A part of society hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 crisis is the nursing home community, with many smaller facilities run by religious orders. Many faced mounting financial pressures, even prior to the pandemic. Catholic nursing home providers fill significant gaps in the United States health care system, taking in large numbers of low-income patients on Medicaid and Medicare. These facilities are often staffed by aging nuns and priests, who now find themselves at a higher risk for infection from the virus.

One such Catholic nursing home is the Jeanne Jugan Residence in Delaware. It has lost one-fifth of its population to COVID-19. While staffers at the facility are trained and dedicated to accompanying the sick and elderly as they move toward death, many have been severely shaken and blindsided by the pandemic. COVID-19 has not only taken away the rituals that happen close to the end of a life, like prayer vigils and anointing the dying. It has also infected the nuns who serve as caretakers. Nuns who have fallen sick have quarantined themselves in their rooms but continue to worry that the facility will become even shorter staffed than before. Many struggle with their inability to physically comfort and pray with the residents. It has aggravated already significant financial burdens on a small Catholic-run facility like this one. Residents and staff look towards their Catholic faith and principles for strength and guidance as they grapple with the uncertain future that lies ahead.