Buckle up, readers, because today’s story will leave you in tears. Imagine a sanctuary that is supposed to be a place of calm and solace being the hub of a heartbreaking catastrophe. That’s exactly what happened at a Roman Catholic convent in Michigan, where thirteen dedicated nuns were brutally killed by COVID-19. Yes, you read that correctly: thirteen! Let’s unpack this heartbreaking story, which serves as a stark reminder of the virus’s lethal power.T
hese heroic souls, ages sixty-nine to ninety-nine, lived at the Felician Sisters convent in Livonia, Michigan. These women, who ranged from teachers to authors and even a secretary for the Vatican Secretariat of State, were extraordinary. Their contributions echoed throughout the world, making their death all the more heartbreaking.
The Global Sisters Report describes this as “the worst loss of life to a community of religious women since the 1918 influenza pandemic.” That’s more than 100 years! Talk about a startling historical parallel that sends chills down one’s spine. So where did everything go wrong? These nuns were especially susceptible due to their senior age and close-knit living conditions. Life in the convent was a daily interplay of living, praying, and working together, which unfortunately created the perfect environment for the virus to wreak havoc.
The unsuspecting criminals? Two aides who were blissfully oblivious that they carried the infection. Their well-intentioned but tragic arrival into the monastery was hauntingly similar to epidemics witnessed in nursing homes and other senior living facilities. Once inside, the virus spread like wildfire in a drought-stricken woodland. Over the course of a month, the illness killed one sister approximately every other day. Thirteen nuns were lost. Eighteen others were ill but, thankfully, survived.
As if this story wasn’t heartbreaking enough, the surviving sisters were unable to attend the funerals of their loved ones. Due to the risk of transmission and careful adherence to health requirements, they were denied the closure that such ceremonies provide. Consider the misery of not being able to properly say goodbye to your lifelong friends. Simply heartbreaking.
Twelve nuns died over a particularly terrible period from April 10 to May 10. On June 27, just as the wounds were beginning to heal, another sister died of the illness, extending the community’s period of mourning.
Noel Marie Gabriel, director of clinical health services for the Felician Sisters of North America, was overcome with grief. She observed, “We couldn’t handle the loss, anguish, and emotional damage. That month felt like a whole other way of life—a month of tragedy, sadness, mourning, and grief.” No words can truly express the emotional rollercoaster that this community experienced.