Angel of Hope: The Life and Legacy of Sister Ignatia

For those with a casual interest in AA history, the roots of Alcoholics Anonymous can easily be traced to two middle-aged men, a New York stockbroker named Bill Wilson and an Akron, Ohio, physician named Dr. Bob Smith. However, as is often the case with any successful enterprise, there were a host of hidden partners behind the scenes who made incalculable contributions to the expansion and growth of the now nearly 75-year-old fellowship that has saved the lives of countless alcoholics around the world.

One such hidden partner was Sister Mary Ignatia of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, who teamed up with Dr. Bob in 1939 to found the famous AA-based treatment program at St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, Ohio.

Born in Ireland on New Years Day, 1889, Bridget Della Mary Gavin was a precocious yet delicate child with unusual musical talents. At the age of six, she emigrated to America with her parents and brother, and took up residence in Cleveland, Ohio, where she specialized in music at various American schools. In her early twenties, however, she decided she wanted to become a nun and in 1914 entered the Community of the Sisters of Charity, where she served as a teacher of music.

But Sister Ignatia was frail, and by 1933 the rigors of her music teaching had become too great. She had a nervous breakdown and her doctor put this choice to her: “You can either be a dead music teacher or a live Sister. Which is it going to be?”

Upon her recovery, she began working as a nurse and accepted a much quieter and less distinguished assignment as the registration clerk in the admissions office of St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, Ohio, an institution administered by her Order. Unknowingly, her assignment there would change the world.

At St. Thomas, she met Dr. Bob, who had been treating alcoholics for a number of years and often tried to get his patients admitted to local hospitals, especially when they were undergoing withdrawal and needed medical care. At the time, however, alcoholism was considered a moral failing, not a disease, and hospitals usually refused. But, Dr. Bob struck up a friendship with Sister Ignatia and began asking her to admit his patients.

In her own words, at a panel discussion before the Catholic Hospital Association of the United States and Canada in Philadelphia in 1951, Sister Ignatia described those early meetings with Dr. Bob.

“Dr. Bob had often discussed the problem of alcoholism with us, with regard to auto accidents and other tragedies caused by excessive drinking. Many of these cases had to be admitted to the hospital even though they were intoxicated. After talking with the families of these compulsive drinkers and realizing the misery, suffering, and sorrow brought into their homes and lives because of drinking, we became deeply interested as Dr. Bob unfolded a plan to us.

“This was in 1939, just about the time we were trying to pull out of the Depression. Hospital beds were at a premium, without any prospect of adding to our bed capacity. There was very little enthusiasm around the hospital about admitting people who were imbibing too freely.

“However, prompted by the grace of God, we very cautiously admitted one patient, with the diagnosis of ‘acute gastritis,’ under the care of Dr. Bob. The patient was placed in a two-bed room. The next morning, Dr. Bob came to the admitting office and very timidly requested that the patient be moved to a spot where the men who came to visit him might talk with him privately. The only available space we could think of was a small room across the hall called the ‘flower room,’ where patients’ flowers were changed and arranged. We pushed the alcoholic’s bed into this room. It was there that he received his first AA visitors.”

Both Sister Ignatia and Dr. Bob increasingly began to believe that alcoholics ought not be sneaked into the hospital under false pretenses but brought in through the front door just like other sick people. Eventually, after talking with the hospital’s administrators, the two obtained permission to open a ward at St. Thomas that dealt exclusively with persons suffering from alcoholism. It was the first such effort in the country, and as Dr. Bob attended to their physical needs, Sister Ignatia and members of Alcoholics Anonymous tended to their spiritual needs.

Things went smoothly for a while, but Sister Ignatia never paid much attention to finances, an aspect that caused some concern among hospital administrators.  At one point, as she stood contemplating a new alcoholic patient in miserable condition, a representative of the hospital inquired whether adequate financial provision for the new patient had been made. Gruffly, Sister Ignatia was reported to have said in response, “I am interested in souls, not dollars.”

Bill W., AA’s other co-founder, in a 1966 article in the AA Grapevine wrote of Sister Ignatia and her time at St. Thomas, “Sister became a central figure on the ward. She would alternately listen and talk, with infinite tenderness and understanding. The alcoholic's family and friends received the very same treatment. It was this most compassionate caring that was a chief ingredient of her unique Grace; it magnetically drew everyone to her, even the most rough and obstinate. Yet she would not always stand still for arrant nonsense. When the occasion required, she could really put her foot down. Then to ease the hurt, she would turn on her delightful humor. Once, when a recalcitrant drunk boasted he'd never again be seen at the hospital, Sister shot back, ‘Well, let's hope not. But just in case you do show up, please remember that we already have your size of pajamas. They will be ready and waiting for you!’”

Traditionally a five-day stay, Sister Ignatia described the experience she oversaw with dignity and grace so many times:

“First day--reality begins: Reality for the alcoholic is drinking. It is most important that the approach be made through another alcoholic; namely, a sponsor. The sponsor speaks the language of the alcoholic. He knows all the tricks of the ‘trade,’ because of personal experience.

