In a devastating turn of events, 13 sisters from the Felician congregation in Livonia, Michigan, succumbed to COVID-19 within a span of just a few months, between April and June 2020. The sisters, ranging in age from 69 to 99, were part of a close-knit community that was ravaged by the virus.
The outbreak is believed to have started when two aides unknowingly brought the virus into the convent. Despite the vulnerability of the sisters, proper precautions were not taken, leading to a rapid spread of the virus. Experts later criticized the lack of measures to prevent the outbreak, highlighting the importance of protecting vulnerable populations.
The loss was not only a personal tragedy for the sisters’ families and the convent community but also had a significant impact on the daily operations of the convent. In fact, this was the worst tragedy to affect a religious community since the 1918 influenza pandemic. In the aftermath, the surviving sisters emphasized the importance of wearing masks and coming together as a community to overcome the crisis.
