Vénérable Matt Talbot
Laïc
irlandais (+ 1925)
Alcoolique depuis son adolescence, cet ouvrier de Dublin parvint à se libérer du vice de l’alcoolisme et devint bienfaiteur des plus nécessiteux.
«Le Royaume des cieux fut promis non pas à ceux qui ont du bon sens ou qui sont instruits, mais à ceux qui sont semblables aux enfants».
Il meurt d’une attaque cardiaque le 7 juin 1925, dans une rue de Dublin.
Le 3 octobre 1975, le pape Paul VI proclame ses vertus héroïques. Aujourd’hui, les reliques de Matt Talbot reposent dans l’église Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes à Dublin.
- en anglais, The Venerable Matt Talbot, St. Mary’s Pro-Cathedral
- Dublin 2018: le pape priera devant les reliques du vénérable Matt Talbot (Zenit )
- 'Matt Talbot (1856-1925) est un irlandais connu dans le monde entier pour sa
lutte contre l’alcoolisme… Bien que sa vie ne nous soit que partiellement
connue, Matt Talbot est une figure des plus mystérieuses… Vénéré par les
catholiques pour s’être sorti de l’alcool, Matt Talbot est considéré par de
nombreux chrétiens comme le Saint Patrons des alcooliques de par sa piété,
ainsi que pour sa mortification de la chair…' Saints et religieux en
Irlande, guide Irlande.
SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/13305/V%C3%A9n%C3%A9rable-Matt-Talbot.html
Vénérable Matt Talbot
Matt Talbot (1856-1925)
est un irlandais connu dans le monde entier pour sa lutte contre l’alcoolisme…
Bien que sa vie ne nous soit que partiellement connue, Matt Talbot est une
figure des plus mystérieuse… Vénéré par les catholiques pour s’être sortit de
l’alcool, Matt Talbot est considéré par de nombreux chrétiens comme le Saint
Patrons des alcooliques de par sa piété, ainsi que pour sa mortification de la
chair…
Biographie de Matt Talbot
Une Jeunesse marquée par
l’alcoolisme
Matt Talbot naît au sein
d’une famille pauvre de Dublin. Second d’une famille de 12 enfants, Matt est
souvent livré à lui-même, et connaît très jeune les affres de l’alcoolisme,
influencé par son père et son frère, également exposés à la forte consommation d’alcool…
Matt Talbot quitte alors l’école à l’âge de 12 ans, et décroche un travail dans
un magasin de vente de bière, ce qui n’améliore guère son alcoolisme… Très vite
lassé par cet emploi, il trouve un nouvel emploi dans un magasin de whiskey…
C’est alors l’escalade : Matt Talbot boit au travail, dépense tout son argent
au Pub, emprunte des sommes à son entourage et s’accable peu à peu de dettes…
Il en va jusqu’à voler un fiddle pour le vendre et le dépenser en alcool…
Matt Talbot décide de
lutter contre son alcoolisme
C’est en 1884, que Matt
semble au plus mal. Prenant peu à peu conscience de son alcoolisme récurrent,
celui-ci décide de « prendre l’engagement » de s’arrêter de boire… Pour ce
faire, il se rend au Collège de Sainte Croix de Clonliffe, et fait serment de
cesser de boire durant 3 mois… Cette période s’écoule alors lentement, et Matt
peine à se sevrer, mais y parvient malgré tout sans écarts… A la fin des 3
mois, Matt décide de prolonger cet engagement, et s’engage pour 6 mois, puis
pour la vie… S’en sera alors finit pour lui de l’alcoolisme : jamais plus nous
le verrons une pinte à la main.
Au départ insensible à la
religion, Talbot redécouvre le catholicisme à l’issue de son sevrage… Dès lors,
Talbot décide de mener une vie de piété et de générosité… Dès 1890, Talbot
devient membre de l’ordre franciscain, et intègre en 1915 un minuscule
appartement dans Dublin où il mène une vie d’acète, mangeant peu, dormant sur
des planches de bois, priant à toute occasion (même au travail), et se rendant
de messes en messes dès que le temps le lui permet…
Mort de Talbot
Talbot meurt le 7 juin
1925, alors qu’il se rend à la messe… Ce dernier s’effondre, foudroyé par une
insuffisance cardiaque chronique… Très vite, le corps de l’irlandais est
transféré à l’hôpital, et est déshabillé. On y découvre avec stupeur un corps
meurtri dans sa chair : une chaîne est enroulée autour de sa taille, tandis que
d’autres chaînes et cordes sont enroulées autour de ses bras et de ses jambes.
