Three nuns who recently learned that their Santa Barbara convent would be sold to help cover the costs of Los Angeles' multimillion-dollar priest sexual abuse settlement say they have been overwhelmed with offers of help -- and media attention.
"The support has been just unbelievable," said Sister Angela Escalera, the local superior of the Sisters of Bethany house. "It's come from all parts of Santa Barbara and outside too. And from all denominations. It's just astounding."
She and two other nuns at the small, eastside convent received word in late August that the dwelling, which is owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, would be sold to help pay for the church's $660-million priest sex abuse settlement. At least $250 million of that amount will be paid directly by the archdiocese.
Escalera, 69, a retired notary public and social worker, has lived at the convent since 1964. She is still an active community volunteer, working mainly with the area's many poor and undocumented residents.
Another of the nuns, Sister Consuelo Cardenas, 55, has lived in the building about 25 years and works as a religious education coordinator at a nearby parish.
The third, Sister Margarita Antonia Gonzalez, 49, is a relative newcomer to the community, having lived there about four years.
They have until Dec. 31 to move out, according to a letter sent by the archdiocese.
Since news of the likely sale broke last week, the phone at the convent has been "ringing and ringing and ringing," Escalera said Monday.
Among other appearances in the past week, the nuns have twice been interviewed by Spanish-language television network Telemundo and on Friday by the hosts of the "John & Ken Show" on talk radio's KFI-AM (640).
"We feel real bad for her, getting tossed out of her home like that," John Kobylt, the show's co-host, said Monday of Escalera. He noted dryly that nuns were not the often rambunctious talk show's typical guests.
In fact, Kobylt said, chuckling, "she may be one of the very few we've ever had on. . . . It's lunar-eclipse kind of rare."
Escalera said a longtime friend in Los Angeles called Friday to tell her that he had been so startled to hear her on the radio program that he nearly drove off the road. "But I told him [John and Ken] were just fine," the nun said. "They wanted to help."
Many others seem to want to as well.
