Sister Sienna, 73, from Jharkhand might be the first missionary of Charity to die from the infection. Her convent in Swansea is now on a lockdown with the whole community infected. The convent in Paris is also in isolation with one nun in serious conditions.
Mumbai (AsiaNews) – The mother house of the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata announced the death of one of their members, the first to die from the coronavirus.
“Dear friends,” reads the statement, “it is with deep sorrow that we inform you that Sister Sienna M C, 73, from the Swansea convent (Wales, UK) has gone to her eternal rest with our Lord yesterday” (1 April).
“She was admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 last week. She is from Jharkhand, India. Please pray for her soul. Kindly pray for the other Rev Sisters in the convent. All community members are affected, one is serious.”
Sr Sienna had been a Missionary of Charity for 50 years, noted Sister Bresilla, in Kolkata. A native of Jharkhand (eastern India), she was sent to north London, England. In 2016, she moved to Swansea (300 km west of London), where she worked with the poor and destitute.
Here, she was in charge of distributing food parcels to the poor, including some affected by the coronavirus. She was admitted to Morriston Hospital in Swansea with complications from the viral infection and succumbed to the illness on Wednesday.
There are no reports about additional deaths among the missionaries, but all the Sisters in the Swansea convent where Sister Sienna lived are ill. Their convent in Paris is also reportedly on a lockdown, as some nuns have shown symptoms of acute pneumonia.