(New Beginnings, No. 28)
Theobald Mathew was an Irish temperance reformer, better known as Father Mathew. Descended from a branch of the Llandaff family of Wales, he was born at Thomastown, Tipperary, on 10 October 1790, to James Mathew and Anne White. Their family gave its name to the village of Cappawhite, Co. Tipperary. A cousin of his, Nano Nagle, founded the Presentation Sisters.
He was educated first at a private school in Thurles, where one of his companions was Charles Bianconi, the future stagecoach operator. He received further education from a local priest, Fr. Denis O’Donnell, and then went to St. Canice’s Academy, Kilkenny, at the age of ten. He entered St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth, in September 1807, but did not remain long. He was received into the Capuchin Order as a novice in 1810, and was ordained priest in Dublin on Holy Saturday, 17 April 1813.
His concern for the poor and distressed manifested itself from an early age. He possessed a human, kind and generous disposition, caring for the sick, the lame and the blind. This concern pervaded his life.
After ordination he was appointed first to Kilkenny, and then to Cork, where he worked for many years. From a small friary at Blackamoor Lane he won the affection of the poor and the confidence of the rich. His treatment of penitents in the confessional drew attention to him because he was remarkably sympathetic. Because of the crowds, he adopted a practice of hearing confessions on a daily basis, often as early as 5 a.m. or as late as 8 p.m. His reputation as a preacher drew many to hear him. His sincerity more than his oratory had a powerful effect on the congregation.
Care for the poor and underprivileged was always his chief concern. In 1819, he founded the Josephian Society, a precursor of the present-day Society of St. Vincent de Paul.
He soon became aware of the problems of excessive drinking and alcoholism around him. The movement with which his name is associated began in 1838 with the establishment in Cork of a total abstinence association, which he launched with the words, ‘Here goes in the name of God!’ In less than nine months, he enrolled no fewer than 150,000 names. The movement spread rapidly to Limerick and elsewhere.
Some idea of its popularity may be formed from the fact that, in Nenagh, 20,000 people were said to have taken the pledge in one day, 100,000 in Galway in two days, and 70,000 in Dublin in five days. Between 1838 and 1842, he travelled throughout Ireland. People flocked to hear him, and whole crowds took the temperance pledge. The numbers of abstainers in Ireland in 1841 was estimated to be 4,647,000. In three years, consumption of spirits dropped by half, much of this attributable to his efforts.
The impact of this on Ireland has been described by one writer, ‘In the moral point of view the Ireland of the past has vanished; a new Ireland has started into life; five million of her population have taken the pledge of total abstinence, and instances of violation of the pledge are very rare…. History records no revolution like this; it is the grand event of the present day. Father Mathew, the leader of this moral revolution, ranks above the heroes and statesmen of our time.’ (Channing)
In 1844, he visited Liverpool, Manchester and London with almost equal success. He went to the United States in 1849, where, despite failing health, he preached in 25 states, and was received in the White House by President Zachary Taylor. Incapacitated by illness, he returned to Ireland in 1851, where he remained for the rest of his life. Known as the Apostle of Temperance, he died at Cobh, Co. Cork, on 8 December 1956. He is commemorated in Cork and Dublin by statues in his honour on St. Patrick’s St., and O’Connell St.
In Ireland, we consume three times as much alcohol per person today as we did fifty years ago.
Compassionate Lord and Saviour,
you inspired the Capuchin friar, Theobald Mathew,
to promote temperance,
and to show your compassion to those addicted to alcohol.
May we today continue to serve others with love and joy,
and foster moderation in our life-styles.
And so we pray, ‘Here goes in the name of the Lord.’
For further information about Father Mathew in the 150th anniversary of his death, visit the special website at www.fathermathew.ie.