Father Ed

"A biography of Father Edward Dowling, SJ, a Jesuit priest who served as a spiritual counselor to Bill W., founder of Alcoholics Anonymous"--

The story of Father Ed Dowling, S.J., the Jesuit priest who served for twenty years as sponsor and spiritual guide to Bill Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. An icy evening in December 1940 saw the first meeting of two extraordinary spiritual leaders. Father Ed said that the graces he received from meeting Bill Wilson were as great as those he had received from his ordination as a priest, and Bill in turn described encountering the Jesuit as being like a second conversion experience, where he could feel the transcendent presence of God filling the entire room with grace. The good priest taught Wilson about St. Ignatius Loyolas Spiritual Exercises, about the eternal battle between good and evil which the Spanish saint described in that book, and explained the Jesuit understanding of the way we can use our deepest emotions to receive guidance from God while serving on that battlefield. The co-founder of the twelve step movement in turn supplied Father Ed with some of the most valuable tools he possessed for carrying out small group therapy on a wide range of different kinds of troubled people. Together the two men discussed Poulains Graces of Interior Prayer and Bills attempts to make spiritual contact with both spooks and saints, and explored the world of LSD experiences and the teachings of the Catholic, Hindu, and Buddhist mystics in Aldous Huxleys Perennial Philosophy. And we will see how Father Ed, with his deep social conscience, helped Bill W. turn his book on the Twelve Traditions into a Bill of Rights for the twelve step movement, and how he laid out his own spiritual vision of Alcoholics Anonymous at the A.A. International in St. Louis in 1955.

The Soul of Sponsorship explores the relationship of Bill Wilson, cofounder of Alcoholics Anonymous, and his spiritual adviser and friend, Father Ed Dowling. The Soul of Sponsorship explores the relationship of Bill Wilson, cofounder of Alcoholics Anonymous, and his spiritual adviser and friend, Father Ed Dowling. Many might consider that such a remarkable individual as Bill Wilson, who was the primary author of AA literature, would be able to deal with many of life's problems on his own. Reading The Soul of Sponsorship will illuminate and answer the question of how Father Ed, an Irish Catholic Jesuit priest who was not an alcoholic, was able to be of such great help to Bill Wilson. Part of AA's Twelfth Step reminds us "to carry this message to alcoholics," and The Soul of Sponsorship illustrates how sober alcoholics still need the principles of the Twelve Steps brought to them by friends, sponsors, and spiritual advisers. Some of the problems faced by Bill Wilson were:depression in recoverydependency issueswhether or not to experiment with LSDthe place of money and power in AAknowing God's plan and willlearning from mistakesFather Ed taught Bill the importance of "discernment." In Father Ed's Jesuit tradition, discernment was a gift, passed down to him from St. Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits, who described his own struggle with discernment in Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. The Twelve Steps of AA and the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius presuppose that there is a caring God whose will can be known. The act of tuning in to God's action at one's center is discernment. The big question is, how do you know your Higher Power is speaking and revealing Himself through your feelings and desires?What Bill learned from Father Ed can be found in books and articles he wrote for AA. For the good of AA and himself, Bill learned to listen to his desires, be aware of his inner dynamics, and tune into the action of God within. Doing this meant learning to recognize and identify his personal movements -- those inner promptings and attractions often called emotions or affections -- which are part of ordinary human experiences. The person who helped Bill grow in discernment was Father Ed, the Jesuit priest with a cane who limped into the New York AA clubhouse one sleet-filled November night in 1940.The two "fellow travelers," Father Ed Dowling and Bill Wilson, gave each other perhaps the greatest gift friends can give: calling on each to know who he is -- before God.

ALMIGHTY GOD INVITES YOU TO KNOW HIM AS ABBA FATHER Come experience the reality of heaven on earth through the power of knowing God as your Abba Father (Papa). Enter the mysteries of His kingdom by coming as a child and being fathered by Him for a divine destiny, purpose, and work designed from eternity for you. Be transformed by the power of love found in intimate relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-you will never be the same! In this book you will learn: ["Family" life with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit [How to find healing from earthly family wounds [The nature and character of the Father [What being "fathered" by God looks like [The specific work Abba Father has for you [Living in the Father's blessing to be a blessing [And more J. Nicole Williamson is a gifted Bible teacher and writer. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Theology and has served in Christian ministry for over thirty years through missions, music, teaching, and writing. She currently lives in Allen, Texas with her husband Ken and they have two grown children: Daniel and Bethany. Her passion is to see the glory of God cover the earth as people live in the fullness of their divine purpose and destiny as sons and daughters of God.

There is a path leading to authentic manhood, cut by men who have gone before us, sons following in the footsteps of their fathers, generation after generation. There are perils along the trail, even disasters?all the more reason to rely on the guidance of a Father who has gone before. But in an age when true fathers are in short supply, how do you find the path to manhood? How do you steer clear of the dangers? John Eldredge calls men back to a simple and reassuring truth: God is our Father. In life's trials and triumphs, God is initiating boys and men through the stages of manhood from Beloved Son to Cowboy to Warrior to Lover to King to Sage. Fathered by God maps out the path of manhood?not more rules, not another list of principles, not formulas, but a sure path men have followed for centuries before us. Find that path and become the man God sees in you.

This expanded new edition of Edith Clarke's groundbreaking work, My Mother Who Fathered Me includes material taken from her personal collection in the Jamaican archives, published reviews of the earlier edition and a foreword by Rex Nettleford.

It is 1605AD. Tom, five years old, lives in Wales. The only father he knows is Ivor Davis, a fisherman. His true father is Ralph Maddox, a naval captain far away. This sequel to 'The Phoenician Symbol' follows Tom’s journey to manhood. As an Eisteddfod prophet predicts his future, he is sent to a farm in Surrey, boarding school, then a London shipyard. Tom sails to Jamestown, Virginia, not knowing the ship’s captain is his father. They bring home Welsh settlers whose families were massacred by Indians who understand Welsh. Returning to Wales Tom inherits his grandfather’s estate, including a Roman gold mine. His true father acknowledges his son as Thomas Maddox, and sends him to Christ’s College, Cambridge. Without money for fees, Thomas is accepted as a sizar - an undergraduate servant to more affluent students. He must serve the brother of his unattainable dream girl, who is committed to an arranged marriage with the loathsome deputy governor of Jamestown. Thomas embarks on a lifelong quest to prove that those Indians are from a colony established by his Welsh ancestor Prince Madoc, who discovered America in 1172AD.

Reprint of an edition published in New York in 1937 by Oxford University Press.