Get ready to be moved to tears because we’re about to embark on an emotional roller coaster, my dear readers. Just picture a place meant to be a peaceful refuge being the scene of a terrible catastrophe.

Thirteen pious nuns died of COVID-19 at a Michigan Roman Catholic convent, and that is exactly what happened there. Thirteen! You heard it right! What follows is a terrible story that should serve as a sobering reminder of the devastation that this illness may wreak.

These courageous individuals lived in the Felician Sisters convent in Livonia, Michigan, and their ages ranged from 69 to 99.

This remarkable group of women included educators, writers, and even a Vatican Secretariat of State secretary. Their impact was felt globally, which further deepened the sorrow of their passing.

This has been terrifyingly described by the Global Sisters Report as “the worst loss of life to a community of women religious since the 1918 influenza pandemic.” Wow, that’s quite a long time! There is a chilling historical similarity that makes one shudder.

Now the question is, what went wrong? Because of their advanced years and the close quarters in which they lived, these nuns were especially at risk. The perfect storm for the virus to wreak havoc was the everyday interaction of living, praying, and working together at the convent.

Who are the innocent perpetrators? There were two assistants who had no idea they were infected. There was a chilling resemblance between their intended but disastrous entrance into the monastery and the epidemics that have befallen homes for the aged. As soon as the virus entered, it spread like wildfire in a parched forest. The infection killed out one sister about every other day for a whole month. The thirteen nuns were defeated. Thankfully, eighteen others who were sick were able to recover.

The story gets even more heartbreaking because the remaining sisters were unable to attend the funerals of their loved ones who had passed away. The closure that such ceremonies bring was denied to them due to the risk of transmission and strict adherence to health requirements. Envision the anguish of failing to properly bid farewell to your lifelong friends. It is truly devastating.

The period between April 10 and May 10 was very severe, and twelve nuns died during that time. Another sister passed away on June 27, just as the wounds started to scab, extending the community’s period of bereavement.

The Felician Sisters of North America’s director of clinical health services, Noel Marie Gabriel, was overcome with grief. The emotional impact, sadness, and despair were too much for us to bear, she pondered. Experiencing tragedy, sadness, loss, and grieving for an entire month seemed like living a completely other existence. The emotional rollercoaster that this community went through cannot be adequately described in words.

Also, you would be mistaken to believe this is an isolated incidence. Countless more American nuns have also succumbed to this merciless infection. Although precise figures are difficult to come by (mostly as a result of religious authorities’ imperfect recordkeeping), the pattern is sadly obvious.

This tragic case should serve as a warning about the catastrophic impact of COVID-19, particularly on our aging population. We must not get sluggish. As if our life depended on it, put on those masks, isolate yourself from others, and wash your hands frequently.