“Those of us who have anything to do with admitting these patients should rely upon the judgment of the sponsor as to when the patient is ready for the program, for the AA ward does not accept repeaters. Sponsors know this, hence they are very careful before bringing the patient to the hospital. Above all, he must have a desire to stop drinking. Wives, relatives, friends, and employers may try to high-pressure the alcoholic into accepting the program. Someone may even persuade the family doctor to use his influence with the hospital so that the prospect may be admitted into the alcoholic ward.

“The role of the sponsor is not an easy one. He tries to appease an exasperated wife; he talks with the employer, the landlord, the creditors, and others. He explains that this is not simply another sobering-up process. The sponsor assures them that with their cooperation and the help of his fellow AAs, his charge will be given a real opportunity to make a complete recovery.

“After registration, the sponsor escorts his patient to the AA ward. Two or three of the senior patients in the ward take over and welcome the new patient. Nothing is left undone to make him feel at home, and this reception inspires hope in his heart.

“Second day—realization: The physical condition of the patient is usually much improved on the second day. His mind is beginning to clear. He feels encouraged because everyone seems interested in him. Visitors call on him, telling him, ‘This is how I made it.’ Some of the visitors may be men with whom he used to drink. The power of example is a great incentive to the patient. He begins to say to himself, ‘If he can do it--so can I. But how am I going to make it?’ At this point, he generally has a heart-to-heart talk with his sponsor.

“He acknowledges his utter powerlessness over alcohol. He honestly admits that he has tried innumerable times to drink normally and has always failed. He is finally ready, honestly and humbly, to admit defeat. His sponsor is delighted to know that his patient is really honest about his drinking. This may be the first time the patient has admitted the fact that he is powerless to help himself.

“The next step is to humbly turn to God. ‘Ask and you shall receive.’ Patients have often said that this is the first time they have sincerely prayed. The ‘Our Father’ takes on a new meaning at this point. They feel that they really belong.

“Third day--moral inventory: The patient makes a searching and fearless moral inventory of himself. He faces the past honestly, admits to God, to himself, and to another human being the exact nature of his wrongs. He has done with alibis and reservations. ‘I am an alcoholic. What a joy to be honest! The truth will make you free.’ Now he is sincerely asking God's help and the help of his fellowman.

“Fourth day—resolution: ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ This is interpreted by the alcoholic to mean, ‘I surely can stay sober today.’ The past is finished. Now, with God's help and the help of his fellow AAs, with his clear thinking, he can control his feelings and emotions. Reason now governs his life. Strong convictions are given him as to why he cannot take that first drink. He has learned from his fellow alcoholics that it is more blessed to give than to receive, and that it is a privilege to help others. What a joy, too! He is kept so busy helping others that he does not have time to even think about a drink. What a transformation takes place in the lives of these men and women!

“Fifth day--plans for the future: As he leaves the hospital, he must now face his problems. The way has been paved by the sponsor. The future is in God's hands. He has learned to say, ‘O God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.’ He is urged to guard against pride, self-pity, resentment, intolerance, and criticism; to attend meetings, to do Twelfth Step work.”

To each person who completed the five-day program, Sister Ignatia presented a Sacred Heart Badge. Those who accepted it promised to return the badge to Sister Ignatia before taking another drink of alcohol. The custom is carried out to this day with tokens awarded for sobriety.

It is estimated that during her career, Sister Ignatia helped tens of thousands of alcoholics. By the time she left Akron in 1952, more than 5,000 alcoholics had received professional medical treatment and counseling services at St. Thomas. She then transferred to Cleveland's St. Vincent Charity Hospital, where she continued to help rebuild broken lives, founding Rosary Hall, where she helped more than 10,000 clients until her death in 1966.

Sister Ignatia never accepted recognition for any of her work with alcoholics. Even in 1961, when she was recognized for her work by President Kennedy, gracious humility prevailed, accepting the award only in the name of her religious community and profession.

In thankful recollection of her great work, however, AA presented a bronze plaque to the Sisters of Charity and the Staff of St. Thomas Hospital, to be placed in the ward where she and Dr. Bob had wrought their wonders. The plaque read: “In gratitude, the friends of Dr. Bob and Anne S. affectionately dedicate this memorial to the Sisters and Staff of St. Thomas Hospital at Akron, birthplace of Alcoholics Anonymous. St. Thomas Hospital became the first religious institution ever to open its doors to our Society. May the loving devotion of those who labored here in our pioneering time be a bright and wondrous example of God’s grace everlastingly set before us all.”

Some years later, in the Irish AA magazine, The Road Back, an AA member offered a characteristic anecdote in loving recollection of Sister Ignatia: “Say a prayer for me, Sister,” said the drunken alcoholic weaving his way past Sister Ignatia into Rosary Hall. “Say it yourself,” she replied gently. “He loves to hear from strangers.”