“It’s numbing,” she said. “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 women all had served communities as teachers or nurses during their lifetime of religious service.
Among the campus’ 363 co-workers, 60 have tested positive, with 15 active cases, according to ADS.
Residents at the Motherhouse campus and more than 50 of the organization’s frontline co-workers received the Moderna vaccine on January 15, and more co-workers continue to be vaccinated, ADS said.
“The care and safety of our Sisters and Co-workers have been and remain our primary concern. We continue to practice stringent protocols, including dedicated floors for COVID-19 patients, quarantines within our living communities, and weekly testing of all residents and Co-workers to mitigate further spread of the virus,” their statement said.
The sisters are a religious order of more than 500 vowed women and 211 associates in 22 US states, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, Mexico, and Norway. The order has been based at the Motherhouse campus since 1884.
CNN’s Jamiel Lynch contributed to this report.