Venerable Matt Talbot

Considered the patron of men and women struggling with alcoholism, he was born on 2 May 1856 in Dublin, where his father worked on the docks and had a difficult time supporting his family. After a few years of schooling, Matt obtained work as a messenger for liquor merchants; there he began to drink excessively. For 15 years Matt was an active alcoholic. One day he decided to give up drinking, make a general confession and begin to attend daily Mass. Most of his life Matt worked as a builder’s laborer. Matt spent hours every night avidly reading Scripture and the lives of thesaints. He prayed the rosary conscientiously. Though his job did not make him rich, Matt contributed generously to the missions. He joined the Secular Franciscan Order and began a life of strict penance. He died on his way to church 7 June 1925.  Fifty years later, Pope Paul VI gave him the title venerable.

Venerable Matt Talbot​, Pray for Us.