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Coronavirus: 9 retired nuns die after outbreak in Michigan

ADRIAN, Mich. — Nine Roman Catholic nuns living at a retirement home at the Adrian Dominican Sisters campus in Michigan died in January of the coronavirus.

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“We spent nine months keeping the coronavirus at bay,” Sister Pat Siemen told WDIV. “Right before Christmas, it slipped in.”

The sisters, aged 79 to 97, died between Jan. 11 to Jan. 26, Mlive.com reported. Many were high-risk because of other health issues. They had been teachers, nurses and pastoral ministers before retiring.

“It’s numbing,” Siemen told WDIV. “I have a much deeper appreciation for all of the other families who have gone through this. The hundreds of thousands of families. And until it personally touches you, I don’t care how much we can have a sympathetic heart, it’s different when you’ve been there and you’ve lost someone.”

The campus is still dealing with the outbreak. Twelve cases remain active and 25 sisters are still recovering. More than 200 sisters retired from active ministry live at the campus. The campus is the headquarters for the international religious group which has ministries in 22 states and four countries.

Residents and more than 50 staff were given a first dose of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine Jan. 15.

“The care and safety of our Sisters and Co-workers have been and remain our primary concern,” the General Council of the Adrian Dominican Sisters said in a statement. “We continue to practice stringent protocols, including quarantines, to mitigate further spread of the virus. Our prayers rise like incense for all impacted by this global health crisis: the sick and dying, their families, and all healthcare workers and people everywhere who generously and selflessly provide essential services to each and every one of us. Please join us in this prayer.”

It’s one of the latest convents to deal with a deadly outbreak.

From April to June, 13 Felician sisters aged 66 to 99 died at the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary convent in Livonia, Michigan.

Seven nuns died at a center for Maryknoll sisters in Ossining, New York.

In Wisconsin, eight nuns at the Notre Dame of Elm Grove convent died in December.

“Of course, our hearts are breaking,” Siemens told The Associated Press. “We’re grieving, but we also know that we are not alone in this. We are not alone in the suffering of the world.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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