Two Catholic nuns stabbed to death in Mississippi

Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill were nurses and worked in the rural area of the state

Lisa Dew, the manager of the medical clinic, is comforted after the killings (AP)

Two nuns who worked as nurses and helped poor people in rural Mississippi have been found dead in their home, according to authorities.

It was reported the suspected murders were the result of a break-in and vehicle theft after police discovered a car that was missing from their home.

Reverend Greg Plata said police told him the sisters had been stabbed.

Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill, both 68, were discovered Thursday morning when they did not report to work at the nearby Lexington Medical Clinic, which carries out around a quarter of all the health care in a county of 18,000 people.

“They were two of the sweetest, most gentle women you can imagine. Their vocation was helping the poor,” said Reverend Plata, as reported by ABC News.

The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in Kentucky said that Sister Merrill had worked in the state for three decades, after joining the order in 1979. After two years she moved to work with the Mississippi Delta community.

A video on the order’s website showed her and Sister Held talking about the work they did with people from nearby counties who needed insulin for diabetes, flu shots and other care.

Sister Paula (left) and Sister Merrill (The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth)

“What really appalls me is that 60 per cent of the children live in poverty,” said Sister Held.

Ms Held worked for 49 years with the School Sisters of St Francis, which said they were “deeply shocked and grieved” by her death.

The two nuns provided most of the care at the clinic, where they encouraged residents to live a healthy lifestyle, and took the time to talk with them.

Sam Sample, leader of the St Thomas Catholic Church in Lexington, where the sisters were members, said the two nuns would attend Bible study every Thursday, and would produce great meals from their small home garden.

During hurricane Katrina in 2005, they let people come round to their house and cook on the gas stove and were pillars of the small community.