(CNN) Within a week, eight nuns living in the Notre Dame of Elm Grove in Wisconsin died from Covid-19, all of whom, in their own ways, were mentors in the community. The School Sisters of Notre Dame confirmed the deaths to CNN affiliate WTMJ , adding the sisters died of complications caused by the virus. "Every one of our sisters is really important," Sister Debra Sciano, the provincial leader of the School Sisters of Notre Dame Central Pacific Province, told the news station . The facility was first established as an orphanage but later became a home for elderly and ill sisters, according to the School Sisters of Notre Dame websiteThe deaths come several months after six nuns died of Covid-19 at Our Lady of the Angels Convent, in Greenfield, which cares for retired religious sisters from the School Sisters of St. Francis and the School Sisters of Notre Dame. The congregation said they have confirmed cases among the nuns living in the facility, but did not release the number of infections, according to the affiliate.

Source: CNN December 18, 2020 09:55 UTC