Talbot s’imposait durant son vivant d’innombrables sévices corporels, fidèle à
son engagement religieux.
Rapidement, la Communauté
religieuse fait grand cas de cette découverte… Matt Talbot qui vivait autrefois
une vie d’anonyme passe dès lors à la postérité suite à sa mort… Ce dernier est
enterré au cimetière de Glasnevin : de nombreuses personnes lui rendent un
dernier hommage…
Depuis, Talbot est devenu
une figure emblématique de la lutte contre l’alcoolisme auprès des catholiques
du monde entier. De nombreux établissements hospitaliers et de cure de
désintoxication ont été rebaptisés en son honneur, tout comme un pont au coeur
même de Dublin (Le Talbot Memorial Bridge). Le 6 Novembre 1931, Byrne
archevêque de Dublin a ouvert une enquête sous serment sur les revendications
alléguées de sainteté de ce travailleur (ancienne station d’accueil). L’enquête
officielle sous serment au Vatican, a commencé en 1947. Le 3 octobre 1975 Pape
Paul VI a déclaré vénérable Matt Talbot, ce qui est une étape sur la route pour
sa canonisation, un processus qui nécessite la preuve d’un miracle physique
afin de réussir.
Les restes de Matt Talbot
ont été transférés du cimetière de Glasnevin en l’église Notre-Dame de Lourdes
sur Sean McDermott Street à Dublin en 1972. Le tombeau possède un épais un panneau
de verre par lequel on peut observer le cercueil de Talbot.
Profile
Born to a poor family
with a history of alcoholism,
Matt took to drink when still a child,
and was considered a hopeless alcoholic by age thirteen. At age 28, he
had conversion experience
and, on his knees, he made a pledge of sobriety; he lived another 41 years
without ever breaking that vow.
He was a member of
the Transport and General Workers Union, and worked in a lumber yard on
the docks of Dublin, Ireland.
He was always poor and
never cared, yet was always generous to people in need. He lived a life
of prayer, fasting,
and service, never taking credit, and, though a layman,
tried to model himself on the sixth
century Irish monks.
Even as his Cause is
being investigated, some consider him a modern patron of alcoholics and
other addicts. There are a number of Matt Talbot houses, inns, centers, etc.
around the English speaking world, working to rescue and treat the addicted.
Born
7 June 1925 in Dublin, Ireland of
natural causes
3 October 1975 by Pope Paul
VI (decree of heroic causes)
Additional
Information
Prayer
for the Canonization of Matthew Talbot
Life of Matt Talbot, by
Sir Joseph Aloysius Glynn
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other
sites in english
K V Turley: The Dublin Mystic
images
video
fonti
in italiano
Readings
It is a constancy God wants. – Venerable Matt
Talbot
MLA
Citation
“Venerable Matthew
Talbot“. CatholicSaints.Info. 24 September 2022. Web. 4 February 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/venerable-matthew-talbot/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/venerable-matthew-talbot/
Prayer
for the Canonization of Matthew Talbot
O Jesus, true friend of
the humble worker, Thou hast given us in Thy servant, Matthew, a wonderful
example of victory over vice, a model of penance and of love for Thy Holy
Eucharist, grant, we beseech Thee, that we Thy servants may overcome all our
wicked passions and sanctify our lives with penance and love like his.
And if it be in
accordance with Thy adorable designs that Thy pious servant should be glorified
by the Church, deign to manifest by Thy heavenly favours the power he enjoys in
Thy sight. Who livest and reignest for ever and ever.
Amen.
– with the permission of
the archbishop of the Archdiocese of Dublin, Ireland, 15 June 1931
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/prayer-for-the-canonization-of-matthew-talbot/
Venerable Matt Talbot
Birth: 1856
Death: 1925
Venerable Matt Talbot -
(1856 - 1925) From his early teens until age 28 Matt's only aim in life had
been liquor. But from that point forward, his only aim was God. Matt Talbot was
born May 2, 1856, the second of twelve children born to
Charles and Elizabeth Talbot.
