose cause for beatification is in process. He prayed in the church each day at the 5.30 a.m. Mass, and in fact died on his way to a later Mass in Dominic St Church in Granby Lane, on June 7, 1925. John Henry Cardinal Newman celebrated Mass here when he lived in Dorset St in 1854; his cause for beatification is in process too. [John Henry Newman was declared "Blessed" in September, 2010.] Also, it can be surmised that Blessed Dom Columba Marmion visited the church when he was Professor at Clonliffe College. Gardiner Street Church is also the resting place of Fr John Sullivan SJ whose cause for canonisation is in process in Rome. His tomb draws a daily stream of devotees, as does the monthly Mass in his memory. Fr John worked for a short time in the church in 1907..." This is also the church where "The Pioneer Total Abstinence Association of the Sacred Heart" was founded on 28th December, 1898, by Fr. James A. Cullen; Matt Talbot was a member of the PTAA.

"Saint in Overalls: The Lesson of Matt Talbot"

by Edward Duff, S.J.
The Irish Monthly, Vol. 68, No. 807, (Sept, 1940), pp. 490-500

0E6C1CC3d01.pdf Duff 1940 Saint in Overalls.

Note: This article was published 15 years after Matt Talbot's death.
We are grateful such articles are available by the publisher, Irish
Jesuit Province, through http://www.jstor.org.

Matt Talbot Birthplace Plaque

The birthplace plaque of Matt Talbot was unveiled in Dublin on 30, November, 2010.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lordmayor/5221552752/in/set-72157625501139358/ (By Lord Mayor of Dublin's photostream) Additional photographs of the unveiling are available at this link.

It would appear that the image of Matt Talbot on this plaque is the preferred one of the Dublin Diocesan Matt Talbot Committee, whose Executive Chairman is V. Rev. Brian Lawless, Vice-Postulator for the Cause of Venerable Matt Talbot.

"Saints show the way"

By F. MacN.

The Irish Times

October 31, 1998

We enter the leaf-strewn paths of November on a day of victory recalled and of hope made new. The feast of all our saints brings a special radiance to dispel the winter gloom. We take time to remember the women and men who made glad the landscape of our lives by the beauty and fidelity and generous love of the pilgrim days. Their example shines as a beacon to guide us safely even in our darkest days. We have our cherished favourites among the women and the men who brought holiness into the daily round. They made the world a better place for all of us who now follow their footsteps on the once-made journey. Like us, they knew the daily struggle between high ideals and inherent weakness, between Gospel challenge and the siren call of selfishness and sin. They realised that the spirit could indeed be willing but the flesh could be forever weak. In fidelity to the Godgiven faith which we now share they realised that our help was in the name of the Lord who made both the majestic heavens and the wondrous earth.

Their memory inspires us still. Their prayers reach out to help us and to heal. They summon us to turn aside from folly and from falsehood. When we make our pilgrim way to Lough Derg, to Clonmacnoise, to Kildare, to Glendalough or Gougane Barra, we realise we are on holy ground. We breath a purer air and, made clean in body, mind and heart, we return to our daily task alive to Gospel truth.

On this glad November day we allow ourselves to be touched by the example of Edith Stein and Oliver Plunket, of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, George Simms, Matt Talbot and so many more. The torch-bearers go before us. We ignore them at our peril. Great lights shine so often. Do we close our eyes and turn away? Or do we live by truth of Scripture and by grace of Sacrament?

Many of us may say "Gospel values are beautiful, life-giving and forever true. But we live in evil times." St. Augustine calls us to reject shallow cliché. "We ourselves make the times. If we are good we make good times. Let us fashion the times by the quality of our lives."

Grace built in nature develops us and brings all qualities to perfection. The women and the men we honour to-day to prove us that we can live and love and work in happy, well-ordered days of sanity and full development as people of the Beatitudes. To this we are called. On the pilgrim way we discover fulfilment and lasting peace. When we stray, the Good Shepherd awaits us in love to lead from darkness back to light.

We rejoice today with the women and the men who walked before us in faith, in fidelity and in love. The guiding star of Resurrection hope shines for us as for them and leads us safely home.

May all the splendid company

Whom Christ in glory came to meet

Help on our once-travelled path

Made clearer by their pilgrim feet.

Lord, that I may see!

Source: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/1998/1031/98103100079.html