Atlantic City board approves pot shop opening up next door to Catholic convent where nuns assist struggling addicts

A group of Catholic nuns in New Jersey, who, among other things, work to assist those struggling with addiction, may soon have a pot shop open up next door to their convent.

The Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal is an order of Catholic sisters that began in the Bronx in 1988. In 2017, the order opened its first American convent outside New York City: the St. Michael Convent in Atlantic City, New Jersey. "The sisters live at St. Michael’s Convent and have a drop-in center for the homeless next door to St. Nicholas Tolentine Church," a website for the convent reads.

As many in the area struggle with alcoholism and other forms of substance abuse, the sisters regularly host sobriety meetings at the convent, as well as other classes for teens in need.

Despite the sisters' devotion to God and to serving the poor and downtrodden, a government board determined to make Atlantic City the cannabis capital of the East Coast may soon impede their noble work. The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, which is tasked with planning and development in Atlantic City, has approved applications for two new cannabis dispensaries, including one just 150 feet from St. Michael's Convent.

At a hearing on November 2, three nuns from the convent voiced strong opposition to a new dispensary in the area. "I’m actually Dutch," said Sr. Joseph Van Munster, "so I grew up in a country where marijuana was legalized, and I’ve seen a lot of things over the years."

Sr. Joseph then explained that legalized marijuana requires a strong police presence, which Holland has. By comparison, police response times in Atlantic City can be slow, she said, and the city is already plagued by illicit drug use. She also expressed concerns that a pot shop would negatively affect kids in the area as well as those in addiction recovery.

Other neighborhood residents expressed similar concerns about the proposed shop's proximity to the church. The shop would take over an old dry cleaning business that has closed.

Lance Landgraf, the director of planning and development for the CRDA, chuckled about the nuns' unusual appearance at the hearing. "I’ve never had to swear in a nun before," he claimed.

Landgraf insisted that he shares some of their concerns about the growing number of dispensaries in Atlantic City and that he has discussed them with members of the CRDA. However, he also noted that though there is a prohibition against opening dispensaries near schools, there is no legal prohibition against opening them near churches.

Members of the Chelsea Baptist Church learned that firsthand over the summer when they objected to a dispensary opening about a block from their church. The CRDA voted to approve that dispensary anyway. "They don’t want them anywhere near the casinos, but they don’t care where else they go," Pastor Tom Weer said in September.

As it has in most cases, the board voted to approve the application for the dispensary near the convent, following the lead of Mayor Marty Small Sr. and his administrative team, who seem to believe cannabis will be an economic boon for Atlantic City. "My focus is to make Atlantic City great, to make Atlantic City the East Coast hub for cannabis," said Kashawn McKinley, the city’s cannabis czar.

Neither the sisters nor the CRDA responded to the New York Post's request for comment.

Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal: Our Lifeyoutu.be

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