Venerable Matt Talbot

Stored in Cargo: Venerable Matt Talbot

Venerable Matt Talbot
Feast Day	June 19
Liturgical Class
Patronage	people struggling with alcoholism
Birthplace	Dublin, Ireland
Death Place	Dublin, Ireland
Cause of Death	natural causes
Primary Shrine	Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Dublin, Ireland

Venerable Matt Talbot (May 2, 1856 – June 7, 1925) was an Irish ascetic laborer whose life of conversion from alcoholism to intense penance has made him a model for those seeking recovery from addiction. According to verified accounts from contemporaries and the diocesan process for his cause, Talbot was born into poverty in Dublin and became a daily drinker from his early teens until age 28, when a profound grace led him to lifelong sobriety sustained by prayer, fasting, and hidden penances.

Declared Venerable on October 3, 1975, by Pope Paul VI after confirmation of heroic virtue, Talbot's cause—opened in 1947—awaits an authenticated miracle for beatification as of early 2026. His unofficial memorial is June 19, with June 7 marking his death. Widely invoked by those struggling with alcoholism, his intercession is sought in recovery programs worldwide.

Biography

Birth

Venerable Matt Talbot was born Matthew Talbot on May 2, 1856, in Dublin, Ireland, the second of twelve children of Charles Talbot, a dock laborer, and Elizabeth Bagnall. The family lived in extreme poverty in the Aldborough Court area during a time when alcoholism was widespread among Dublin's working class.

Baptized in the Pro-Cathedral shortly after birth, Matt grew up in a nominally Catholic home where his father and several brothers struggled with drink. Schooling was minimal; by age 12, he left to work as a messenger boy for wine merchants.

These early exposures to alcohol shaped his adolescent habits. Family life, though affectionate, was unstable due to financial hardship and parental drinking.

The Dublin of his childhood was marked by industrial growth and social challenges, setting the stage for his later struggles and conversion.

Early Life

Matt's childhood reflected the harsh realities of 19th-century Dublin poverty. He attended Christian Brothers school briefly but prioritized work to support the family. By 13, he was employed in bottling stores, tasting liquor freely.

Teen years saw escalating drinking; friends recall him as cheerful but increasingly unreliable. He pawned clothes and tools for drink money, once even his boots.

At 18, a humiliating rejection by drinking companions—none would buy him a pint when broke—prompted crisis. Standing outside a pub, he experienced profound shame and grace.

This moment, dated to 1884 at age 28, marked his turning point toward conversion. He took a three-month pledge of abstinence, renewed it for life.

Occupation

Matt worked as a bricklayer's laborer and hod carrier most of his adult life, employed by building firms in Dublin. Hard physical work suited his ascetic temperament after conversion.

He rose early for Mass, worked diligently, and gave wages to the poor or church. Colleagues noted his reliability and quiet piety.

Later years brought health decline from penances; he retired around 1923 due to heart issues. Until death, he maintained simple labor when able.

His occupation embodied Franciscan ideal of work as prayer.

Vocation

Matt's vocation was lay asceticism in the world. After 1884 pledge, he attended daily Mass, confessed weekly, and read spiritual classics like Louis of Granada.

He joined the Third Order of Saint Francis, living its rule privately: chains under clothes, fasting, night vigils. Spiritual directors guided his intense penances.

Vocation focused on reparation for sins and souls, especially alcoholics. He offered sufferings redemptively, becoming “slave of Mary” through total consecration.

His example inspired Dublin's temperance movement and Pioneer Total Abstinence Association.

Death

By 1925, Matt's health failed from lifelong austerities and earlier excesses. On Trinity Sunday, June 7, 1925, he collapsed en route to Mass in Granby Lane, Dublin. Taken to hospital, he died soon after, aged 69.

Examination revealed penitential chains; news spread rapidly. Funeral drew thousands; reputation for holiness immediate.

Buried in Glasnevin Cemetery, relics translated to Our Lady of Lourdes Church in 1972.

Venerable Matt Talbot met his end peacefully.

Significant events

• Took lifelong sobriety pledge, 1884.
• Joined Third Order of Saint Francis.
• Died June 7, 1925.
• Declared Venerable October 3, 1975.

Significant locations

Loading map...

{"minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"mappingservice":"leaflet","width":"600px","height":"400px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"zoom":3,"defzoom":14,"layers":["OpenStreetMap"],"image layers":[],"overlays":[],"resizable":false,"fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":true,"cluster":false,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clustermaxradius":80,"clusterspiderfy":true,"geojson":"","clicktarget":"","imageLayers":[],"locations":[{"text":"\u003Cdiv class=\"mw-parser-output\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBirth location: Dublin, Ireland\n\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/div\u003E","title":"Birth location: Dublin, Ireland\n","link":"","lat":53.3498,"lon":-6.2603,"icon":""},{"text":"\u003Cdiv class=\"mw-parser-output\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDeath location: Dublin, Ireland\n\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/div\u003E","title":"Death location: Dublin, Ireland\n","link":"","lat":53.3498,"lon":-6.2603,"icon":""},{"text":"\u003Cdiv class=\"mw-parser-output\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETomb and primary shrine (Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Se\u00e1n McDermott Street Lower, Dublin, Ireland)\n\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/div\u003E","title":"Tomb and primary shrine (Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Se\u00e1n McDermott Street Lower, Dublin, Ireland)\n","link":"","lat":53.3517,"lon":-6.2589,"icon":""},{"text":"\u003Cdiv class=\"mw-parser-output\"\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOriginal burial site (Glasnevin Cemetery, Finglas Road, Dublin, Ireland)\n\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/div\u003E","title":"Original burial site (Glasnevin Cemetery, Finglas Road, Dublin, Ireland)\n","link":"","lat":53.3723,"lon":-6.2793,"icon":""}],"imageoverlays":null}

Legend

• Birth location: Dublin, Ireland
• Death location: Dublin, Ireland
• Notable location: Tomb and primary shrine (Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Seán McDermott Street Lower, Dublin, Ireland)
• Notable location: Original burial site (Glasnevin Cemetery, Finglas Road, Dublin, Ireland)
• Notable location:
• Notable location:
• Notable location:

Dynamic content

Parishes

Venerable Matt Talbot
No results
This map created from a Cargo query ()

Media

Media	Length	AuthorCreator
Venerable Matt Talbot, the Irish Pub Saint	15–30 minutes	Wholly Catholic

Shrines

Dynamic shrines

This will pull in related Shrines.

No results

No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.

Canonization

Servant of God

Cause opened 1947.

Venerable

Declared Venerable October 3, 1975 by Pope Paul VI.

Beatification

Not yet beatified.

Canonization

Not canonized.

Miracles

No authenticated miracles required at current stage; numerous reported graces for sobriety.

Patronage

Venerable Matt Talbot is patron of struggling alcoholics and addicts.

Feast day

June 19

Veneration

Venerable Matt Talbot is commemorated on June 19 with prayers for addiction recovery.

External links

• Wikipedia: Matt Talbot
• Catholic Online: Venerable Matt Talbot
• Loyola Press: Venerable Matt Talbot
• EWTN GB: A Modern-Day Prodigal: The Redemption Story of Venerable Matt Talbot
• Franciscan Media: Venerable Matt Talbot