Miami Police Praise Nun for Chainsawing Downed Trees After Hurricane

Most nuns wouldn’t make a habit of wielding a chainsaw, but one Sister saw it was her duty to help after Hurricane Irma downed several trees blocking a road in Miami Dade County.

Sister Margaret Ann, an educator at the Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll High School for 30 years, decided to literally take matters into her own hands. She was spotted trimming away the debris by an off-duty Miami Dade police officer who filmed her good deed. The video was posted to Facebook for the world to see and admire.

It’s no miracle the post has gone viral with almost two million views, 15,000 likes and over 12,000 shares (as of press).

The Miami Dade Police Department wrote in a Facebook post:

“One of our off duty officers was happy to find Sister Margaret Ann of Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll High School pitching in by cutting trees to clear the neighborhood roadways. As we recover from #HurricaneIrma, these acts of kindness remind us all that we are #OneCommunity in #MiamiDadeCounty! ? Thank you Sister and all of our neighbors that are working together to get through this! #MiamiDadeStrong.”

The officers may have praised Sister Margaret Ann for getting her hands dirty but there were mixed emotions from several users.

One joked, “My husband went to Catholic school in Memphis. I’m sure the sight of a nun with a chainsaw would be the fodder for nightmares for a longgggg time!!”

While another showed concern, “Chainsawing in a habit is not a good habit, she is going to get severely injured when the chain grabs the cloth (I see an accident waiting to happen). Also she needs someone to sharpen the chain if she has too saw back and forth to help the chainsaw cut through branches.”

Her niece Liz Laechelin Hosek came to her defense, writing her aunt was extremely competent and well-equipped to handle the job.

“She grew up in South TX where the heat index can be 100+ at times so is used to heat and humidity. She started the process of becoming a nun at age 19 and has worn the full habit for quite a while and can pretty much can and will do anything in it whether it’s play basketball, drive a four wheeler, go fishing, or use a chainsaw for the sake of others safety. However she is best at working with her teachers,” Hosek commented.

In a video interview with CNN, Sister Margaret Ann explained her reason for chipping in.

“The road was blocked. We couldn’t get through. And I saw somebody spin in the mud and almost going into a wall and going off the road. There was a need, I had the means and so I wanted to help out. At the school Archbishop Coleman Carroll High School we have chainsaws sitting in the closet and they belong there if you need to use. We teach our students to lend a hand to help and so this was an opportunity where I could do something to help,” she told CNN.

Students have not been able to return to Archbishop Coleman F. Carroll High School due to the unsafe conditions of condensation on the floors, downed trees, and even part of the wall from the outdoor pavilion was blown in. However students and their parents will return on September 14 for a well-needed clean up.

“The school is 40 acres and about six acres are as bad as that street I was working on Monday. We’ve got a lot of our own work to do but the community will come around and help us. That’s what we do and it’s good,” she said.

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