The cloistered nuns of Corpus Christi,the oldest Dominican monastery in the US, don't go out at night, of course, but say that things on the streets of Bronx where they reside are safer. For one thing they report fewer gunshots.
"Tucked within the confines of a several-foot-thick stone wall in one of the most infamous neighborhoods in the Bronx are 7.5 acres of meticulously kept land. On these grounds there are manicured gardens, woods and sloping hills of green, as well as a stone building with stained-glass windows reminiscent of the elegant Cathedral o f Notre Dame.
Inside, 16 women live their lives in prayer, silence and reflection, and — in accordance with the policy of their religious order, the Contemplative Order of the Dominicans — in isolation from the outside world. Or at least that’s what the nuns of the Corpus Christi Monastery try to do, something that isn’t always easy in a neighborhood that over the years has been virtually synonymous with drugs, poverty and crime.
...Corpus Christi — the oldest Dominican monastery in the United States — was built in 1889, long before crime and pollution problems invaded the Bronx. The grounds still feature the oldest barn in the borough, which in the late 1800s housed the nuns’ horses, chickens and cows.
But with the extension of subway lines from Manhattan in the early 1900s, the city crept north, eventually swallowing the farmland that lay beyond the monastery walls. And with it came urban problems: arson, poverty, drugs, crime."
-via Resident Publications online
The nuns describe the resurgence of the neighborhood optimistically despite the problems, including widespread prostitution. They donate food weekly and were granted permission to attend a community meeting. More importantly, their presence in the area serves as a witness to residents. Hope. A steady presence.
As one resident said, "Sister, it's so nice to hear the bells ringing."
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