The Sacred Heart and the Venerable Matt Talbot

By -

 Today is the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The video above, produced by the Apostleship of Prayer, tells us something of the struggle of the Venerable Matt Talbot (2 May 1856 – 7 June 1925) with alcoholism. It mentions the fact that he didn't have the benefit of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), which hadn't yet come on the scene. But it doesn't mention that he was one of the earliest members of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association of the Sacred Heart.

The Pioneer Association, or PTAA, describes its mission and vision as follows: 
Our mission is to address the problems in society caused by excess alcohol consumption and drug usage. We do this through:
  • Faith and prayer
  • Self denial
  • Example
  • Activities based on presenting alternatives to individuals, particularly the young
  • Advocacy
Our vision - based on the love in the Heart of Christ, as expressed in The Gospels - is to help to build a society where people live to their full potential and alcohol can be enjoyed in moderation avoiding the ills that arise in society from excess in its use.

For most of its history - the movement was founded in 1898 in Dublin by Fr James Cullen SJ - members voluntarily abstained from alcohol. But illegal drugs have become such a huge problem in Ireland in recent decades, spawning crime in a way that alcohol never did, that The Pioneers have included them too in their mission.

PIONEER PRAYERS

The Heroic Offering (prayed by members daily)

For thy greater Glory and consolation, O most Sacred Heart of Jesus, for Thy sake, to give good example, to practice self-denial, to make reparation to Thee for the sins of intemperance and for the conversion of excessive drinkers, I will abstain for life from all intoxicating drinks, Amen.

Prayer for Drug Users

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

Juvenile Pioneer Offering

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, through the most pure Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works and sufferings in union with your own for the grace to keep my pledge faithfully. Sweet Heart of Jesus, be  my love always! Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation!

Young Pioneer Prayer

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

The heading to the video says ‘Matthew Talbot’, though he’s referred to throughout the video itself as ‘Matt Talbot’. He was baptized ‘Matthew’ but is known to Dubliners and many others as ‘Matt’, just as fellow-Dubliner Francis Michael Duff, Servant of God and founder of the Legion of Mary, a younger contemporary of Matt Talbot, is universally known as ‘Frank’.

On Sunday 3 July the annual Mass for the beatification of the Venerable Matt Talbot will be held in the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Sean McDermott St, at 3pm. His remains are in a shrine there. The church, not yet built when Matt was alive, is in the heart of the area of Dublin where he lived.

The Pioneer Pilgrimage to Knock in Honour of Matt Talbot will take place on Sunday 17 July.

Statue of Talbot near Dublin's Matt Talbot Bridge, February 2011

The only extant writing by Matt in existence is a note in the archives of the Society of St Columban (Columban Fathers), of which I am a member, with a donation he sent in the very early days of our existence. His wages were small and he gave most of his little money away.

  Official Prayer for the Canonization of Matt Talbot


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

Comments

  1. Anonymous8:40 am, July 01, 2011

    Thanks for this Fr
    Sean. I'm a lifetime Pioneer like yourself!

    ReplyDelete
  2. me9:17 am, July 01, 2011

    Thank you Father, for this post.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SAINT ELIZABETH, MOTHER OF JOHN THE BAPTIST- Feast: November 5

By -
Image
Elizabeth appears in the Gospel of Luke, where she is described as “righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly,”.  I imagine that she was warm, loving and obviously a safe harbour for young Mary, who was not married when she conceived.  When Mary came to visit her, Elizabeth was pregnant with St. John the Baptist and in her sixth month: “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And how have I deserved that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, the moment that the sound of thy greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leapt for joy. And blessed is she who has believed, because the things promised her by the Lord shall be accomplished.” 
Read more

The Memorare

By Helen Gonsalves -
Image
This popular prayer, a favorite of many Catholics, dates back to the 15th century and takes its name from the first Latin word of the prayer, "memorare," which means "remember." The Memorare is of unknown authorship, although it has been attributed to St. Augustine (354-430), St. John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) and, with more reason, to St. Bernard of Clairvaux (c. 1090-1153). St. Bernard's sermons on Mary were famous, and it was his Cistercian monks in the monastery of Citeaux in the 12th century who popularized the name "Our Lady" for Mary. The Memorare has also been attributed to the French cleric Claude Bernard (1588-1641), known as the "poor priest" of Paris, whose homilies contain passages that echo its words. No matter who wrote this prayer, it was Father Bernard who did much to popularize it, teaching it in hospitals and prisons, where Mary's intercession was effective in working miracles of grace. The first manuscript of the Mem...
Read more

'Greater Love: Richie Fernando SJ', a joy-filled Filipino missionary

By -
Image
 I haven't been able to post for more than a week as I was giving an eight-day directed retreat to eight sisters of the Missionaries of Charity near Manila. While I had some access to the internet it was rather slow. I had intended to make a post here on the murder of Fr Fausto Tentorio PIME , a 59-year-old Italian priest, in the Diocese of Kidapawan, Mindanao, on Monday 17 October. I will save that post for a later date. As I was looking for a video about Father Fausto I came across one about Brother Richard Michael 'Richie' Fernando SJ, a Filipino Jesuit scholastic who died while trying to prevent a troubled and disabled young man in Cambodia from throwing a grenade. That was in 1996 - on 17 October. Father Fausto gave his life exactly 15 years later. I remember the mixture of sorrow and pride I felt when I read of the death of Brother Richie, pride as a missionary in the Philippines that a young Filipino seminarian had given his life so spontaneously in order to sav...
Read more