The Angel of AA, Sister Ignatia speaking in 1947 digitally remastered. Enjoy! 🙂 From Wikipedia: “On August 16, 1935, Sister Ignatia was in charge of admissions at St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, Ohio. She and Dr. Bob Smith admitted the first alcoholic patient who would be the first of millions to participate in the Twelve-step program of recovery, the beginning of Alcoholics Anonymous. Many of ideas of Alcoholics Anonymous — including the use of tokens to mark milestones in sobriety — were introduced by Sister Ignatia. She would give alcoholics leaving St. Thomas Hospital a medallion of the Sacred Heart, instructing them that the acceptance of the medallion represented commitment to God, to AA and to recovery. She added that if they were going to drink, they should first return the medallion. She was the first to recognize the use of coffee for alcoholics, insisting that it be freely available in every stage of recovery. Between 1935 and 1965 she successfully treated thousands of alcoholics. Sister Ignatia pioneered the recognition of alcoholism among priests and Religious Sisters. She was remembered for her kindness, honesty and non-judgmental love. In 1961, given an award by US President John F. Kennedy, she accepted the award not for herself but in the name of her religious congregation and profession. In 1954, she was awarded the Catherine of Siena Medal by the Theta Phi Alpha Fraternity. She was honored for her “outstanding achievement in one of our major problems …
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