The nuns of Mount Saint Mary's College once charted the city's palm-lined avenues on a map, laid the pattern over the bars of a musical score and played it.

Catholic sisters and nuns in the United States have played a major role in American religion, education, nursing and social work since the early 19th century.

At the 7 p.m. Mass on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, nuns play guitars, and on Thursday and Saturday there is organ music.

The nun, it was conceded, could play.

But many people, disgusted by the role that some priests and nuns played in the killing frenzy, have shunned organized religion altogether, and many more have turned to Islam.

These nuns also played a role in the founding or development of other Catholic schools in Isleworth and the present-day borough.

A nun, barely visible behind a screen, was playing the organ.

"As many as 100 pastors, priests and nuns played an active role, siding with the Hutu militias," Mr. Terras said.

And before long the nuns were showing some hair and lower leg, and playing electric guitars at Masses that were celebrated in English, not Latin.

And the nuns in my grammar school played selections from "The King and I" over the public address system whenever it rained.