Sister Amata Galligan: A Life Spurred On by Disaster

Margaret Galligan, an Irish immigrant living in America, sits eating lunch with her Aunt on a long cruise back to her homeland of Ireland. What should have been a joyous trip is abruptly interrupted by two large explosions from a torpedo hitting the passenger liner she is aboard, the RMS Lusitania. Left adrift with her Aunt and clinging to debris from the wreckage, she promises to devote her life to serving others should she survive her current peril.

After her rescue and eventual return to America, she had a chance meeting with a member of the Dominican Sisters of the Sick Poor. She instantly knew that God had answered her prayers, and was reborn as Sister Mary Amata. She would go on to spend the rest of her life helping the sick, both young and old, in Ohio, Colorado, and New York. She was loved by many, and her devotion and resolve to help others was forged that fateful night in the Atlantic.

This special feature will showcase Sister Mary Amata Galligan through the records contained in the Dominican Sisters of Hope Archives. We have items including photographs, news articles, and letters regarding Sister Mary Amata.