Nuns are gifted a miracle by jeweler
By Britt Leoni
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FORT MYERS, Florida (WBBH) — For 40 years, Mark Loren has owned his Fort Myers jewelry shop.
“We work on a lot of engagement rings, redesigning a lot of pieces for clients who are coming in, necklaces, pendants,” Loren said.
Of all the jewelry he’s worked on in his four decades, this October, he took on one project that was unlike any other.
“It was the first time I’ve ever worked on reliquaries like that before,” Loren said.
“They were a mess; they really looked like garbage,” Sister Mary said.
Sister Mary lived at Church of the Ascension on Fort Myers Beach with a group of cloistered nuns. That is, until Hurricane Ian destroyed the church and their belongings.
“We saw the water rise until it was over the wall, over our enclosure wall, which is 8 feet high,” Sister Mary said. “All of the relics that were in the back wall, they were underwater, so we just picked up what we could find.”
That’s when Loren stepped in to help.
“He changes our watch batteries, and he usually polishes our rings; he does lots of things for us,” Sister Mary said.
“It meant a lot in that we were able to be successful for them, and that we learned something along the way. I learned a lot about church reliquaries,” Loren said.
“We were really humbled that he would do that for us. It was a really great gift,” Sister Mary said.
As the years go by, life will inevitably bring setbacks, but we must remember that miracles are right around the corner.
“I believe in the love that she has on her face when she walks in the door. That’s what I believe in,” Loren said.
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