A century of pioneering

The idea of a total abstinence association attracting youth may seem unlikely nowadays, but in many parts of the world that is exactly what the Pioneers are doing. Young people in Ireland and in African Commonwealth countries continue to be attracted to the idea of putting aside the use of alcohol, despite - or perhaps because of - the pressures they are under to drink, from the media, advertisers, the industry, friends, and, as often as not, parental example. The widespread use of illegal drugs may also prove a spur to some of the young to show a practical concern for the problems of addiction.

This is the centenary year of the Pioneers, the crusading Irish total abstinence movement founded by Father James Cullen. The culmination of the celebrations will come with a huge rally in Croke Park, Dublin, on Trinity Sunday, 30th May, 1999.

Father Cullen, a member of the Society of Jesus, had taken the pledge himself in 1874. He had been greatly moved by the harm caused to so many families by the drunkenness which was so prevalent in the Ireland of his day. He also believed that any hope of political and religious liberty lay in national sobriety: "If Ireland be sober Ireland shall be free."

At first, like other campaigners before him, he made his appeal to those who abused alcohol. Even when the numbers who came forward to take the pledge were high, the newly reformed tended to lack perseverance. Father Cullen put his mind to the problem of establishing a means of supporting those who had taken the pledge of abstinence so that they could be an example to others and an encouragement to those who had no control over their drinking. The thought came to him that a "heroic sacrifice" made by people who did not have an alcohol problem might act as a support to what he called "our weaker brethren".

At a meeting with four good Dublin ladies on 28th December, 1898, Father Cullen outlined his plan. They responded with enthusiasm and the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association of the Sacred Heart was born. Since that day the organisation has spread throughout the world and helped countless thousands avoid the harm caused by the abuse of alcohol. Pioneers abstain for life from intoxicating drink. The "Heroic Offering" is made for the sake of others, not so much as a pious example but as an offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a continual prayer on behalf of those who experience the pain of addiction or abuse, and a union with the suffering of Christ. The Sacred Heart is an aspect of Jesus Christ which sometimes causes confusion to non-Catholics. Put very simply, just as the human heart has always been seen as the seat of the affections, it is the symbol of His love and it is where He suffers the pain of man's sin. Father Bernard McGuckian, S.J., the present Central Director of the Association, in his book, Pledged for Life, gives a lucid and detailed explanation of the devotion to the Sacred Heart and its relevance to the work of the Pioneers.

"The motivation for [the Pioneers'] choice is rooted in Catholic spirituality," says Father McGuckian. " In this perspective, drink like everything else created is good. Evil is always derivative and only arises with the abuse of something good. The Pioneer believes that moderation in drink is a good thing but to give it up for a high ideal is a better thing. This is a simple extension of the understanding of fasting in Christian tradition."

Father Cullen's main inspiration was Holy Scripture. The impulse of the Christian to be concerned for the well-being of his fellow man was central to the purpose of the Pioneers: " [The] life and death of each of us has its influence on others." (Romans, 14:7). However, the most distinctive mark of the Pioneers since the inception of the Association was devotion to the Sacred Heart, as exemplified by the badge worn by every member. In his book, Father McGuckian explains : "This devotion was revealed to St Margaret Mary Alacoque at Paray-le-Monial. She taught that three specific benefits for the human family would follow from widespread devotion to the Sacred Heart: sinners would find an ocean of mercy, tepid souls would become fervent, and the already fervent would rise quickly to great perfection." By happy coincidence, as the Pioneers celebrate their first hundred years, next summer sees the centenary of the act which Leo XIII considered the most important of his pontificate, the consecration of the whole human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The founders of Alcoholics Anonymous also saw the necessity of employing spirituality in recovery from addiction. The twelve steps of the AA programme of recovery unconsciously echo the Twelve Steps of Humility which St Benedict describes in Chapter VII of The Holy Rule, written in the sixth century, which will have been familiar to St Margaret Mary. In accepting a spiritual dimension to recovery, whether it be specifically Catholic like the Pioneers or left to the perception of the individual, as with AA, the drinker acknowledges his powerlessness over alcohol and the necessity of trusting in God - or a higher power, as AA puts it. Father Cullen's primary concern was the victim of addiction and he prayed that the Pioneers "would win from Heaven by the gentle violence of total abstinence the conversion of excessive drinkers." At first Father Cullen's words seem puzzling, but, as Father McGuckian points out, he is alluding to Christ's words about the Kingdom of Heaven suffering violence and, in the words of the old Douai version, "only violence bears it away." It is as if the prayers and offering of the Pioneer wrest from Heaven the grace which the addict needs to overcome his addiction.

Although the Pioneers may never have been quite the force in England that they have been in Ireland, they have made a huge impact in African countries of the Commonwealth. "It is like what it was in Ireland in the first half of this century," says Father McGuckian. A feature of education in the UK is the strength of the Catholic schools. Their ethical basis is attractive to parents who have no connection with the Church and there is often considerable competition too find a place on their lists. It is perhaps among these young people that the Pioneers might find the best opportunity for growth.

The Catholic Church is in the process of canonising a number of Pioneers; that is, recognising that they are saints. The Venerable Matt Talbot is probably the best known. At the age of 28, in 1884, after a life dominated by subservience to alcohol, he took the pledge and was given the strength to conquer his addiction. Not only did Matt Talbot manage to achieve sobriety but thereafter led a life of the greatest sanctity and prayer. He died on his way to Mass in his native Dublin on Trinity Sunday, 1925. At the stage of the canonisation process where a person is declared Venerable, they are recognised as having practised the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity as well as having the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. From the ranks of the Pioneers, there are also the Venerable Edel Quinn and the Servants of God, Father John Sullivan, S.J., and Frank Duff.
On of the most prominent Pioneers of recent years is Cardinal Cahal Daley, familiar the world over for his efforts for peace in Northern Ireland. His Eminence, who always wears his Pioneer badge, said this about the Association and its founder: "Father Cullen sets his standards for membership high and he was uncompromising in his demands for fidelity to those standards. He was more concerned about the quality of the commitment than he was about the large numbers of members. He expected nothing less than heroism from Pioneers. Let there be no misunderstanding, however. Pioneers do not set themselves up as a spiritual elite, or think of themselves as heroic persons. They simply see themselves as freely choosing a certain form of self-denial as one of their ways of 'taking up their cross every day' and following Jesus Christ. Devotion to the Sacred Heart, particularly under the aspect of reparation to the Sacred Heart for the pain caused to the Heart of Christ by sins of intemperance, were and are an integral part of the spirituality of the movement and the main source of its motivation. It is not primarily by human means, however admirable in themselves, that the Pioneer Association hopes to counter the evil of drink abuse, but rather through the 'folly of the Cross of Christ'."

In his book, Father McGuckian draws attention to the "truly inspired summary of the role of the Pioneer in society" given in a Papal audience by His Holiness Pope Paul VI in 1974: "We exhort you to continue in your praiseworthy efforts to help eliminate the disorder of alcoholic abuse from society. This is done by prayer and the sacrifice of abstinence which you gladly offer to God by a compassionate awareness of the complex physical, psychological, moral, and religious aspects of the disorder itself. We earnestly hope and pray that you show to all whose lives are affected by this grave problem may indeed serve to strengthen the moral fibre of society and bring closer to it the healing and sustaining hand of Christ the Saviour."

Pioneers throughout the world are responding to this exhortation as they have done for the last hundred years.

Pledged For Life by Bernard J. McGuckian, S.J., may be obtained from Pioneer Publications, Dublin, 27, Upper Sherrard Street, Dublin 1, Ireland.