In Matt's early years he knew little security or stability. Compulsory school
attendance was not in force, and Matt never attended any school regularly.
At the age of twelve Matt
ot his first job; it was in a wine bottling store and that is when his
excessive drinking began. One evening when he was 28 he went out and found a
priest, went to confession and
"took the Pledge" for three months. Many times he felt he would not
be able to hold out for three months, but within the year he renewed the pledge
for life, never touching alcohol again (41 more years). His resolve was
maintained by a new life of
much prayer, daily Mass, hard work and much penance. Matt Talbot collapsed and
died of heart failure on June 7, 1925. Penitential chains were found on his
body after his death.
After Matt's death his
reputation for holiness became
widespread, and by 1931 the first inquiry into his life had
begun. The decree on
his virtues was issued October 3, 1975.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=430
Venerable Matt Talbot
Venerable Matt Talbot is
considered the patron of men and women struggling with alcoholism.
Matt was born 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
some liquor merchants; there he began to drink excessively. For 15 years—until
he was almost 30—Matt was an active alcoholic.
One day he decided to
take “the pledge” for three months, make a general confession and begin to
attend daily Mass. There is evidence that Matt’s first seven years after taking
the pledge were especially difficult. Avoiding his former drinking places was
hard. He began to pray as intensely as he used to drink. He also tried to pay
back people from whom he had borrowed or stolen money while he was drinking.
Most of his life Matt
worked as a builder’s laborer. He joined the Secular Franciscan Order and began
a life of strict penance; he abstained from meat nine months a year. Matt spent
hours every night avidly reading Scripture and the lives of the saints. He
prayed the rosary conscientiously. Though his job did not make him rich, Matt
contributed generously to the missions.
After 1923 his health
failed and Matt was forced to quit work. He died on his way to church on
Trinity Sunday. Fifty years later Pope Paul VI gave him the title venerable.
SOURCE : http://www.ucatholic.com/saints/matt-talbot/
Venerable Matt Talbot
Matt Talbot was born
on the 2nd May 1856 at 13, Aldborough Court in the Parish of St. Agatha. Matt
was one of Dublin's poor he lived in a tenement, wore second hand cloths, died
in a laneway and was buried in a pauper's grave. Coming from such a deprived
background and with an alcoholic father and a family history of neglect and
poverty, Matt found himself sucked into the culture of addiction and to the
only choice of drug available to the poor of his day alcohol. Matt like so many
others embraced alcohol as a means of escape from the misery and poverty of
daily life. Today we live in an age of addictions more sophisticated perhaps
than those of Matt's day, addictions to substances such as alcohol and other
drugs soft or hard, prescription or illegal, addictions to gambling,
pornography and the internet, addictions to work, professional advancement,
sex, money and power. All these have the ability to destroy our lives and like
demons even our very souls as well.
Matt Talbot gradually
came to this awareness and from the time of his conversion as a young man of
28, he spent the rest of his life living to a heroic extent the Christian
virtues through prayer, spiritual reading, work and acts of charity. Matt sets
before us a radical example which demonstrates that ordinary people can do
extraordinary things. His life is a witness to the fact that people can by
God's grace and their own self acceptance say no to that which leads to
addiction or addictive behaviors.
SOURCE : http://www.matttalbot.ie/index.htm
The Venerable Matt Talbot (1856-1925)
1856
Matt Talbot was born on
2nd May to Elizabeth and Charles Talbot at Alderborough Court, North Strand. He
was baptised in the Pro-Cathedral, on 5th May.
1868
Having attended school
for only one year, Matt got his first job. At this time he began to drink and
later admitted that from his early teens to his late twenties his only aim in
life was heavy drinking.
1884
Matt stopped drinking and
made an initial three month pledge to God not to drink. Despite great
temptation in the early stages he never took a drink again.
1884-1925
His remaining forty-one
'dry' years, were lived heroically, attending daily Mass, praying constantly,
helping the poor and living the ascetic life-style of Celtic spirituality. This
life was his prayer to God and his defence against a reversion to alcoholism.
1925 +
Matt died in Granby Lane
on Trinity Sunday, 7th June on his way to Mass in Dominick Street. The chains
found on his body at death were a symbol of his devotion to Mary, to whom he
wished to devote himself as a slave.
