Prayers answered: Donations pay for boiler repairs at Franciscan Sisters convent in Peekskill

PEEKSKILL, New York (WABC) -- Nuns at a convent in Westchester County no longer have to worry about staying warm this winter because of a broken heating system.

That's because since Eyewitness News first brought you their story, people have donated more than $130,000.

And now the process of getting a new boiler is underway.

The nuns of the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Peekskill say their prayers have been answered. The first step is to dismantle and remove the massive cast iron boiler.

The unit is so large it has to be broken down into piees, and the new one will have to be assembled. In all, it will take about three days.

It has also been determined that another of the boilers can be salvaged and repaired.

Last month the nuns were told that the four boilers that heat the 150-year-old convent and the living quarters for 24 nuns were dead.

The sisters wrote thousands of letters appealing to the public and also set up a donation page on YouCaring.com under the title "Heat for the Sisters."

The nuns have raised close to their target amount.

"When I first got the quote of $350,000 I said I don't know where I'm going to get that from, and one of the sisters said 'if God wants it, it'll happen," said Sister Laura Morgan. "And the generosity is beyond anything I could imagine, and maybe through the media we can thank the people."