Sr. Barbara Markey stole money from the archdiocese of Omaha to spend it on gifts, trips and gambling. The Cafeteria is Closed has a post on this sad story here. Prosecutors say that Sr. Barbara spent more than $307,000.
I don't understand how this happend. What does a nun need with $31,000 on clothing and furniture? I don't really trust nuns who don't wear habitsbecause I've had too many bad experiences with them but I've never known one who approached this kind of lavish living. An unhabited nun only needs four plain blouses, three simple skirts, two sweaters, a light all weather coat and a good heavy coat and two pairs of shoes a year. That doesn' cost $31,000, especially if she goes to Good Will. And what's this about furniture? No nun should be living alone unless she's a hermit and hermits don't have fancy furntiture.
Judging by this photo she's not unfamilar with the hair salon either. Come on somebody had to know that aint right.
She spent $67,000 in casinos. Why in God's name is a nun in a casino? And did nobody question how Sr. Barbara could afford to give expensive gifts? The only gifts I've ever gotten from nuns were prayers (precious!) or handmade crafts. Sr. Barbara may very well be the nicest woman in Omaha and she most likely never meant for any of this to happen. Like Madam Bovary she probably started out with some romantic dreams and things got horribly out of hand. This pathetic story shows why a strong superior is necessary to religious life.