- Feb 5, 2002
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On a cold night in November 1940 in New York, a meeting took place between two men. It would wind up affecting U.S. history and changing the lives of millions of people, most of them alcoholics .
The meeting was between Bill Wilson, who a few years earlier had founded a group called Alcoholics Anonymous, and a Jesuit priest named Father Ed Dowling. Wilson’s cause of helping drunks get sober was the result of a religious experience that freed him of his addiction to booze.
But the program was not going well. The “Big Book,” his Bible outlining his 12-Step program, was not selling. Wilson was tired of dealing with drunks. He was depressed.
Then a visitor arrived at his door. Dowling, a Jesuit priest, would be essential in helping Wilson gain the strength to carry on. He would also be essential in Wilson spreading the message of AA, a group that now is part of the fabric of American culture and history.
Dowling is the subject of a magnificent new biography, Father Ed: The Story of Bill W’s Spiritual Sponsor . Written by the talented and brilliant journalist and Catholic theologian Dawn Eden Goldstein, Father Ed is a wonderful read that elevates an inspiring spiritual leader to the status he deserves. Life would not be the same without Dowling, and his spiritual wisdom is essential for Christians and others curious about the richness that can come from wedding suffering and social purpose to Christ.
Continued below.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
The meeting was between Bill Wilson, who a few years earlier had founded a group called Alcoholics Anonymous, and a Jesuit priest named Father Ed Dowling. Wilson’s cause of helping drunks get sober was the result of a religious experience that freed him of his addiction to booze.
But the program was not going well. The “Big Book,” his Bible outlining his 12-Step program, was not selling. Wilson was tired of dealing with drunks. He was depressed.
Then a visitor arrived at his door. Dowling, a Jesuit priest, would be essential in helping Wilson gain the strength to carry on. He would also be essential in Wilson spreading the message of AA, a group that now is part of the fabric of American culture and history.
Dowling is the subject of a magnificent new biography, Father Ed: The Story of Bill W’s Spiritual Sponsor . Written by the talented and brilliant journalist and Catholic theologian Dawn Eden Goldstein, Father Ed is a wonderful read that elevates an inspiring spiritual leader to the status he deserves. Life would not be the same without Dowling, and his spiritual wisdom is essential for Christians and others curious about the richness that can come from wedding suffering and social purpose to Christ.
Continued below.
Father Ed: Rediscovering a holy priest and founding father of Alcoholics Anonymous
On a cold night in November 1940 in New York, a meeting took place between two men. It would wind up affecting U.S. history and changing the lives of millions of people, most of them alcoholics.
www.washingtonexaminer.com
