We have repeatedly heard the news about how many people lose at the casino. And it seems that such information never really surprises us, because we know that gambling can draw any person. Many people lose money in casinos. However, have you ever heard of a nun losing at a casino? And at the same time, she spent not her own money on entertainment, but someone else’s, which she stole.
Monks are the same people as everyone else – they are also subject to many temptations and vices. The only difference is that, thanks to their firm faith, believers can control their emotions and not succumb to sin. However, even in this case, there are exceptions to any rule.
History of crime
The rector of the American Catholic School of St. James in California, Sister Mary Margaret Kroiper, could not resist the temptation and regularly took away the money that people donated to the school. They lost this money for a long time in the casino, playing roulette and cards. As a result, the debts were huge.
Sister Mary Kroiper had an impeccable track record and ran a Catholic school for over 10 years. After dedicating her whole life to God and working in the church, she decided at the age of 79 to leave her ministry and retire. However, when she decided to do so, it was discovered that the humble nun had been stealing money from the school treasury for years to satisfy her gambling cravings.
Amount of money lost
Maria took monastic vows at the age of 18 and, like all sisters, renounced greed and worldly temptations. But she, apparently, was not entirely sincere, since for the last 10 years of her life she appropriated other people’s money and disposed of donations from St. James’s school not entirely honestly. After the school changed principal, the administration decided to conduct a financial audit, which revealed a deficit of $835,000. Only when this was discovered did the nun decide to confess her theft and, having received a miraculous claim, confessed to her crime.
Sister Mary said she falsified accounts for years to cut off donations made by school parents and other nuns to gamble at the casino. Once she started playing, she couldn’t stop and lost more and more money every time. After that, she had to look for money not only for the game, but also for repaying debts. It was these circumstances that prompted the nun of the Catholic school to commit the crime.
Possible punishment
Answering investigators’ questions in court, nun Mary Kroiper explained her actions by saying that she had become a victim of circumstances and a lack of sources of livelihood. But the stolen amount grew like a snowball, because the nun could not refuse to visit the casino.
Now the nun assures that she “repents very much and apologizes for any harm she has caused”, she constantly prays and sincerely hopes that the court will mitigate her punishment for many years of service to the monastery. According to preliminary data, the woman faces up to 40 years in prison, which at her age can be considered a life sentence.