Whenever a quote, story or inspiration from a book stays with me, I regard the hours reading the book time well spent. That was definitely the case after reading “Fr. Ed: The Story of Bill W.’s Spiritual Sponsor.” I admit it’s a book I might have passed over if not for an invitation from the author, Dawn Eden Goldstein, to read and review it.
Although I was familiar with Alcoholic Anonymous (AA), I had no knowledge of Jesuit Father Edward Dowling. But reading his biography left me inspired and with a memorable quote: “The shortest cut to humility is humiliation.” The quote also appears in AA’s Big Book.
The biography includes the priest’s spiritual struggle during his novitiate, which was providential as it prepared him for the work that God would set before him.
Not only did the aspiring priest struggle with his call to the priesthood during his formative years, but he endured a crisis of faith that prompted his desire to walk with and champion the poor, the downtrodden and the marginalized.
Father Ed lived his vocation in the society that bears the name of Jesus as a compassionate presence toward the very people that are too often scorned.
As an editor and columnist with the “Queen’s Work,” a journal published by the Jesuits of the Missouri Province, Father Ed’s outreach was as deep as it was broad, but it didn’t stop with the printed word. Early in his priesthood, he was involved with voter’s rights, democratic principles of engagement and racial justice.
Convinced that the Ignatian Exercises were something that could help everyone, he quickly noted parallels between the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises and the 12 Step Program espoused by AA. In an effort to reconcile the two, he went out of his way to meet Bill W. (Wilson), co-founder of AA.
The meeting led to a lasting friendship, prompting the priest to establish a chapter in St. Louis. Although he was not an alcoholic, Father Ed bonded with those who struggled with the addiction and found in them a type of communion that he believed was not limited to alcoholics. In one of his articles about AA in the “Queens’s Work” he wrote:
“If you can’t stop biting your fingernails, growling at your mother-in-law, or are obsessed with any other deteriorating habit, just substitute your vice for alcohol in the following 12 steps and see if you have the courage even to start the program. It is very practical for people who are drinking too much, loneliness, anxiety, or discouragement these days.”
The priest realized that a wider application of the 12 steps was a way to reach people who might not be inclined toward Ignatian spirituality.
As a follow-through, he developed numerous support groups, which included “Recovery” for those with mental illness and their families, Cana Conferences for married and engaged couples, a support group for women who suffered a miscarriage and a group for women with seven or more children that he named 7-Up. His outreach also included teaching Catholic Action classes during the summer months.
Another remarkable aspect of Father Ed’s ministry was its inclusivity regarding race and religion that took place a decade prior to the civil rights movement. A man before his time, his prophetic call to the laity to live a life of holiness preceded Vatican II and the publication of “Lumen Gentium.”
Sustained by the grace of God, Father Ed made no secret of his love for God and his dependence upon divine grace, which deepened through the years. Diagnosed in his 40s with a debilitating disease that caused his vertebrae to fuse and made mobility difficult, he inspired those who knew him.
As the disease made walking and activities of daily living an on-going challenge, his secretary told him that she was praying for him to be healed, to which the priest responded, “Oh, kid, don’t do that. This is my ticket to heaven.”
Father Ed died in his sleep, April 6, 1960, after visiting with friends from several of the support groups he helped establish. His life was truly an embodiment of a belief that C.S. Lewis professed which was that after the Blessed Sacrament, the most sacred object on Earth is our neighbor.
As we continue our Lenten journey deep into the heart of God, may the words and lives of the saints continue to inspire us and help us to believe that we too can become holy as our heavenly Father is holy.
Barbara Hughes is an author, retreat facilitator and spiritual guide. She lives in Virginia Beach and can be reached at [email protected].