The Pioneer Total Abstinence Association of the Sacred Heart was founded by Fr. James Cullen S.J. in the Church of Saint Francis Xavier, Gardiner Street, Dublin, on 28 December 1898. Fr Cullen was born in New Ross, Co Wexford, in 1841 and entered the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) in 1881.Fr. Cullen was always concerned with social issues, and his motivation in setting up the Pioneers was to address the enormous damage that he saw excess alcohol was doing in the Ireland of his times. Many workers were heavy drinkers, and alcohol was the greatest drain on the weekly earnings of the family.
He had four co-founders: Mrs. A Egan, Mrs. ML Bury, Mrs. AM Sullivan, and Miss L Power. All of them were women, as Fr Cullen's early vision was of an all-female organization which, through its prayers and sacrifice in pledging to abstain from alcohol for life, would provide spiritual support for people to abstain from alcohol. A very short time into the organization, after much pressure from men to join, Fr Cullen extended the membership to all.
From the beginning, members – who joined in their thousands – pledged three things: to abstain from alcohol for life (which Fr Cullen referred to as “The heroic sacrifice”); to say the Pioneer prayer twice a day; and to bear witness by wearing the pioneer pin at all times. The PTAA has always been underpinned by devotion to the Sacred Heart, and its emblem reflects this.
Fr Cullen was a tireless and good organizer. He put his considerable energies into building up the association which he founded. In 1905, after five years, there were 43,000 members. In 1906 there were 70,000, and by 1910 there were 100,000. In 1917, even though a considerable number had been expelled for failure to live up to the pledge, membership came to 250,000. In the 1950s, as many as one in three Irish adults were members. And even though membership has declined considerably since then, there are still more than 100,000 Pioneers in Ireland today.
The first European branch of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was set up in Ireland in 1946.
For poitín in folklore
He had four co-founders: Mrs. A Egan, Mrs. ML Bury, Mrs. AM Sullivan, and Miss L Power. All of them were women, as Fr Cullen's early vision was of an all-female organization which, through its prayers and sacrifice in pledging to abstain from alcohol for life, would provide spiritual support for people to abstain from alcohol. A very short time into the organization, after much pressure from men to join, Fr Cullen extended the membership to all.
From the beginning, members – who joined in their thousands – pledged three things: to abstain from alcohol for life (which Fr Cullen referred to as “The heroic sacrifice”); to say the Pioneer prayer twice a day; and to bear witness by wearing the pioneer pin at all times. The PTAA has always been underpinned by devotion to the Sacred Heart, and its emblem reflects this.
Fr Cullen was a tireless and good organizer. He put his considerable energies into building up the association which he founded. In 1905, after five years, there were 43,000 members. In 1906 there were 70,000, and by 1910 there were 100,000. In 1917, even though a considerable number had been expelled for failure to live up to the pledge, membership came to 250,000. In the 1950s, as many as one in three Irish adults were members. And even though membership has declined considerably since then, there are still more than 100,000 Pioneers in Ireland today.
The first European branch of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was set up in Ireland in 1946.
For poitín in folklore