Church says get out of town

BY COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

Three Nuns who have been told to move out of their Santa Barbara convent so it can be sold to help the Archdiocese of Los Angeles pay a multi-million-dollar sex abuse settlement will not be allowed to remain in Santa Barbara city limits under any circumstances, according to Ernie Salomon, a spokesman for Save Our Sisters, a group formed to ensure the sisters continue to reside in their East Side neighborhood.
Salomon said the three sisters have been told by their superiors in Los Angeles and Guatemala that they can no longer speak publicly about the Archdiocese's’ decision to evict them and that even if enough money is raised to purchase the home, the will have to leave.
“They are not going to be allowed to minister in the City of Santa Barbara period,” Salomon said. “And it’s mind boggling. It’s like if you find a new home, you’ll have to leave anyway.”
Tod Tamberg, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, said his employer is not responsible for the relocation of the nuns and that all orders about where the nuns will be after the Dec. 31 deadline to vacate their longtime home expires is up to a Sister Gomez, who is the provincial superior for the Sisters of Bethany Order in Los Angeles.
“We do not have any permission under the church’s cannon law to interfere in the inner workings of the [Sisters of Bethany] religious community,” Tamberg said.
Attempts to reach Gomez for comment were unsuccessful, but a sister that answered the phone said, “Don’t call back because she doesn’t want to say anything, please.”
Sister Angela Escalera, who has resided at the Sisters of Bethany house on Nopal Street since 1964, told the Daily Sound on Tuesday that she first received word from the Archdiocese that the convent would be sold on Aug. 28. But the Archdiocese insists the letter was written and sent to the Provincial Superior in Los Angeles on June 28.
A statement released by the Archdiocese's on Tuesday attempted to explain the lag time in the arrival of the eviction notice.
“For reasons which still are not clear, the Provincial Superior did not communicate with the Sisters in Santa Barbara until August,” the statement says. “The Archdiocese first became aware of this situation when members of the media began calling the Archdiocese last week.”
Because the Archdiocese owns the two-and-a-half bedroom convent located next to Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, Tamberg said they have the power to evict the nuns, but insisted the power to decide where the situation goes from there lies with the provincial superior.
The three sisters now faced with leaving their home include, Escalera, who is the superior of the convent, Sister Margarita Antonia Gonzalez, 49, and Sister Consuelo Cardenas, 55.
The convent was established in 1952 and has been described in recent days as “big asset to the community,” by Anthony Dal Bello, a longtime supporter and friend of the sisters.
Dal Bello and Salomon were two of 17 people who formed the Save Our Sisters group.
Since the story broke on the eviction last week, supporters have phoned, checks have been written and religious groups have joined hands to figure out a way to preserve the three sisters’ place in the pricey enclave of Santa Barbara.
“The response has come from all over Southern California,” Salomon said.
He said lawyers have offered their services free of charge and lenders have offered low rates on loans in order to help the sisters purchase their current residence, or another nearby.
Tamberg said the convent has not yet been put on the market and some estimate the modest, stucco home could be sold for as much as $700.000.
Salomon said Save Our Sisters does not plan to seek out a meeting with the Archdiocese's, but rather hopes to change the minds of whoever is responsible for making the final decision by creating a wave of public opinion.
“Public opinion can turn this around and if it can’t, we’ll have to think about moving them to a location close to Santa Barbara but not in the city limits,” Salomon said. “What [the archdiocese] does not need is more terrible publicity and that’s what they’re getting.”
Salomon, a 72-year-old Jew, said what makes the Archdiocese's’ decision to evict the nuns more stinging than it would under normal circumstances, is the money will be used to pay for the sins of pedophile priests.
“These guys are going to be taken care of and the women are going to be punished literally for the sins of the fathers.”
Salomon said those interested in donating or finding out more about Save Our Sisters should send an e-mail to saveoursisters1@aol.com.
He said donations that have been sent to the sisters will remain with them for relocation regardless of where the nuns eventually land.
He said checks and donations can be sent to:
Sisters of Bethany
215 N. Nopal St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101