A group of Orthodox monks in Ohio are trying to convert a hotel frequently used by a prostitutes into a retreat center:

Monks from the Syro-Russian Orthodox Catholic Church have opened the Monastery Inn, offering low-cost housing and outreach services in what had been the Canfield Colonial Motel. The monks’ leader, Bishop Timothy, says the group eventually hopes to turn the inn and surrounding acreage into a religious retreat.

Police say the motel and a sister property were used for a prostitution ring. The former owner pleaded guilty last month to promoting prostitution and will be sentenced early next month.

The monks gathered with business leaders Thursday for an official ribbon cutting in Canfield, 60 miles southeast of Cleveland.

I can’t help but think how biblical this is: God so often turned our sins and rejections of Him into avenues of grace (just look at the crucifixion). These monks are in good company.

Update: reading the article more carefully, I notice that these monks are members of the Syro-Russian Orthodox Catholic Church, which is NOT a canonical Eastern Orthodox Church. I still think what these monks are doing in this case is great, but I don’t want to appear to endorse all they hold and profess.

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