Two Catholic nuns were found stabbed to death at their home in central Mississippi. Police are investigating the case as a robbery that escalated into murder.
The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth confirmed the deaths on Thursday of the two women, who worked at a medical clinic in the town of Durant. They were identified as Sr. Paula Merrill of the SCN in Kentucky and Sr. Margaret Held with the School Sisters of St. Francis in Milwaukee.
"Pray in gratitude for the precious lives of Sisters Paula and Margaret ... They served the poor so well. Because we are gospel women, please also pray for the perpetrators," SCN President Susan Gatz said in a statement.
"It was a shocking news for me this morning. I am finding it very difficult to believe," an SCN member who identified herself Sister Suma wrote on the website Friday. "I remember being with her for two days when we visited the sisters at Mississippi. Sister Jeanine had taken us to her home and to the hospital she worked. We had a wonderful time with her and that is very fresh in my mind. She was a wonderful person. I feel very sad. May they rest in peace."
