From Sickness To Health

Della Mary Gavin was born in Ireland.  Her Catholic mother taught her that alcoholism is a moral failure.  Della moved to the USA and joined a religious order of women.  For ten years, as Sister Ignatia Gavin, C.S.A. she taught music.  This was her vocation so she thought.  Then she developed a nervous condition and had to give up teaching music.  Her plans were not working out.  Well, a Caholic hospital opened in Akron, Ohio and Ignatia was put in charge of admissions, the registration desk.  No need for any nurse training.  Alcoholics were deemed moral derelicts at that time, beyond any medical care.  Sister Ignatia thought otherwise, and revised her mother's and society's opinion.  She viewed alcoholics as an illness, to include a spiritual malady.  She convinced a doctor to let some alcoholics in so they could rest, before setting them back on the streets.  A year later, she met Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, who worked at that hospital.  Both Bill and Bob were alcoholics and that year they founded Alcoholics Anonymous.  It was at this Akron Catholic Hospital that Bill and Bob found other alcoholics.  Alcoholism began to be treated here as a medical condition.  Sister Ignatia went on to Cleveland to help establish an alcoholic ward in St. Vincent's Charity hospital.  What if Ignatia had not gotten sick herself and continued on teaching music?  Bad stuff is not always the end.  Plus, all the AA people in recovery who have dumped the Catholic Church might notice how much this church had to do with AA getting off the ground.  When it is about love, my church is wonderful! Irish Catholic girls are good examples of this.  Thank you Sister Ignatia.