I don't think she's really afraid of nuns but we do know there's such a thing as having irrational fears about nuns - and clowns.
All of this reminded me of something that happened over 50 years ago. My husband, Ken, was an urban minister in South Florida. In response to a critical housing shortage for the poor we (I was a volunteer for this ministry) were able to get a 501(c)(3) grant to build an apartment complex for low income people in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Ken was a master at getting people to volunteer, so much of the work, including the architect and construction folks, was done for free.
A few months after completion, big problems developed due to drug use and other activities of the tenants and others in the neighborhood. After trying a number of solutions including inviting tenants to be on the board, the problems remained. It wasn't a safe place for children, especially on the weekends.
But then Ken was able to talk a group of three nuns into moving into a ground floor apartment. This changed everything. Almost overnight. These nuns were fearless. And rebellious. They were in the forefront of nuns choosing not to wear habits. Except on Friday and Saturday nights when bad things were likely to happen. The habit wearing nuns scared the drug dealers and intimidated the cops.
Today we have our famous Apopka nuns who advocate for impoverished migrant workers. And they've been noted for scaring some elected officials as well.
So, here's the thing. I'm not afraid of nuns but I know they can be crazy intimating and I'm grateful when they use their power for good.
I am, however, one of those people who has had a lifelong irrational fear of clowns.
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