"The View" host Whoopi Goldberg, also known for her role as Deloris Van Cartier in the 90s film "Sister Act," surprised a group of Harlem nuns who appeared on the show recently.
Goldberg helped in securing the donation of a brand-new van, a year's worth of gas, and $10,000 in cash to help the charities supported by the order of the Franciscan Handmaids of the Most Pure Heart of Mary, the Catholic News Agency reports.
The nuns' order caught the attention of Goldberg because it is one of the three traditionally black orders in the United States. These nuns from Harlem, New York City and their apostolates work hard in developing youth evangelisation, education, palliative care, and maintaining a food pantry to feed over 20,000 individuals.
While on the show, Goldberg's co-host Raven Symone noticed that one of the nuns, Sister Gertrude Ihenacho, a Nigerian native who serves with the order, bears a striking resemblance to Goldberg.
"May I ask, what do you do when people call you Whoopi?" Symone asked her. Sister Gertrude happily replied, "I smile, I laugh."
Symone then asked how she feels being compared to a celebrity, but Sister Gertrude was hard pressed for an answer, explaining that the only celebrity she knows is God.
Later, Goldberg made an appearance dressed in her own version of a Franciscan Handmaids habit. Overjoyed, Sister Gertrude jumped out of her chair and gave Goldberg a huge hug.
Bigger surprises awaited the nuns because they were later given $10,000 in cash by Retail Me Not, while Toyota donated a Sienna van to them together with a year's supply of gas. The nuns were speechless by the generous gestures and were smiling from ear to ear as each of them gave Goldberg a hug while admiring their new vehicle.
People who saw the episode were also touched by the nuns' reaction. "'The View' is always a pleasure to watch. I love this show! BUT THIS [EPISODE] HAS GOT TO BE THE GREATEST EVER!!" one fan commented.
"What an awesome act of kindness!" another remarked.
