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Cardinal Law plans to be chaplain at Md. convent

By Globe Staff, 2/8/2003

ardinal Bernard F. Law, the former archbishop of Boston, is planning to stay indefinitely at a Maryland convent where he hopes to work as a chaplain.

''I am very grateful to the Sisters of Mercy of Alma for their kind invitation to be their guest during this time of transition,'' Law said in a statement yesterday. ''It is my hope to be of assistance to the sisters as a chaplain. No date has been set for my move. Currently, I am continuing on retreat.''

Law's move, which was first reported yesterday by the Boston Herald, is for an indefinite period, according to Donna M. Morrissey, spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Boston.

The retreat house is in Clinton, Md., in suburban Prince George's County. The community is within the Archdiocese of Washington.

The Religious Sisters of Mercy, headquartered in Alma, Mich., work with the sick, suffering, and uneducated. Officials at the motherhouse in Michigan did not return a telephone call seeking comment; in Maryland, the sisters referred all calls to Morrissey.

Five sisters live at the convent in Clinton, according to the Official Catholic Directory.

Law resigned as archbishop Dec. 13 amid criticism of his failure to remove abusive priests from ministry. Since that time he has taken a vacation and has been on retreat, returning to Boston periodically for depositions in ongoing legal action. He is scheduled to appear before a state grand jury investigating the church's handling of abuse cases this month.

This story ran on page B2 of the Boston Globe on 2/8/2003.
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