As the centenary of Matt Talbot’s death approaches, the Knights of St Columbanus have launched a renewed effort to promote the Venerable not only as a candidate for sainthood but as a model saint for the modern day. Their initiative — tied to commemorations taking place on June 6–8 — looks ahead, seeking to present Matt Talbot not just as a figure from the past, but as a saint for the present and the future.
At the centre of this mission is Brother Michael Murphy, chair of the Matt Talbot Centenary Committee. Mr Murphy’s own personal journey with addiction recovery is uniquely bound with Matt Talbot, giving him a firsthand perspective into his legacy.
“I’m in recovery myself,” he told The Irish Catholic. “From alcoholism, since 1996.” He recalled his first encounter with Talbot’s story at the Rutland Centre, where a prayer card fell from a book his wife had brought him. “I read it and I felt like I was transported in my head from the 39-year-old to the 12-year-old version of me, hearing the story of Matt Talbot taking the pledge.” That moment, he says, marked the beginning of his own transformation — and a lifelong devotion to Talbot.
Since then, his promotion of Talbot’s cause has taken him around the world.
In outlining the Knights’ current mission, Mr Murphy described three primary objectives. First, to present Matt Talbot as a meaningful figure for young people today. Second, to re-energise and unite the global prayer network devoted to him. And third, to advocate for the reinstatement of a postulator in Rome to advance the canonisation cause.
We want to show him as he was when he made that decision. I think Bill Rose does a good job of this in his film”
While the most common image of Matt Talbot is of an elderly man, Mr Murphy and others are eager to reframe him as a young man — particularly at the pivotal age of 28 when he took the pledge to give up drink.
“The only pictures we have of him are from when he was 69, but by then he had already been sober for 40 years,” Mr Murphy said. “We want to show him as he was when he made that decision. I think Bill Rose does a good job of this in his film.”
This vision is brought to life in Matt Talbot: Urban Mystic, an upcoming documentary by Emmy-winning filmmaker Bill Rose of Joyful Films. Set for release during the centenary weekend, the film blends historical reenactments with contemporary testimonies from people whose lives have been touched by Talbot’s story.
“We spent a week in Dublin,” Mr Rose said, “walking in Matt’s footsteps, filming scenes in the actual places that marked his recovery and spiritual life.” He added that showing Talbot as a young man overcoming addiction was a priority — “to show that it is possible for young people to beat addiction.”
Connection
Although the campaign began by connecting Matt Talbot prayer groups within Ireland, the Knights quickly discovered that devotion to him had gone global. From Our House Ministries in Philadelphia to communities in Sydney, Glasgow, and Seattle, Talbot’s story continues to resonate — particularly with those in recovery, who see him as a spiritual companion.
Once he gave up drink, he became a mystic — quietly, without fanfare. That’s why people around the world, especially in recovery, connect with him”
“These communities, many formed by people in recovery, already look to Matt Talbot as a guide,” Mr Murphy explained. “Our goal is to help them see themselves as part of a global network — and to invite others to join.”
Fr Hugh O’Donnell SDB, who ministers at the Matt Talbot Shrine in Dublin, echoed this sentiment. “People forget he was a regular working man,” he said. “But once he gave up drink, he became a mystic — quietly, without fanfare. That’s why people around the world, especially in recovery, connect with him.”
Healing
Mr Murphy believes that forming a united network of prayer could play a key role in advancing Talbot’s cause. The Church currently requires a physical miracle for beatification. Freedom from addiction, while often experienced as miraculous, is classified only as a moral or spiritual miracle.
Fr O’Donnell shared the story of a woman who was suddenly healed of chronic pain after calling on Talbot in desperation. “She had never prayed to him before. But the pain left her completely. It doesn’t meet the official criteria for a miracle — but for her, and for many of us, it was one. But its like Mary Purcell says in her biography of Matt Talbot, ‘the church doesn’t make saints. God makes saints.’”
This tension — between lived experience and formal process — is one that filmmaker Bill Rose encountered repeatedly during production. In a conversation with Cardinal Timothy Dolan, he learned that Pope John Paul II had once expressed a strong desire to canonise Talbot. “It just wasn’t the time,” Rose said. “But maybe now is.”
He pointed to advances in the scientific understanding of addiction as potentially significant. “The science behind the physical illness of addiction is only getting stronger,” he noted. “We might be approaching the point where recovery itself could be seen not just as a moral change, but as a physical healing — the kind the Church looks for in miracles.”
The focus is shifting away from Talbot’s chains and toward his freedom”
Officially declared Venerable by Pope Paul VI in 1975, Matt Talbot’s cause has experienced periods of momentum and stagnation. The Knights of St Columbanus hope the centenary year will help reignite the flame. As the celebrations approach, the focus is shifting away from Talbot’s chains and toward his freedom — his quiet transformation, his unshakable faith, and his example of holiness in the midst of ordinary life.
“It just feels like now is the time,” said Rose. “Not just for the film, but maybe for the Church to take a serious look at Matt again.”
These communities, many formed by people in recovery, already look to Matt Talbot as a guide,” Mr Murphy explained. “Our goal is to help them see themselves as part of a global network — and to invite others to join”