Damian McElrath, PhD, has done it all at Hazelden.

He has been a counselor, speaker, administrator, leader, author, teacher and historian. He was the first director of Hazelden's youth facility in Plymouth, Minn., he led treatment services for several years, and he even led the publishing division. He has documented Hazelden's rich history in several books. No one has worn more hats at Hazelden than McElrath. His 32 years at Hazelden are remarkable, considering they represent the second of his life's journeys.

His first life was equally full: He was ordained a Franciscan priest in 1954, earned his PhD in ecclesiastical history at Gregorian University in Rome, completed a post-doctorate fellowship at Cambridge and Oxford Universities, and was president of St. Bonaventure University in St. Bonaventure, N.Y., from 1972-1975.

"Damian has done it all, and he's done it with tremendous grace," says Ellen Breyer, Hazelden president and CEO. "He's a scholar and teacher who epitomizes our caring community. No one knows and loves Hazelden and its patients like Damian. He's a touchstone for me and the rest of Hazelden in terms of our history and spirituality. He's a true Hazelden treasure--a man for all seasons."

A search for community
McElrath's life is best described as a search for community. He grew up during the depression in Brooklyn, N.Y. As a youth, he spent several summers at a family farm in the Catskill Mountains of New York. He recalls attending a church picnic at a seminary there and seeing something that he really liked. "I saw a real sense of camaraderie and community among the Franciscans there," McElrath says. "I decided I'd like to be part of that."

After two years at Haaren High School in Manhattan, he enrolled in St. Joseph's Seminary in Callicoon, N.Y. He graduated from there in 1948 and earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy from St. Bonaventure University in 1950. He went on to achieve advanced degrees in theology and studied for 30 months under the Jesuits in Rome. He served at several parishes and taught for 15 years at several Catholic colleges or universities, including the Washington Theological Coalition in Silver Spring, Md., and The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. "I was a good teacher and a good preacher," he says.

His second search for community began at Hazelden in September 1976, when he was invited to train in Hazelden's year-long Clinical Pastoral Education program in Center City. "At first I thought, 'Why would I go there? How was spirituality related to the skid row alcoholic? My misconceptions of both spirituality and alcoholics were soon uprooted."

His Hazelden training had a huge impact. During the final semester of his training at the end of 1977, while serving as a chaplain on the units, he decided to leave the priesthood. He was 48 and fascinated by the life-changing work of helping alcoholics. He was most intrigued by working with patients on the Jellinek Unit. He studied there under the supervision of Dorothy Flynn and George Weller, helping extended care patients who needed more time to learn the Twelve Step way of life. "I really loved working on Jellinek," McElrath recalls. "I fell in love with the place."

Life comes full circle
His decision to leave the priesthood, however, meant he had to surrender his pastoral care duties at Hazelden, because he was no longer church sponsored. It almost broke his heart to leave Jellinek, he says. His training left him well grounded in the spiritual component of care, but he would have to forego working directly with Jellinek patients.

Instead, he went on to play a prominent role at Hazelden in key leadership positions. He served as director of Education (aka, Publishing), Consultation, Research and Evaluation in the late 1970s before taking charge of Pioneer House (now Center for Youth and Families) in 1981. He directed residential treatment services from 1985 to 1990, spent 1991 helping Hanley-Hazelden in Florida get on track, returned to serve as executive vice president of Recovery Services until 1995, and then consulted and wrote for several years.

In 2003, Damian's life came full circle. He came out of semi-retirement to work as a spiritual care professional on the Jellinek Unit, a labor of love for him. Now at age 79, he's still doing what he loves. He describes it as "the God of my understanding telling me that I was fully prepared to return."

"Damian came to Hazelden in 1976 to find out how to make a difference in people's lives, and it was here that he realized how the Twelve Steps and AA could help transform lives even more than the church," says Bruce Larson, director of Clinical Services at Hazelden who has known McElrath since 1976, when Larson enrolled in Hazelden's Counselor Training Program. "Damian held many important positions here--he's a great leader. Now he's doing what he really loves to do.

"Damian has such great empathy for the patients and passion for helping people change," Larson continues. "He has a deep respect for the transformative powers and spirituality of the Twelve Steps."

Paul Mladnick, supervisor of the Jellinek Unit, says McElrath is full of wisdom and always acts in the best interests of each patient. "He excels at spiritual care and the application of the Steps," he says. "Every three months he does a four-part lecture series on spirituality, and it always gets high marks from our patients. He's a natural teacher--a great teacher of the Twelve Steps."

McElrath says he tries to provide compassion and healing to the patients. "I share my knowledge, and I'm nonjudgmental--the patients respect that," says McElrath. "I bring an understanding of the Steps and spirituality, I do Fourth and Fifth Steps, I help them understand a Higher Power, and I provide formulas for turning their lives over to a Higher Power."

Given his strong spiritual presence and knowledge of the Twelve Step program, it's assumed by patients and associates that McElrath is in recovery himself, but he is not. However, his personal experience with the disease runs deep. His brother died of a drug overdose, his sister died of alcohol poisoning, his nephew died at age 29 of addiction, and his father died at age 39 of alcoholism.

That family history drew him to Hazelden, and that influence, he feels, gives him an edge in getting into the minds and souls of alcoholics still suffering.