Within a short time of
his death, Matt's reputation as a saintly man and especially as a protector of
those suffering from all forms of addiction and their families was being
established.
Matt Talbot was declared
Venerable in 1973 which means the Church has decided that from a human point of
view he has the qualifications of a Saint.
2006
Timothy Schmalz, a
Canadian sculptor, donated this memorial to the Pro-Cathedral on the 150th
anniversary of Matt's birth and baptism.
Prayer for the
Canonisation of Venerable 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
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 favours
the power he enjoys in
your sight.
We ask this through the
same
Jesus Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
Favours received through
the intercession of the Venerable Matt Talbot should be notified as soon as
possible to the Vice Postulator:
Very Reverend Brian
Lawless, Adm
Parish of St. Agatha,
North William Street,
Dublin 1.
SOURCE : http://www.procathedral.ie/matt-talbot
June 19
Venerable Matt Talbot
(1856-1925)
Matt can be considered
the patron of men and women struggling with alcoholism.
Matt was born 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
some liquor merchants; there he began to drink excessively. For 15 years—until
he was almost 30—Matt was an active alcoholic.
One day he decided to
take "the pledge" for three months, make a general confession and
begin to attend daily Mass. There is evidence that Matt’s first seven years
after taking the pledge were especially difficult. Avoiding his former drinking
places was hard. He began to pray as intensely as he used to drink. He also
tried to pay back people from whom he had borrowed or stolen money while he was
drinking.
Most of his life Matt
worked as a builder’s laborer. He joined the Secular Franciscan Order and began
a life of strict penance; he abstained from meat nine months a year. Matt spent
hours every night avidly reading Scripture and the lives of the saints. He
prayed the rosary conscientiously. Though his job did not make him rich, Matt
contributed generously to the missions.
After 1923 his health
failed, and Matt was forced to quit work. He died on his way to church on
Trinity Sunday. Fifty years later Pope Paul VI gave him the title venerable.
Comment :
In looking at the life of
Matt Talbot, we may easily focus on the later years when he had stopped
drinking for some time and was leading a penitential life. Only alcoholic men
and women who have stopped drinking can fully appreciate how difficult the earliest
years of sobriety were for Matt.
He had to take one day at
a time. So do the rest of us.
Quote :
On an otherwise blank
page in one of Matt’s books, the following is written: "God console thee
and make thee a saint. To arrive at the perfection of humility four things are
necessary: to despise the world, to despise no one, to despise self, to despise
being despised by others."
Patron Saint of :
Alcoholics
Sobriety
SOURCE : http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/saint.aspx?id=1418
Venerable Matt Talbot
Feast day: June 19
(Patron of Struggling and
Recovering Addicts and Alcoholics)
Matthew Talbot (1856 -
1925) was born in the poverty of Dublin's inner city. He took to drink when
still a child, and was considered a hopeless alcoholic by age thirteen. When
his wages were spent, he borrowed and scrounged for money. He pawned his clothes
and boots to get money for alcohol. He became a thief, once even stealing the
violin from a blind street entertainer. The violin was sold to pay for a
"Drinks are on me!" pub bill. Sixteen years later at age 28, he
decided to "kick the habit". His remaining forty-one dry years were
lived heroically, attending daily Mass, praying constantly, helping the poor
and living the ascetic life-style of Celtic spirituality. A Jesuit priest
helped him, giving him a rehabilitation program, which providentially incorporated
what was to become the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. This is not really
surprising when one remembers that a Jesuit Father, Father Edward Dowling
helped A.A. to formulate this program in 1935. The steps have basis in the
Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits. The priest
also gave him a chain to wear wrapped around his waist beneath his clothing. It
was a very light but somewhat long chain, much like a clock chain. He wore it
as a self-reminder of the fact that he was once enslaved by alcohol, and of his
pledge to the Sacred Heart to keep on fighting "the demon". Matt also
became a Third Order Franciscan in 1890. "Never be too hard on the man who
can't give up drink." He told his sister. "It's as hard to give up
the drink as it is to raise the dead to life again. But... both are possible
and even easy for Our Lord. We have only to depend on him."
Matt Talbot worked in the
lumber yards on the docks of Dublin. He was always very poor, partly because he
was so generous to people in need. To his neighbors and his fellow workers, he
was a cheerful, happy friend. He gave away most of his wages every week to the
poor at home and in the Catholic missions abroad. He lived a life of prayer,
fasting, and service, trying to model himself on the sixth century Irish Monks.
He read Scripture, lives of saints, and -considering his meager schooling- an
astounding assortment of books: The Confessions of St. Augustine; writings of
St. Francis de Sales, St. Teresa of Avila, and Blessed John Cardinal Newman;
papal encyclicals, world history, and social policy. Word by word, he
deciphered what they said. What he couldn't understand, Matt laboriously copied
onto scraps of paper, and then handed it to a sometimes astonished priest for
explanation the next time he went to Confession.
After a life of heroic
perseverance, Matt died suddenly while walking to Mass, June 7, 1925. Venerable
Matt Talbot's remains were moved to Our Lady of Lourdes church on Sean
McDermott Street, Dublin, Ireland in 1972. The tomb has glass panels through
which the coffin may be seen. He was declared Venerable by Pope Paul VI in
1975. Addiction treatment programs, retreats, and centers throughout the world
now bear his name.
Saint's Prayer
Gentle Matt, I turn to
you in my present needs and ask for the help of your prayers. Trusting in you,
I am confident your charitable and understanding heart will make my petitions
your own. I believe that you are truly powerful in the presence of Divine Mercy.
If it be for the glory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the honor of Mary, our
Mother and Queen and the deepening of my relationship with them, show that your
goodness towards me, in my daily struggles, equals your influence with the Holy
Spirit, who is hidden and at home in my Heart. Friend of pity, friend of power,
hear, oh hear me in this hour. Gentle Matt, please pray for me. Amen
SOURCE :
Venerable Matt Talbot
Profile
Born to a poor family
with a history of alcoholism, he took to drink when still a child, and was
considered a hopeless alcoholic by age thirteen. At age 28, he had conversion
experience, and on his knees, he made a pledge of sobriety; he lived another 41
years without ever breaking that vow.
He was a member of the
Transport and General Workers Union, and worked in a lumber yard on the docks
of Dublin. He was always poor and never cared, yet was always generous to
people in need. He lived a life of prayer, fasting, and service, never taking
credit, and trying to model himself on the sixth century Irish monks.
Even as his Cause is
being investigated, some consider him a modern patron of alcoholics and other
adicts. There are a number of Matt Talbot houses, inns, centers, etc. around
the English speaking world, working to rescue and treat them.
Born
2 May 1856 in Dublin,
Ireland
Died
7 June 1925 in Dublin,
Ireland of natural causes
Venerated
3 October 1975
Beatified
pending; if you have
information relevant to the beatification of Venerable Matt, contact:
Vice-Postulation
Saint Mary’s Pro-Cathedral
83 Marlborough Street,
Dublin 1, IRELAND
(...)
Readings
It is a constancy God
wants.
-Venerable Matt Talbot
SOURCE : http://saints.sqpn.com/saintm8j.htm
Venerabile Matteo
Talbot Terziario Francescano
Aldborough, Dublino, 2
maggio 1856 – Dublino, 7 giugno 1925
Etimologia: Matteo =
uomo di Dio, dall'ebraico
Viene da una famiglia di
12 figli, ai quali il padre, dipendente di dogana, quindi con uno stipendio
fisso ma decisamente inadeguato ai bisogni familiari, può garantire appena
un’infarinatura di istruzione, avendo bisogno che inizino presto a lavorare,
per aiutarlo a sbarcare il lunario. A soli 14 anni, scolando i fondi delle
bottiglie nella fabbrica in cui lavora, si innamora della birra. Vedendo il
figlio tornare ogni giorno anormalmente allegro, papà Talbot arriva alla
conclusione che il suo Matt non può continuare a lavorare nel birrificio e gli
cerca un lavoro al porto di Dublino, come scaricatore di traghetti. Qui,
vedendosi passare tra le mani intere casse di whisky, impara subito i trucchi
