Tuesday, November 28

Tag: Santorini

On Greece’s Santorini, 13 cloistered nuns pray for the world
World

On Greece’s Santorini, 13 cloistered nuns pray for the world

Cruise-ship tourists crowding souvenir shops and couples chasing the perfect Instagram sunset throng the alleyway outside the Monastery of St Catherine, steps from Santorini's world-famous volcanic cliffs. Inside this convent on one of the trendiest islands in Greece, a predominantly Christian Orthodox country, 13 cloistered Catholic nuns devote their lives to praying for those visitors and for the world. It's a crucial if often misunderstood mission within the church, where constant prayer is deemed necessary to support more outwardly engaged ministries. "In such a touristy island, the last thing one thinks about is praying — so we are the ones who do it," Sister Lucía María de Fátima, the prioress, said on a recent morning. She and other sisters spoke in the convent's parlour...