The researcher felt nervous about the request he was about to make of the nuns. Though David Snowdon had become well acquainted with these School Sisters of Notre Dame and counted many of them as friends, what he was now asking of them went beyond anything he had asked them to do previously. He wanted them to donate their brains to his scientific study.

Speaking in 1990 to the first group in Mankato, Minnesota, Dr. Snowdon explained the nature of Alzheimer’s disease and described his research plan. If they agreed to take part, the sisters would have a series of physical and mental tests each year. They would also donate their brains after they died.

In his book, Aging With Grace, published last year, Dr. Snowden shares some of the reactions of the nuns faced with this request. At first there was dead silence but gradually the sisters began to speak.

One of them, Sister Clarissa, said “Well of course he can have my brain. What good is it going to do me when I’m six feet under?”

Another, 95-year-old Sister Borgia, posed a question: “He is asking for our help. How can we say no?”

Of this first group, 90 percent of the eligible sisters in the Minnesota convent agreed to the request. By the time Dr. Snowdon made his presentation to the sisters living in other states, an astounding 678 had pledged to make the same gift.

The obstacles expected by one member of Dr. Snowdon’s scientific team proved surprisingly weak. This medical researcher, David Wekstein, had agreed about nuns being more altruistic than the average person but he thought they might still not want to donate their brains. “The brain is not like other organs,” he said. “People think of it as who they are–it contains their identity. It’s loaded with meaning–personal, emotional, spiritual.”

Dr. Wekstein was right about a few of the nuns: one explained her rationale for not donating by saying “I must return to God the way I came.”

Several others would have faced trouble from their families who objected to brain donation.

But the great majority of the nuns felt motivated by spiritual reasons to give this precious part of their body for love of God and neighbor.

Sister Rita Schwalbe undoubtedly expressed the attitude of many when she explained: “As sisters, we made the hard choice not to have children. Through brain donation, we can help unravel the mysteries of Alzheimer’s disease and give the gift of life in a new way to future generations.”

Yet these words should not make one think the commitment was prompt and easy for all of the sisters who made this choice. Dr. Snowdon was impressed with the “intense thought and prayer” that went into the decisions.

Dr. Snowdon quotes from a few sisters about how they made their choice to donate, words that emphasize their belief in life transformed after death.

“It is the spirit that is important after death, not the brain,” one said. Another shared her faith: “At the resurrection, I believe our bodies will be glorified and perfect. We will have no illness and no physical defects. Resurrection does not depend on how our bodies are in the grave.”

A key concept that helped motivate the sisters who agreed on making the gift of their brains was the spiritual idea of charism. They understand it as “a gift of the Spirit given to an individual for the good of all.”

Sister Gabriel Mary explained it further: “Each sister carries the charism with her as she devotes her life to others. It’s the spirit of our congregation.”

And Sister Rita stressed that this charism motivated them to work with the poor and powerless. “Who’s more powerless,” she asked, “than someone with Alzheimer’s disease?”

The farsightedness of these sisters and their generosity suggests a deep spiritual life. Indeed most people do feel wary of giving away their brains even after they have no more use for them. But these women live their whole lives with eyes directed toward the ultimate reality of God and the service of their fellow human beings. The brave decision to make a gift of their brains gives dramatic expression to their love of God and neighbor.                    

Richard Griffin