Reading comprehension: Two nuns steal money to spend in Las Vegas

PRE-READING:

• Some vocabulary:
• gamble: to play at a game of chance for money (like lottery or the roulette)
• funds: money
• remorse: deep regret for having done something wrong
• principal: director; manager (of a school)
• charges: accusations
• priest: clergyman, cleric
• parish: parochial unit
• parishioners: the people belonging to a parochial unit
• prayer: supplication to God
• audit: inspection
• tuition: classes; teaching
• findings: discovery
• Notes: 
• This is a real story from December 2018.

READ THE FOLLOWING TEXT:

Two nuns admit stealing cash for Vegas gambling trips

Two nuns who worked at a Catholic school in California have admitted stealing about $500,000  and using it to gamble in Las Vegas.

Image by BrendelSignature - CC BY-SA 3.0

Sisters Mary Kreuper and Lana Chang took the money from St James' Catholic School in the city of Torrance, near Los Angeles, to spend in casinos.

The pair, who are said to be best friends, took funds from an account holding tuition fees and donations.

The sisters, who recently retired, have expressed remorse for their actions.

Mary Kreuper was the school principal for 29 years, while Lana Chang worked as a teacher for about 20 years. They are thought to have stolen the money over a period of at least a decade to spend on travel and gambling.

On Monday, St James' Catholic Church said the nuns had expressed "deep remorse" over their actions, adding that while the police had been informed, no criminal charges would be brought against the pair.

"The Sisters have confirmed the misappropriation of funds and have co-operated in the investigation," the sisters' order, the Sisters of St Joseph of Carondelet, said on its website.

"Our community is worried and saddened by this situation and regret any injury to our long relationship with the families of the school," it added.

The priest of the church, Monsignor Michael Meyers, wrote in a letter to parishioners: "Sister Mary Margaret and Sister Lana have expressed to me and asked that I express to you, the deep remorse they each feel for their actions and ask for your forgiveness and prayers."

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles said the church discovered that the money was missing during a routine audit.

The nuns were able to hide their actions by depositing a number of cheques made out to the school for tuition and other fees into a separate bank account not used by the school.

Parents were  informed about the findings earlier this month.

Text adapted from: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46515908

AFTER YOU READ THE TEXT:

Answer these questions:

1. How do the nuns feel now, according to the article?
2. How did people react to this discovery (the community, parents, ecclesiastical authorities...)?
3. In your opinion, what will happen to the nuns?
4. Imagine you are one of the nuns. Write a 100-150 letter to a friend telling him/her about this event and how you are feeling now.