After reports emerged that Los Angeles’ storied Monastery of the Angels had become endangered, the Dominican nuns who live there have stated they have no intention of selling the property. While the nuns are confident that they can continue their work as usual, however, the preservation society formed to help save the property says it will continue to make arrangements, in case those plans change.
The lay foundation launched to save the monastery says it will continue to prepare in case these plans change.
Diminishing numbers and aging members of the order spurred rumors, last month, that the monastery property could be sold. Now, the sisters of the Sacred Order of Preachers are setting the record straight that they have not even considered leaving their home. In an interview with the LA Times, Lloyd Pantell, a lawyer representing the monastery, explained:
Numbers
One of the reasons it was so easy to believe that the monastery might close is the dwindling ranks of the sisters. At one point in the order’s near 100-year history the monastery was home to 40 nuns, but today there are just three remaining. From the outside looking in, this seems unviable, but the sisters say they can continue their mission of providing a spiritual sanctuary in one of the most secular cities in the world.
Impressively, the three remaining nuns have been keeping up with their workload rather well. They still manage to keep the monastery in operation, and have maintained their famed gift shop, which needs one of the three nuns to run it each day. As of yet they have had no problem keeping up with the demand for their hand-made candies and famous pumpkin bread. Still, some are left to wonder how long this can last.
Foundation
The Monastery of the Angels Foundation of Los Angeles, an organization that was formed to protect the monastery from sale and redevelopment, welcomed the sisters' statement. Rob Hollman, one of the group’s founders, told the LA Times:
The foundation is not actively trying to acquire the property, but they intend to keep funds on standby so that they can if the need arises. Aleteia previously reported that the foundation has stated that they would attempt to keep the operation functional if they did have to buy the monastery. This would include guided tours, prayer services, and occasional Masses.
It should be noted that the foundation is in no way associated with the Dominican Order. While they would attempt to keep the monastery available to visitors, if the foundation owned the grounds it is likely the nuns would no longer live on site.
