Here are some patron saints of alcoholism/ or for the reform of alcoholics - they all pre-date the antebellum years though, so I am not sure if they are helpful to you. John of God Martin of Tours Matthias the Apostle Monica (mother of St. Augustine of Hippo) Urban of Langres ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Fahey" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Friday, January 23, 2004 9:11 PM Subject: Re: patron saint "of sobriety" or "for inebriates" ? > There are plenty of such RC patron saints, for instance, St. Monica. > > At 05:28 PM 1/23/2004 -0500, you wrote: > >Patron saints I can't speak to, (it seems to me there must have been one) > >but Talbot is a 20th century figure. Antebellum, the big figure would > >still have been Father Mathew (no saint, but campaigns to have him made > >one were underway at the time.) His campaign in Ireland (and he visited > >America for several years in the late 1840's and early 50's)was remarkably > >devoid of "traditional" devotions and prayers and the rest of it--it was > >consciously secular/ecumenical, in theory if not in practice. Since there > >wasn't much of a tradition of Catholic temperance before he came along, I > >wonder about the prevalence of the things you ask about... > > > >His temperance medals served as religious emblems/tokens for some of his > >Catholic followers, I know (plenty of Protestants condemned them as > >"superstitious tokens" at the time) > > > >Since you are in Maryland you might look into the variation of Mathew's > >society that was gotten up by Bishop Kenrick, who was a big booster of > >temperance. Mathew didn't like him because he seemed to want to tie the > >temperance cause more closely to Catholic ritual and tradition, so perhaps > >his society had a patron saint. A place to check would be the Catholic > >directory for the Diocese of Baltimore from the late 1840's--there may be > >a page or two dedicated to the society he established. > > > >Paul Townend > > > >Assistant Professor of British and Irish History > >University of North Carolina at Wilmington > >(910) 962-7542 > > > > > > > >-----Original Message----- > >From: Alcohol and Temperance History Group > >[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Dick B > >Sent: Friday, January 23, 2004 4:14 PM > >To: [log in to unmask] > >Subject: Re: patron saint "of sobriety" or "for inebriates" ? > > > > > >Roman Catholicism and "Saints" are not my bag. But I assume you have > >thought of Matt Talbott - whenever he was holding forth. Dick B. > > > >Jon Miller wrote: > > > > > from H-Shear ... > > > > > >> Subject: Antebellum Patron Saints and Devotions > > >> Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2004 08:11:38 -0500 > > >> From: "Patricia Anderson" <[log in to unmask]> > > >> > > >> Good Morning H-Shear, > > >> > > >> Does anyone know if there was a patron saint "of sobriety" or "for > > >> inebriates" in the antebellum years? Or perhaps specific devotions? > > >> Fielding Lucas's Catholic almanacs list the feast days but not each > > >> saint's particular "cause." Many thanks. > > >> > > >> Pat Anderson > > >> > > >> Patricia Dockman Anderson > > >> Managing Editor > > >> Maryland Historical Magazine & > > >> The Press at the Maryland Historical Society > > >> 410-685-3750 x317 > > > > > > >