Desperate for normalcy, she returns to a former sanctuary, the family's summer house on Cape Ann, with the remains of her wounded clan: her husband, Anders, and their two younger girls, Eve and Eloise.
The sensation of eating there - of having fried chicken, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, and a glass of beer in a former sanctuary still watched over by stained-glass saints - is hard to describe.
Harry Snyder ran a fabric store on the main floor, but the former sanctuary upstairs had been vacant since the factory closed, leaving a floor full of grommets.
The 9 30 Mass was offered at a former Presbyterian sanctuary, and the 850 seats were filled with a cheerful mix of multigenerational families and gay couples.
Then, a fortnight ago, homeland security head Michael Chertoff of the United States (former sanctuary for the IRA).
This summer, the former sanctuary known as the yard has become an economic indicator.
"My friends think I'm a little eccentric," he said, explaining that since only one would fit into his kitchen, the other seven reside in the church's former sanctuary upstairs.
An installation of photographs of three former sanctuaries, all scheduled for redevelopment, is on display through Jan . 26at St . John the Divine
As it was, evidence accumulated that northern Mali had been infiltrated by al-Qaida fighters dislodged from Libya, Somalia and other former sanctuaries, as was acknowledged by the Nigerian government.
The 700-seat theater is in the basement of a former Y.M.C.A. Upstairs, a sanctuary is dedicated to Hanuman, the monkey god.
"Never have I seen a coyote or a smuggler wear camo or military dress," said John M. Fife, pastor of Southside Presbyterian Church in Tucson and a former member of the Sanctuary movement, which helped political refugees, primarily from Central America, gain asylum in the United States in the 1980's.
