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About

About the Retreat:

A Matt Talbot retreat is an opportunity for recovering alcoholics to enhance their spirituality and sober way of life, in a setting that promotes fellowship and sharing thoughout the weekend. The people who attend these retreats are all recovering alcoholics. A Retreat Leader, who is usually a recovering alcoholic and trained in spiritual matters, gives conferences on varies broad topics several times during the weekend, bringing valuable insights into the spiritual element of the disease of alcoholism.There is no affiliation between AA and Matt Talbot Retreats. However, Matt Talbot Retreats are intended to foster and enhance spiritual recovery as suggested by AA's Twelve-Step Program.Retreat groups are independent organizations that conduct a set of retreats each year. Each group sets the cost for its retreats. Most of the cost goes to the retreat house for room and board.

 

Matt Talbot Group 86 holds our retreats at the Holy Cross Retreat Center on the campus of Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts. You can find more information about the retreat house at www.retreathouse.org.

 

About Venerable Matt Talbot (b. 1856, d. 1925):

From his early teens until age 28, Matt's only aim in life was 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.

 

“Never be too hard on the man who can’t give up drink. 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

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