(WWJ/AP) Nine Roman Catholic nuns in southern Michigan have died in January due to a COVID-19 outbreak at their retirement home.
The women lived at the headquarters campus of the Adrian Dominican Sisters in Lenawee County's Adrian, 75 miles southwest of Detroit.
After officials said the Adrian Dominican Sisters went for months without a single case among residents, tragedy struck.
Sister Patricia Siemen, the leader of the religious order, said: "Hearts are breaking" over the losses.
Two weeks ago, an outbreak was announced at the Motherhouse Campus, and the General Council of the Adrian Dominican Sisters issued the following statement:
"After more than nine months of no cases of COVID-19 among resident Sisters, we are now experiencing an outbreak among both Sisters and Co-workers at the Dominican Life Center. The care and safety of our Sisters and Co-workers have been and remain our primary concern. 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."
More than 200 sisters who are retired from active ministry live in Adrian.
COVID-19 has been cited in the deaths of dozens of retired or infirm nuns living in congregate settings.