per far “sparire” qualche bottiglia, che si scola in solitudine. Per
dipiù ha imparato anche un vocabolario da autentico “scaricatore di
porto”, in cui le bestemmie si alternano alle volgarità. Papà interviene
pesantemente per fargli perdere il vizio di bere, addirittura alzando le mani
su di lui, ma evidentemente non è nelle condizioni migliori per insegnare al
figlio, vista anche la sua inclinazione alle frequenti bevute. È invece lui
stesso che, in uno scatto di orgoglio, si cerca da solo un altro lavoro
che gli permetta di uscire dal degrado in cui si trova. Si mette così a fare il
muratore, ma prende l’abitudine di finire le sue giornate in qualche osteria, a
bruciare la sua paga nelle bottiglie. Così fino a 28 anni, reso ormai così
schiavo del vino da impegnare anche i suoi vestiti per poterlo comprare. La svolta
arriva in un sabato del 1884, quando senza un centesimo in tasca,
staziona nei pressi di un’osteria, nella speranza che i suoi abituali compagni
di bevute gli offrano almeno un bicchier di vino. Ricevendo invece solo battute
di scherno, quel giorno sorprende mamma, che oltre a vederlo rincasare così
presto e completamente sobrio, lo sente anche dichiarare di voler far voto di
non bere più. Da donna di profonda fede, ma anche molto pratica, gli raccomanda
di essere prudente con i voti, ma quel giorno Matt, evidentemente, è disposto
davvero a fare sul serio. Con il vestito buono della festa va a cercare un
prete, che, dopo averlo confessato e ben sapendo come vanno a finire i facili
entusiasmi, gli consiglia un voto temporaneo, di tre mesi appena, che sembrano
interminabili già il mattino successivo, quando inizia la sua prima giornata da
astemio. Cerca di resistere con tutte le sue forze anche solo dal passare
davanti ad un‘osteria: la sua giornata inizia alle cinque del mattino con la
messa e la comunione e, finito il lavoro, si dedica a lunghe passeggiate, che
tuttavia il suo fisico, appena trentenne ma distrutto dall’alcol, non riesce a
sopportare. E’ così costretto a sempre più frequenti soste nelle chiese ed in
esse si trattiene fino al momento della chiusura. Pian piano la devozione
eucaristica lo distacca completamente dal vizio e al termine dei tre mesi è in
grado di prolungare il suo voto di sei mesi, fino ad arrivare al voto
dell’intera vita. La Madonna entra nella sua vita a completare il miracolo
della conversione, ed a lei si lega con la consacrazione suggerita dal
Montfort. Si dedica corpo ed anima a rendere migliore l’ambiente in cui vive e
lavora, seminando pace e riconciliazione e battendosi per difendere i diritti
dei colleghi, al punto che i Sindacati, oggi, lo considerarono uno dei
fondatori del Movimento dei Lavoratori Cristiani. Vive di Eucaristia, di Bibbia
e di volontarie privazioni, rinunciando a formarsi una famiglia per poter più
completamente essere a servizio del vangelo. Il 7 giugno 1925, mentre come di
consueto si reca alla sua seconda messa festiva, un infarto lo stronca sui
gradini della chiesa: non ha documenti, è miseramente vestito e solo tre giorni
dopo riescono ad identificarlo. Lo seppelliscono come qualsiasi cristiano, ma
già nelle settimane successive la sua tomba diventa meta di pellegrinaggi
spontanei, soprattutto di chi sta cercando di percorrere la sua stessa strada
di liberazione da qualsiasi forma di vizio. Nel 1975, di Matt Talbot la Chiesa
ha riconosciuto l’eroicità delle virtù e gli ha attribuito il titolo di
venerabile, mentre al suo nome sono state intitolate tante opere per la
prevenzione e la disintossicazione di alcolisti e drogati. Se, come si spera,
un giorno potrà essere proclamato beato, avremo sugli altari un esempio in più
a ricordarci di mai disperare della misericordia divina, perché l’insuccesso
non è mai l’ultima parola di Dio.
Autore: Gianpiero Pettiti
Il suo destino sembrava segnato sin dalla fanciullezza, nato e cresciuto in un ambiente fortemente dedito all’alcool, anche lui ne fu preda; fino ai 28 anni, in effetti fu un ostinato alcolizzato.
Ma in un periodo in cui non esistevano Comunità di recupero o terapeutiche, egli con la sola forza della fede ne uscì fuori, diventando da reietto della società, un luminoso esempio di operaio cristiano, di laico innamorato di Dio, di soccorritore dei più deboli.
