School sisters in Notre Dame confirmed the deaths of CNN affiliate WTMJ, adding that the sisters died from complications caused by the virus.
“Each of our sisters is really important,” Sister Debra Sciano, the provincial leader of the school sisters in the Central Pacific province of Notre Dame, told the news station. “Not only for us, but we feel that they have reached thousands of lives that we will never be aware of.”
The facility was first set up as an orphanage, but later became a home for elderly and sick sisters, according to the School Sisters of Notre Dame website.
The congregation said it had confirmed cases among sisters living in the unit but had not released a number of infections, according to the affiliation.
He added that the sisters followed CDC guidelines, including wearing masks, social distancing and regular hand washing, the station reported.
“We are extremely careful about getting meals in the rooms and they can’t get together,” Sciano told the affiliate. “Several tests, being tested twice a week for the virus.”
Among the sisters lost to the virus was Sister Rose Feess, who was known for her “ability to teach, especially her attention to grammar and writing, her faith, her sharp intelligence, and her love for cats,” she wrote in a post at Notre Dame School in Milwaukee. on Facebook.
Another, Sister Lillia Langreck, has been “heavily involved in racial and social justice efforts” for the past 60 years, according to the affiliate, including marches in Milwaukee for fairgrounds and integrated buses.
CNN’s Artemis Moshtaghian contributed to the report.