Kind Florida family takes stranded nuns in after hurricane Ian wreaks havoc on their monastery
AVE MARIA, FLORIDA: South Florida saw massive devastation after Hurricane Ian made landfall in the state, forcing residents in large numbers to part with their homes and other belongings. A group of nuns who were left stranded in the disaster found solace in a kind family that helped them through the crisis.
Father Adams, pastor of the Church of the Ascension in Fort Myers Beach in Florida, Sister Mary Frances, and three other nuns shared the help they received from a community member and neighbor that helped them in their time of need in a report by Fox News.
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Fr Adams started by saying that he knew they were in trouble when the hurricane began to wreak havoc on their monastery. "We could see sand from the beach from the Gulf of Mexico coming over the island and coming in our driveway," he said. "When the generator went out, we knew we were in trouble."
Soon, the first floor of the chapel was filled with water completely. Sister Mary Frances added that a few nuns were in her convent when the water was filling up.
"I couldn’t believe when it came over our eight-foot wall. It was just unbelievable, and we no idea of the devastation under[neath] us," she said.
However, there were two individuals who traveled from Hollywood, Florida to save them, said Fr Adam. Left without a place to go, they were delighted when a woman named Joanne Stahlman and her husband stepped in and invited the nuns into their home in Naples, Florida. The Stahlmans also helped the nuns find a place in Ave Maria. People who were close to the sisters also started a GoFundMe page for future repairs as they needed to refurbish the building in order to continue after the disaster.
Joanne Stahlman said, "There’s so much devastation. We’ll hope and pray … that all of us coming together will help them get back on their feet. We just have to take it day by day."