One for the Catholic trivia file (or for when you lock yourself out of your room)

No, I didn't lock myself out of my room (at least not this time); it was one of the other sisters on my floor. She had inadvertently pushed the lock in on her doorknob last night, and things did not look

"Here. Try this one."

good: not for her, and certainly not for the two convent cats she is caring for! Since sister never locks her door, she didn't even know where the keys were (probably in the desk). But since this is an older door, going back decades, not even the superior knew where the spare key was. She tried all the keys she had--but sister had to gather up some toiletries from the community closet and spend the night in a guest room.

This morning, as news got around (as news does in any community setting!), suggestions abounded. Up in the provincialate there was a stash of mystery keys: maybe one of those would fit. (No.) Sister Margaret has a mystery key! (Nope.) There was only one option left: John the handyman would have to drill the lock out. (What would the noise do to the cats?) On my way to the office, I nodded to the sister who stood out in the hall, waiting for John. "Pray to St Peter!" I said. That got her thinking. Sure, Peter has keys, but isn't there a patron saint of locksmiths or something?

Sure enough. As the local superior approached with yet another set of mystery keys (this is a big place), Sister was on her phone, learning about St Baldomerus and the Baldomeric oath (the locksmith equivalent of the Hippocratic oath). "You know," she said to the superior, "There's a patron saint of locksmiths! It's St Baldo--" a key turned in the lock "--merus."

Remember that for next time!