Crime fighting nun stops burglary

by mcardinal

Curt Flewelling, FISM News

On a cold Saturday morning while “wrestling” with God to let her sleep a little longer, Sister Mary Johnice recalls, “Something told me to get up!” The urging led her to pray, and what followed after that was quite amazing.

The Director of the Response to Love Center in Buffalo, NY heard a noise outside and noticed a ladder propped up against the building. When she opened the door, one robber fled the scene; however, his partner in crime remained perched on the roof, apparently looking to steal copper piping.

Undaunted by what she had walked into, the spry 76-year-old lept into action. She told Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson, “I said to myself, ‘He’s got to come down, but not on this ladder.’ So by the grace of God, I grabbed the ladder, threw it down, looked up, and the fellow jumped down and stood beside me.”

The stunned thief was now left to face the spunky sister. Not content with foiling a potential crime, the no-nonsense nun took the occasion to admonish the young robber. She told Carlson, “I said, ‘This is God’s property. This is God’s mission. How dare you do this?’ I pointed my finger and I told him, ‘Get out,’ and he ran away.”

The Response to Love Center serves hot meals and counseling to some of Buffalo’s neediest individuals. Sister Johnice’s courage is a testimony to her devotion to the people she serves, as the center is located in a very poor area where looting and violence are commonplace.

When asked if she was ever afraid during the encounter, the sister matter-of-factly responded, “I wasn’t afraid because it was something that had to be done.” 

Even after the ordeal, her devotion to the center remains unwavering. She puts it this way, “I want to be there, and the building that we’re in is special. It’s a place of safety, people coming together, enjoying a meal and just experiencing so much joy.”

The faithful servant’s actions take “community service” to a whole new level and are an inspiration to all in the neighborhood.

At the end of the day, Sister Mary Johnice made sure that God’s eighth commandment, “Thou shalt not steal,” was not going to be violated on her watch.  

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