The Pillar

Home
About
News
Pillar Posts
Analysis
Interviews
Explainers
On Leo's Desk
Data
Pillar Columns
Starting Seven
The Pillar Podcast
Sunday School
Look Closer
The Pillar TL;DR
A Pillar feature

How Catholics influenced AA – and AA influences Catholics

Fionn Shiner
Jan 17, 2026
∙ Paid

Jan. 24 will mark 55 years since the death of Bill Wilson, who co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous along with Bob Smith.

An AA fellowship sign on the railings of a church in Havana, Cuba. RG72/wikimedia CC BY-SA 4.0.

AA is firmly established in the culture’s imagination, particularly in the Anglosphere. But less well-known is the role the Catholic Church play…

This post is for paid subscribers

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2026 The Pillar · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture