"You wish you could help every person who crosses your path," said Sr. Alicia Alvarado. "But sometimes all we have are words and spirituality, because economically and materially, we're at a loss and sometimes you feel impotent, not being able to help."

The Medical Sisters of St. Joseph have helped hundreds of women trapped in "love jihads," a controversial term used to refer to Muslim men feigning love to marry girls from other religions and convert them to Islam.

Converting convents to senior housing of one form or another is not new for congregations in the United States, but it is a trend that is growing as sisters reckon with capital assets they no longer need.