"Damian has a great presence," says Larson. "There's a quote from The Doctor's Opinion in the Big Book [page xxvi] that says, 'Frothy emotional appeal seldom suffices. The message which can interest and hold these alcoholic people must have depth and weight.' Damian's message always has depth and weight. He's one of the most powerful lecturers Hazelden has ever had."

Telling one's story is 'sacred ground'
McElrath emphasizes that a sense of community is the base for recovery. What he tries to convey to patients is contained in a passage from his new book: "The recovering community needs to be continually advised that within its ranks/fellowship there is a fountain of wisdom from the members' composite experiences with and without drugs and alcohol that they can share with one another and use to confront one another, to support one another, and to learn from one another. . . . No one can say that 'there is nothing spiritual going on in their lives; telling their stories to another human being is sacred ground.' "

Hazelden provides that spiritual environment for recovery, says McElrath. It fosters a sense of community and a sense of belonging, combined with teaching Twelve Step principles.

"From Hazelden's earliest days, the two basic expectations of patients have been that they attend lectures on the Twelve Steps and talk to one another," McElrath says. "That's the essence of Hazelden. What each patient brings is his or her own personal experience of alcoholism well digested; that's the essence of community. It's the same thing Dr. Bob and Bill W. experienced when they first met. Dr. Bob wrote of their meeting in the Big Book: '...he was the first living human with whom I had ever talked, who knew what he was talking about in regard to alcoholism from actual experience. In other words, he talked my language.' " (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 180)

Preserving the core
The core of the Hazelden program--of the recovery program--is the Twelve Steps and a sense of community, McElrath says. McElrath trusts that Hazelden will never lose that focus. "Hazelden has grown enormously over the years since I have been here," he says. "As it expands it needs to be in touch with its core and determine which services are vital to this core. The leadership is constantly challenged with balancing mission and margin, and for the most part it hasn't forgotten Pat Butler's description of Hazelden's mission--to treat as many alcoholics as possible with the best care at the least cost."

It is imperative for Hazelden to be conscious of the right formula between continuity and change and to not tinker with what is essential to its continuity, he adds.

There's been no better advocate for Hazelden than McElrath. His books have chronicled Hazelden history and the lives of its pioneers, Patrick Butler and Dan Anderson. His latest book seeks to portray Hazelden's soul, or its core.

"Damian is unique in that he loves Hazelden and he knows and has lived its history more than anyone else," says Larson. "He has documented Hazelden's history and its spirit and soul in a way no one has. He has captured forever Hazelden history, and that's a special gift to all of us who know and cherish Hazelden and what it stands for."

The Essence of Twelve Step Recovery captures the spiritual core

Damian McElrath's new book, The Essence of Twelve Step Recovery: Take It to Heart, was written in gratitude to the Jellinek patients at Hazelden, whose lives, struggles and pain are witness to what spirituality is all about. Dedicated to Sandy McElrath, Damian's wife of 26 years, the book defines spirituality and the essence of Twelve Step living--and the essence of Hazelden.

"All my books up to this point have been historical/biographical and have dealt with portraits of Hazelden externally--its body," McElrath says. "My new book seeks to seize and portray Hazelden's soul--its core. It helps Hazelden take its own pulse."

McElrath begins his Hazelden-published book with a quote from the Big Book: "The spiritual life is not a theory. We have to live it." (Alcoholics Anonymous, page 83). He goes on to eloquently provide his view of spiritual fitness. "The person seeking recovery must reconnect with his true self, with others, and with his Higher Power--the God of his understanding," he writes.

He addresses "the spiritual protocols of recovery" in separate self-contained chapters: (1) The Community, (2) The Spirituality of Addiction, (3) The Twelve Steps--Relational Spirituality, (4) Benchmarks for Spiritual Growth, and (5) The Cultivation of the Interior Life.

Gail Gleason Milgram, EdD, director of the Center for Alcohol Studies at Rutgers University, endorses the book: "Damian is a born teacher. He presents complicated and difficult content in a clear and concise fashion. He helps the reader understand that 'the heart of what makes us human/spiritual beings is our search for integrity, purpose and meaning.' This book is a gift to all who are in search of the meaning of life."

Says Craig Nakken, author of The Addictive Personality: "Damian has written a simple but profound guide for addicts that goes to the very heart of what is needed for recovery. The book has purpose and meaning beyond its pages. It's a must read for those looking to embrace or deepen their recovery. Follow the spiritual protocol!"

Hazelden books authored by McElrath:

• Hazelden: A Spiritual Odyssey (1987), a history of Hazelden's first 25 years.
• Further Reflections on Hazelden's Spiritual Odyssey (1999), a sequel to Hazelden:A Spiritual Odyssey that covers the second 25 years of Hazelden.
• Patrick Butler: A Biography (1999), a look at the man known as the heart and soul of Hazelden.
• Dan Anderson: A Biography (1999), a look at one of the main architects of the Minnesota Model.
• The Essence of Twelve Step Recovery: Take It to Heart (2008), addresses "the spiritual protocols of recovery."
• The Quiet Crusaders (2001), sketches the lives of three men key in the evolution of the Minnesota Model.

For more on McElrath's books, visit hazelden.org/bookstore or call 800-328-9000.

--by Marty Duda

Published in The Voice, Winter 2008