Summary

Chapter 20 begins calmly. It’s mid-March, and the house is running smoothly. Mother Superior shows up and tells Evelyn that Father John wants to speak to just the two of them. Mother Superior is so serious that she misses a phone call, something deeply out of character for her. They go to the motherhouse. Mother Superior scolds Evelyn for her PR campaign. As she walks with Mother Superior to the motherhouse’s chapel, Evelyn reflects on the consequences her actions can have on her friends. Father John nervously asks the women to sit when they arrive in the chapel. Evelyn feels sad but prepared for the news that the sisters must abandon Mercy House. Instead, John tells Evelyn that she is excommunicated for her advising Esther to get an abortion. This means that Evelyn is no longer a nun. Mother Superior argues...