Fireworks, Fourth of July

Cathedral Group Meeting Format

  1. Welcome to the Cathedral Group of Alcoholics Anonymous. My name is __________ and I am an alcoholic.
  2. Today is the last Thursday of the month and the Cathedral Group holds an Open Grapevine Meeting The meeting begins at Noon and ends at 1 p.m.
  3. Meeting Schedule: We hold Closed Discussion Meetings Friday through Wednesday. Thursdays are Open Book Study (with the last Thursday of the Month being an Open Grapevine Meeting). The First Tuesday of the Month is a Closed Speaker Meeting. Last Friday of the Month is an Open Birthday Meeting.
    • Beginning June 14, 2021, Cathedral Group will return to McGeehee Hall at Christ Church Cathedral. We need volunteers for In-Room Meeting Leader and Outside Door Monitor. Please sign-up using the scheduling software. The link is available from our website, CathedralGroupHouston.org.
    • Zoom meetings are set to continue through the end of June, as a convenience to those who have been connecting with us by Zoom during the pandemic, but there currently are no plans for hybrid Zoom/In-Room Meetings.
  4. Read Preamble: “Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A. A. membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.”
  5. May we have a moment of silence followed by the Serenity Prayer. “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
  6. Ask whether anyone is attending their very first A.A. meeting anytime/anywhere (first name only please). Is there anyone attending this meeting for the first time or a visitor who would like to be recognized?
  7. You may ask someone to read How It Works and/or the Daily Reflection

How It Works

Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest.

Our stories disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now. If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it — then you are ready to take certain steps.

At some of these we balked. thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely.

Remember that we deal with alcohol — cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power — that One is God. May you find Him now!

Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. we asked His protection and care with complete abandon.

Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery:  

  1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable.
  2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
  3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
  4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
  5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
  6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
  7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
  8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
  9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
  10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
  11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
  12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
  13. Many of us exclaimed, "What an order! I can't go through with it." Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.

    Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic, and our personal adventure before and after make clear three pertinent ideas:

    1. That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives.
    2. That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism.
    3. That God could and would if He were sought.

    1. Crosstalk: Remind the group that we do not engage in crosstalk which we define as speaking out of turn, interrupting or giving direct advice. [Please note that it is the responsibility of the leader or any other member to redirect the conversation.]
    2. Contributions: To make a contribution to the Cathedral Group of Alcoholics Anonymous, please visit our website CathedralGroupHouston.org and click on the “Donate” navitation tab at the top of the page. You may also mail a check to us at the Cathedral. Please make the check payable to “Cathedral Group” and mail to 1117 Texas Ave., Houston, Texas 77002.
    3. Introduce topic: You may ask the group for input for a topic.
    4. Close meeting Thank all of those who shared their experience, strength and hope.
    5. Pass out chips We are on a chip system at the Cathedral Group. The first chip is a desire chip for anyone who wants to try our way of living for the next 24 hours. 30 days, 60,90, etc. One year or multiple years are recogjiized at the birthday meeting at the end of the month. Is anyone celebrating a birthday this month?
    6. Are there any A.A. related announcements? Remind about birthday sign-up.
    7. We will close in the usual manner. “Please remember that anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.”
    8. Ask one of the members to close the meeting with a prayer.