Matteo Talbot nacque ad Aldborough, un sobborgo di Dublino in Irlanda il 2 maggio 1856, secondo dei dodici figli di Carlo Talbot magazziniere di dogana ed Elisabetta Ragnal; dei fratelli tre non arrivarono all’adolescenza, per le povere condizioni della famiglia, che non poterono contrastare la grande mortalità infantile dell’epoca.
L’ambiente familiare purtroppo risentiva del diffuso vizio del bere, caratteristico dell’Irlanda e della Gran Bretagna, Paesi produttori di ottimi e forti liquori e birra.
Il padre in particolare e alcuni figli maschi erano grandi lavoratori ma bevitori accaniti; la madre invece fervente cattolica, era capace di sacrificarsi per la famiglia come una martire.
Matt, come era chiamato in famiglia, crebbe libero e vagabondo fino agli 11 anni, non esistendo allora l’obbligo scolastico, ricevé un’infarinatura di studi per pochi mesi presso i Fratelli delle Scuole Cristiane, dove ebbe anche un’istruzione religiosa e fu preparato a ricevere i Sacramenti.
A 12 anni, fu mandato a lavorare come garzone in un locale per l’imbottigliamento della birra e ciò costituì la sua rovina, nemmeno adolescente prese a bere ad imitazione di quelli della sua famiglia; a 16 anni era già un alcolizzato cronico che non provava altro piacere che nel bere.
Cominciò pian piano a raffreddarsi nelle pratiche della vita cristiana e per lunghi sedici anni, si trovò in preda a questa dolorosa situazione, sciupando il suo denaro, facendosi dominare dai compagni, fino al punto da impegnare i suoi vestiti per procurarsi il denaro per la birra.
La mamma e la sorella Mary, non lo abbandonarono e continuarono a trattarlo con benevolenza, intensificando le loro preghiere e sacrifici per il recupero fisico e spirituale di Matteo.
Il padre nel tentativo di sottrarlo al vizio, gli procurò un lavoro accanto a lui, alle dogane del porto egli si occupava anche delle importazioni di liquori, ed era consuetudine far sparire alcune bottiglie, dichiarandole infrante; così Matteo cadde dalla padella nella brace, dalla birra passò agli alcolici forti.
Non era uno scansafatiche, anzi era apprezzato per il suo impegno; purtroppo però tutti suoi sforzi erano diretti a procurarsi da bere; la sera per ricevere un gallone di birra, custodiva i cavalli fuori le taverne; in chiesa andava ancora, ma più per abitudine che per vera fede.
In quel periodo in Irlanda, vari religiosi, in particolare i frati cappuccini, consci del degrado che l’alcool causava alla società, giravano per le località predicando la temperanza, avendo anche dei successi; essi invogliavano i disposti ad astenersi dal bere per tre mesi, facendo una solenne promessa nelle mani d’un prete; chi riusciva a mantenere l’impegno in quel periodo più duro, poteva rinnovarlo e diventando promotore anch’egli del recupero di altri alcolizzati, parenti e amici.
Nel 1884 Matt e i suoi fratelli Joe e Philip, rimasero disoccupati per molte settimane, e in tale indigenza un sabato sera si recarono fuori una taverna, dove solitamente i loro compagni passavano la serata, spendendo la paga settimanale bevendo allegramente; rimasero fuori in attesa di un invito a bere dei compagni, ma nessuno li invitò, anzi usarono con Matteo parole piene di ironia e pungenti, che costrinsero il giovane ad allontanarsi amareggiato e in preda allo sconforto.
Fu una svolta, aveva ormai 28 anni, e improvvisamente sentì la necessità di reagire a quella schiavitù che lo distruggeva nel fisico e nel morale; rientrato a casa disse alla madre stupita che non fosse ubriaco come al solito: “Adesso vado in chiesa a fare il voto di non bere più”.
Fu così che fece la promessa davanti a padre Keane, sacerdote del Collegio di Santa Croce, di non bere alcolici per tre mesi; si confessò e la Domenica andò a Messa ricevendo dopo tanti anni, la Comunione; il lunedì successivo si recò a Messa alle 5 del mattino per poter essere al lavoro alle 6, e fu così per sempre tutti i giorni; le prime settimane furono terribili, sia per l’orario, sia per il desiderio dell’alcool, sia per l’attrattiva dei compagni che alla sera si recavano nelle osterie e birrerie; per evitare questa tentazione e di essere invitato; egli dopo il lavoro, si dirigeva in una chiesa e lì rimaneva a pregare fino alla chiusura.
Le preghiere della madre e della sorella avevano ottenuto la grazia implorata, trascorsi i tre mesi, rinnovò la promessa per un anno e poi per la vita, mantenendola ad ogni costo.
In lui avvenne un totale cambiamento, non solo nel bere birra e alcool, ma soprattutto nello spirito, ritornò a Dio con l’entusiasmo di chi ha ritrovato la strada smarrita; guadagnò il suo salario con onestà e precisione, consegnava la paga alla madre, rimasta vedova e vivente con lui ed una parte la distribuiva ai poveri, trattenendo per sé lo stretto necessario.
Man mano imparò a leggere e scrivere, e quindi poté apprendere le ‘Vite’ dei grandi santi, specie quelli del primo cristianesimo irlandese; con umiltà e il sorriso sulle labbra, divenne in mezzo ai colleghi di lavoro, con il suo esempio, un apostolo di vita cristiana, di pace e di concordia.
Dopo attenta riflessione e preghiera, rinunciò alla possibilità di sposarsi e scelse di consacrarsi da laico al Signore; si iscrisse al Terz’Ordine di San Francesco e si consacrò alla Madonna, secondo il metodo di S. Luigi de Montfort.
La domenica ascoltava due Messe e trascorreva buona parte della giornata in chiesa, ogni giorno dopo la Messa mattutina, recitava il Rosario; portava sulle carni catenelle di penitenza, specie sotto il ginocchio, così da avvertirle di più durante la preghiera se inginocchiato; si sottoponeva a penitenze severe come il dormire su un’asse di legno e digiunare.
Morta la madre, andò ad abitare in una stanza da solo, vicino alla sorella Mary, voleva essere povero come Gesù e nella stanza c’era solo un letto di ferro, un tavolo, una sedia, un Crocifisso.
Nel 1909 cambiò lavoro e passò alle dipendenze della T. & C. Martin, commercianti in legnami da costruzione, anche qui divenne l’apostolo dei suoi compagni di lavoro, dei quali condivise le gioie, le preoccupazioni, le richieste sindacali, li accompagnava a sera alle loro case come un fratello maggiore, li invitava ad una visita in chiesa per pregare insieme.
Aiutava i missionari e fece studiare a sue spese alcuni aspiranti al sacerdozio; comprò le scarpe a vari operai che ne avevano bisogno, al sabato digiunava in onore della Madonna.
Nel 1923 fu ricoverato due volte in ospedale per problemi circolatori, i compagni fecero per lui una colletta; il 7 giugno 1925. domenica festa della SS. Trinità, mentre si recava ad assistere alla celebrazione della seconda Messa, un infarto lo fece accasciare nella strada privo di vita; portato all’ospedale si poté solo constatarne la morte, addosso portava il cilicio e non aveva alcun documento, soleva dire: “Dio mi riconoscerà comunque”; morì poverissimo, solo, ignoto, la salma fu riconosciuta dopo tre giorni dalla sorella che lo cercava.
L’11 giugno 1925, festa del Corpus Domini, si svolsero i funerali a cui parteciparono gli operai suoi colleghi. Già dopo qualche settimana, alla sua tomba affluivano molti fedeli e visitatori; tutta l’Irlanda conobbe la sua storia, grazie ad una biografia della quale si vendettero 120.000 copie; i Sindacati lo considerarono uno dei fondatori del Movimento dei Lavoratori Cristiani.
Nel 1931 si iniziò la causa di beatificazione e il 3 ottobre 1975, papa Paolo VI lo dichiarò ‘venerabile’. Oggi i suoi resti riposano nella Chiesa di Nostra Signora di Lourdes di Dublino.
Quando sarà proclamato Beato e Santo, la numerosa categoria degli alcolizzati e drogati, avrà trovato un celeste patrono, a cui rivolgersi per risalire la china e convertirsi.
Autore: Antonio Borrelli
SOURCE : https://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/92566
Venerable Matt Talbot
Resource Center : https://venerablematttalbotresourcecenter.blogspot.com/
