Where Have All the Convents Gone?

This is the first in a series on how former convents are being used in Brooklyn and Queens.

At the corner of Classon and Willoughby avenues in Fort Greene lies a fortress-like complex surrounded by walls of brick.

At the corner of the intersection, the red brick wall gives way to fence. Behind the fence, a sign sticks up from shrubs: “Sisters of Mercy.”

This was the motherhouse of the so-called “Walking Sisters” for 146 years. It was also where the order cared for the most vulnerable of the then-poor, mostly Irish-immigrant community. The beautiful complex, complete with a chapel adorned with stained-glass windows and a beautiful garden evoking tranquility was also once home to hundreds of orphans cared for by the Sisters.

In 2008, the Sisters of Mercy decided that it was no longer sustainable to keep the complex open as a convent. It would cost more than $20 million to fix the structural problems that would keep the Sisters safe. The mostly elderly Sisters in the convent were moved to other homes and facilities.

The future of the convent and surrounding grounds were unknown.

Today the complex continues to be devoted to the corporal works of mercy as it continues to serve people.

Mercy Home

The main convent house, the one that houses the majestic chapel, is home to the main office of Mercy Home, an organization that assists people with developmental disabilities.

Originally Sister Kay Crumlish, R.S.M., brought 20 people with developmental disabilities from troubled state institutions to live in a convent with her.

Today residents no longer live on convent grounds because state regulations require smaller accommodations. The task of keeping Mercy Home operational still takes place in the former convent. It is in these offices that Mercy Home staff, today made up of lay people, make sure that 13 residential programs can keep the lights on, Saturday respite days can continue and programs to enhance the life of children and adults with developmental and intellectual delays can flourish.

Mercy Gardens

In the two buildings that stand beside the main convent, the work of mercy continues in a different form.

The larger of the two once was an orphanage and later was used for foster service. The smaller building was a laundry that helped the nuns bring in revenue.

These two buildings, known as Mercy Gardens, now offer a permanent home to 78 women who face financial hardships, many of whom struggled with homelessness.

Back when the Sisters of Mercy still occupied the convent but no longer needed the two buildings beside it, they wanted the space to be used for one of the most pressing needs in the community: homes.

Mercy Gardens, a Catholic Charities supportive housing program, opened in 1992. The organization was able to use state, federal and private funding to renovate the buildings to make them safe and suitable at an initial development cost of $7.5 million.

Each resident lives in her own studio apartment with a private bathroom and kitchenette. There are also two communal lounges and laundry facilities on every floor.

The women at Mercy Gardens must not be married, must be over the age of 45 and be independent. On average, 60 percent are referred to the program from city agencies and 40 percent come from the neighborhood but are housing-needy, oftentimes simply priced out of their homes.

Ursula, 68, asked to be identified only by her first-name. She has been living at Mercy Gardens for over 20 years.

“As a woman living alone, I feel very safe here,” she said. The big walls outside and the staff inside protect her from ill-meaning people and help her during emergencies.

Ursula said she has struggled with chronic illness long before coming to Mercy Gardens. She would have to spend weeks or even months in the hospital, devastating her at times financially and emotionally. There would be times she would leave the hospital, only to face eviction at home. She felt alone.

Ursula came to Mercy Gardens from a homeless shelter. She remembers Sister Dorothea was at Mercy Gardens when she arrived.

“She took me in,” she said, remembering the nun fondly.

At Mercy Gardens, Ursula has found a stable home and a sense of community.

Now, if she has to go to the hospital, she knows her little apartment will be waiting for her when she gets back. And the staff at Mercy Gardens helps her with any paperwork she does not understand.

She has also made friends with the other women. When she was younger, she would go on trips to the city organized for the women, but now is happy to simply walk around the neighborhood for 30 minute stretches. Her friends share their cooking and artisanal skills with her. When she feels alone or afraid, she turns to her fellow housemates or to the staff.

Mercy Garden employs 13 staff members, including a superintendent and professional counselors. They help the women be independent. There is one computer the women can use downstairs to pay bills or conduct other business, but most opt to pay bills the old fashioned way. Staff members help the women fill out any new forms or navigate bureaucracy.

Much of the income for the buildings comes from Section 8 housing. Each woman is asked to pay 30 percent of her income towards rent. Women do not have to be employed, but may take the income from Social Security or other government support.

When each woman comes into Mercy Gardens, she does so as a tenant. This is meant to be a permanent home, not a transitional one. Each tenant has a lease and must abide by it. She also must agree to rules such as no sleepovers. However, her lease protects her from unlawful removal. Breaking a rule does not mean immediate eviction.

In fact, Maryanne Vassilaks, who directs Mercy Gardens, said that only one woman has been evicted in her 10 years at the complex. And that one time was a formality because the women had already abandoned the apartment.

Vassilaks said she wants to embrace the women and help them feel welcome, not punish or judge them. This means helping them get access to resources they may be eligible for, such as home aides and answering legal or financial questions. It also means being there to simply listen.

“Once you’re in it, we take you all the way,” she said.

Mercy Home also hosts groups ranging from AA to art clubs.

Vassilaks said the offerings change according the ladies’ needs. It helps them find leadership roles in their community.

“We try to take the talents the ladies have and showcase them,” she said. “They are more than their problems. We aim to see the greater picture.”

Through listening to the women’s stories, Vassilaks said, it becomes understandable why they ended up in the situations they are in. She considers it a privilege to be able to speak and interact with these women.

“It’s a very rewarding position,” she said. “It reminds you how vigilant the human spirit is, despite all the blows.”

Mercy Gardens provides a sense of normalcy with organized field trips and communal holiday celebrations. One favorite event that has become a staple in the community is the St. Valentine’s Day Party. During such celebrations, the tenants are asked to donate a dollar or so for entry. The funds are donated to charity. Vassilaks said it is important for them to know that they are on the other side of things. Their lives have stabilized, so they should try to look for ways to give to others.

Community service comes naturally for Tomasita Viera Rivera, a Puerto Rico native who was a parishioner of St. Lucy-St. Patrick, Fort Greene, before coming to Mercy Gardens. She would wash the linens for Mass and was involved with her church community as an extraordinary ministry of Holy Communion and president of the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Fort Greene has been her home since 1962. She said she had many friends and was happy to know many people in the parish. She fondly remembers one particular church volunteer, a teenager named Octavio Cisneros, who would later become a bishop. She also has pictures of herself with Bishop Thomas V. Daily.

She lived in the projects, where she raised her family in a lively environment, accentuated by her home cooking. Her food often made appearances at church functions.

Now she is a widow and her children are all grown up. Her daughter has moved to Puerto Rico, but Viera Rivera simply loves her community too much to go back to the Caribbean. Her children worried about her living alone in the projects, so they urged her to apply to Mercy Gardens.

She misses her bigger kitchen and her old neighborhood. But she is thankful that her children call and visit and that she has made many new friends in her new home.

Related: Where Have All the Convents Gone?: Two Convents Add to Parish Life in Flushing