NCR Online: Congregations seek ways to turn empty convents into new ministries
BY DAN STOCKMAN, March 18, 2024
Editor’s note: “Evolving Religious Life,” a new series from Global Sisters Report, is exploring how Catholic sisters are adapting to the realities of congregations in transition and new forms of religious life. While we write often about these trends, this particular series will focus more closely on sisters’ hopes for the future.
Six years after a heartbreaking closure, the former Marylhurst University campus is getting new life. Founded by the
Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary
in 1893, declining enrollment forced the closure of the campus in Lake Oswego, Oregon, a tony suburb south of Portland, in 2018. But in April, the first residents will begin moving into 100 units of affordable housing in a sustainable building that replaced two dormitories and a classroom. The land still belongs to the Holy Names sisters, but the apartments are a project of
one of the nation’s largest affordable housing organizations.
Sr. Linda Patrick, a member of the provincial leadership team, said that despite affordable housing being built in an affluent area — usually controversial — there has been enormous support for the Mercy Greenbrae project. The city council in 2020 unanimously approved the zoning change needed.
“It’s between two very wealthy communities, Lake Oswego and West Linn. Lake Oswego is probably the most affluent community in Oregon,” Patrick said. “But the city recognized the need for affordable workforce housing — people who work in the grocery stores and at Starbucks need a place to live.”
Apartments nearby can cost as much as $1,940 a month for a studio apartment; a two-bedroom apartment can cost more than $4,000 a month. A three-bedroom apartment at Mercy Greenbrae, meanwhile, is $1,641 for those with qualifying incomes.
“Affordable housing is a great need,” Patrick said.
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