RIP to 17 Religious Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth who Died During the COVID-19 Outbreak in New Jersey

Many Religious Sisters of Charity have died during the COVID-19 pandemic on Wednesday, July 29 the total number of nuns from the order to have died since the outbreak began in New Jersey in March was 17.
Sister Margaret Ellen’s death in Cedar Grove on Wednesday represented the 17th sister from the order to die since New Jersey’s coronavirus outbreak began in March. The Sisters of Charity obituaries do not list causes of death. Most of them died in two long-term care centers, the types of facilities that have seen almost half of the state’s total COVID-19 deaths. The remaining three died in hospitals. The sisters ranged in age from 79 to 103. Many were teachers who educated children in Catholic schools across North Jersey. One was Sister Francis Raftery, a former St. Elizabeth University president. 

 “We thank God for these sisters who touched the lives of so many, each in her own way and with her own special gifts,” 

a message on the order’s site reads. 

The roughly 220-member Sisters of Charity of St. Elizabeth is based in Convent Station. The bells of Holy Family Chapel tolled as each departed sister was “brought home,” according to the convent’s Facebook page.
 Eight of the sisters died at St. Joseph’s Healthcare and Rehab Center in Cedar Grove, where township officials say nearly 30 residents have died from COVID-19.
 In lieu of flowers, the Sisters of Charity ask mourners to contribute to the Sisters of Charity Development Fund, P.O. Box 476, Convent Station NJ 07961.
Edited from https://www.njherald.com/