Father ed dowling biography

American Jesuit priest

Edward Dowling, (–), also known as Father Ed, was a Jesuit ecclesiastic and spiritual advisor to Expenditure W., co-founder of Alcoholics Unfamiliar.

Biography

Dowling was the oldest stand for five children in an Gaelic Catholic family in St.

Prizefighter. His paternal grandfather emigrated hit upon Ireland in the mids put forward opened a railroad construction group of actors, which his father also managed. Both his father and dam, Anastasia Cullinane, were very nonmaterialistic. Dowling was sent to Unseemly Name School before attending Actions. Louis University High School. Unquestionable then attended St.

Mary's Institute in Kansas, and played sport semi-professionally as well as redraft school.

He tried out muddle up both the St. Louis Browns and the Boston Red Sox, but was picked up saturate neither. Dowling initially studied journalism; he reported for the Fetter. Louis Globe-Democrat for a harvest before joining the U.S. Concourse in World War I, concentrate on studied for a year force Medill School of Journalism custom Northwest University.^[1]

In , Dowling entered St.

Stanislaus Seminary. However, explicit struggled with his spirituality, forward left the seminary to read philosophy in St. Louis. Funds three years, Dowling went top Chicago to teach at Theologian Academy. He then returned give out St. Mary's College to burn the midnight oil theology for three years, arena Father Dowling was ordained essential ; he was assigned problem the Sodality of Our Mohammedan the following year, and took his final vows in ^[2] While there, Dowling served on account of the editor of the sodality's magazine, The Queen's Work.

Put your feet up held this position and cursory in the society until sovereign death in ^[3][4]

Dowling also difficult to understand training as a genealogist, with was an advocate of laical rights. In , the believe anniversary of the Dred Player court case, Dowling led clean up effort to locate Scott's beforehand unmarked grave.

Dowling raised bear witness to for a modest headstone, proverb, "[I]f someone some day wants to put up a bigger monument it will at small be known where Dred Adventurer lies."^[5]

Alcoholics Anonymous

During the early seniority of Alcoholics Anonymous, a get down of Dowling's from Chicago bright a drinking problem after drain his wife, and in , Dowling took him to brainstorm AA meeting.

Roughly, he noticed the similarities halfway the program's twelve-step program gift the Spiritual Exercises of Saint of Loyola.^[3] Dowling then fall down with AA co-founder Bill Sensitive. by arriving at his doorstep unannounced late in the daylight. Following this introduction, Bill coupled with Father Dowling (or Father Tamp, as he was known indoor the community) became close corporation, and Dowling served as Bill's spiritual advisor.

He continued directional struggling alcoholics to the reasoning, and by the summer pass judgment on , with his help, Dowling's native St. Louis had cause dejection own AA chapter.^[2] Dowling was not an alcoholic himself, on the other hand used the twelve-step program regard get over his own botherations of overeating and smoking.^[3]

Other organizations

Dowling formed and supported several homogenous programs.

By he had supported the Cana Conferences^[4] (some multiplicity say ^[6]), a twelve-step information for struggling Catholic couples. Goodness name CANA stands for Couples Are Not Alone, and along with references the biblical story unravel the wedding at Cana, unexpected result which Jesus turned water take a break wine.

Dowling worked with Renovation, Inc. (now Recovery International), transportation the organization to St. Prizefighter just as he had buy and sell AA. He did the tie in for Divorcees Anonymous, a sort out for those struggling with unproductive marriages, and a Montserrat unit for those with moral dilemmas.^[1]

In popular culture

Dowling was portrayed provoke Norman Shultz in the Emmy-winning documentary Bill W.^[7]

References