A devastating tragedy unfolded within the sacred walls of a Michigan convent, revealing the merciless nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and the urgent need for continued vigilance.
This heartbreaking sequence of events exposes the true severity of the pandemic that infiltrated the sacred boundaries of the Felician Sisters convent, spreading mercilessly among the inhabitants. This tragic story is a stark reminder of the virus’s relentless nature and the importance of protective measures.
The departed nuns, aged between sixty-nine and ninety-nine, were respected and loved members of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice in Livonia, Michigan. Their absence has created a void in the convent, and the world at large, as they were not just nuns but also teachers, an author, and a secretary for the Vatican Secretariat of State. Their loss is deeply felt.
For over a century, this catastrophic event has been labeled by the Global Sisters Report as the “most devastating loss of life to a community of women religious,” harking back to the tragic toll of the 1918 influenza pandemic. The severity of the current viral outbreak is starkly highlighted by this comparison.
Living closely in a community of faith, the nuns were particularly vulnerable to the virus. Friends and family remember them as a group that “lived together, prayed together, and worked together,” which sadly made them more susceptible to the rapid spread of the virus. The sanctuary of the convent was inadvertently compromised by two unknowingly infected aides, leading to a wildfire-like spread of the virus, reminiscent of the devastating outbreaks seen in nursing homes and similar institutions.
In a harrowing month, a nun succumbed to COVID-19 every other day, and a total of thirteen precious lives were lost. Another eighteen sisters were infected but survived, bearing witness to the shocking onslaught of the virus within their community.
Adding to the weight of their loss, the surviving sisters were barred from attending their fallen sisters’ funerals due to health guidelines and transmission risks. This constraint made the grieving process exceptionally painful, as they were unable to properly commemorate the lives of their fellow sisters or provide the traditional send-off to the afterlife.
The dark period between April 10 and May 10 witnessed the death of twelve nuns from COVID-19, while a thirteenth sister passed away on June 27. Noel Marie Gabriel, director of clinical health services for the Felician Sisters of North America, conveyed their emotional turmoil, “We couldn’t contain the grief and the sorrow and the emotional impact. We went through the motions of doing what we had to do, but that month was like a whole different way of life. That was our most tragic time. It was a month of tragedy and sorrow and mourning and grieving.”
The pandemic’s ruthless impact has been felt across numerous convents in the country, claiming the lives of many more nuns. The exact number remains elusive due to the lack of efficient tracking, further emphasizing the need for improved vigilance and protective measures in religious communities to mitigate such tragic losses.
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Source: AWM