By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
GOWER - A series of shootings at a Catholic abbey near Gower has prompted the sisters who live there to take action for their own safety.
Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, located about six miles northeast of Gower, has been the target in a series of shooting incidents - the first occurring in July 2019, and the most recent on March 24 of this year. Nobody was injured in the shootings.
"As it continued happening, especially with three incidents happening in close succession in March, that's when we realized it was deliberate and we were going to have to do something."
The most recent shooting incident in late March resulted in a bullet piercing the wall of Mother Abbess Cecelia's bedroom - about five feet from her bed. The bullet had already gone through the exterior siding.
"It penetrated that and went through Mother Abbess' exterior wall into an interior wall," said Sister Scholastica Radel, the prioress of the abbey.
"It actually was at such an angle that it was stopped by a shower wall between us. The police said it was a very serious weapon that was being used."
There was also a shooting on February 17, which was Ash Wednesday, and then another just a few days after that.
Bullets and casings were later discovered on the property following the most recent shooting in March. The Clinton County Sherriff's Department has been in constant contact with the Abbey, but so far, there are no suspects.
"A lot of people are very anxious that we catch whoever did it, but on the other hand, we understand the police are doing their best and there's very little to go on."
Clinton County Sheriff's deputies have provided extra surveillance for the area, and they ask anyone in the community who has information to call their tip line at 816-539-2156.
Beyond that, the sisters knew they had to do something more for their own protection. As a result, an eight-foot high wall is being constructed along the northside of the property - the side where the shots came from.
"It's in the process of going up," Radel said. "There's already a great sense of security, especially in the night. Just to know there's that extra protection and less visibility."
The wall will span about 3,000 feet in length and also cover part of the property on the east side. Construction on the wall began this past week. The project is being funded through donations from the local community and other Benedictines of Mary benefactors.
"We were just so very touched by everybody's generosity," Sr. Radel said. "You really had a beautiful sense of community, especially from our locals as well. Just seeing how many people were coming forward and just the charity in their hearts, it was a beautiful thing. Very encouraging for us."
The contractor who's building the fence, Straub Construction, was also concerned for the sister's safety when they first heard about the shooting incidents. They're also the same company who built the Abbey in the first place.
"Not only have they been great work with, but they also are keeping an eye out for us," Radel said. "They were one of the first people to reach out to us after the shooting incidents occurred, and asked if there was anything they could do for us."
Sr. Radel says there's been a series of incidents occurring on or near their property over the last decade. There was a shooting incident there back in 2010, before the sisters moved to the property. That time, someone shot at a shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, shooting a life-size statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the waist.
In a statement to supporters earlier this year, the Benedictines of Mary said of the shooting in late March, "Some of the Sisters arose, but soon returned to sleep, as we have sadly become desensitized on account of many incidents of inappropriate activity around our monastery.”
As scary as these incidents are, Sr. Radel and the 44 other sisters who live on the property are grateful to the community for their generosity in donating money toward the wall project. They're also grateful to local law enforcement, who continue to investigate.
They're also relieved, and hopeful, that this will be the end of any violence aimed at them.
"We have a very sacred space here that needs protection," Sr. Radel said. "The message is kind of going two ways. (The wall) is a security for us, but it's also telling everyone else that this is a sacred space that needs protection."
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