On behalf of the
Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, Congregational Leader Sr. Judith Ann Karam accepted the 35 millionth copy of the
Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous as a tribute to the late Sr. Ignatia Gavin and her work with the founders of AA. In the 1930s, Sr. Gavin defied societal convention and hospital norms when she began admitting alcoholics to St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, Ohio, for detoxification. Sr. Karam, left, with Sr. Theresa Bontempo, both Sisters of Charity, are shown with Terrance M. Bedient, Alcoholics Anonymous' general service board chair at the July convention in Atlanta marking AA's 80th anniversary. AA is not a religious organization, but has had cooperative relationships with spiritual leaders from many backgrounds from its beginning, according to the organization.
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