HAPPY FATHER'S DAY...

BECOME A BETTER FATHER
http://becomeabetterfather.com/tag/alcoholics-anonymous/

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FATHER JOSEPH MARTIN
Father Joseph C. Martin, S.S.
October 12, 1924 - March 9, 2009

My name is Joe Martin, and I'm an alcoholic. Father Martin® first uttered
this statement in 1958, when he was in treatment for alcoholism at the Guest
House, what would prove to be a refuge for him from his drinking and a
turning point in his life. His personal journey in recovery prompted a
celebrated career in which his only aim was to ease the suffering of
individuals and families, around the world, affected by addiction.

He was born on October 12, 1924 in Baltimore, Maryland. He quickly developed
a fondness for religion and faith. People warmly recall his special
story-telling ability and wonderful sense of humor. In 1942, Father Martin®
graduated from Loyola College and entered St. Mary's seminary. He was
ordained a priest in 1948 and underwent rigorous training to become a
Sulpician, a highly regarded teaching society within the Catholic Church.
After losing this coveted distinction as a result of his drinking, only in
sobriety did he regain this title.

Father Martin® taught minor seminarians and fulfilled several teaching roles
within the church. It was very evident that he possessed a special ability
to educate but his drinking became very troublesome and he was eventually
directed to seek help at the Guest House. Father Martin® frequently cited
the tremendous impact his mentor Austin Ripley had on his journey in
recovery. Many of Father Martin's teachings originated in concepts he
learned while at the Guest House. His enthusiasm for sobriety coupled with
his passion for teaching evolved into an unending quest to ease the
suffering of individuals and families affected by addiction.

In his career, spanning more than 35 years, Father Martin® was catapulted
into international acclaim as a prized speaker and educator on addiction and
recovery thru the Twelve Steps. He founded Kelly Productions in 1972 and
used it as a platform to capture the minds and hearts of millions of people.

Father Martin's message is no less relevant today than in 1972. He will
continue to inspire love, service, helpfulness to others, and recovery
through the use of his films, audio lectures, and books. In his last year,
he shared his vision that he can be remembered so that the still suffering
individual affected by addiction might benefit from his God-inspired message
of hope.

FATHER MARTIN ON AMAZON.COM

Chalk Talks on Alcohol by Fr. Joseph C. Martin

http://astore.amazon.com/onlinerecoveryli/detail/0062505939

No Laughing Matter by Fr. Joseph C. Martin

http://astore.amazon.com/onlinerecoveryli/detail/0060654406

======================================================= Photograph of My
Father in His Twenty-Second Year
by Raymond Carver
October. Here in this dank, unfamiliar kitchen
I study my father's embarrassed young man's face.
Sheepish grin, he holds in one hand a string
of spiny yellow perch, in the other
a bottle of Carlsbad Beer.

In jeans and denim shirt, he leans
against the front fender of a 1934 Ford.
He would like to pose bluff and hearty for his posterity,
Wear his old hat cocked over his ear.
All his life my father wanted to be bold.

But the eyes give him away, and the hands
that limply offer the string of dead perch
and the bottle of beer. Father, I love you,
yet how can I say thank you, I who can't hold my liquor either,
and don't even know the places to fish?