Tribute was paid to the late Sisters Paula Merritt and Margaret Held with the dedication and blessing of a monument at Freedom Park in Durant last Saturday.
The two nuns who had ministered to Durant area residents for several years were murdered at their home August 25, 2016. Paula Merrill, a nun with Kentucky-based Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, and Margaret Held, a member of the School Sisters of St. Francis in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, worked from a clinic in Lexington, but lived in Durant.
A monument with their pictures is now placed near a similar marker dedicated to two Durant natives who died on 9/11.
The dedication began with a welcome by Mayor Tasha Davis, the singing of the sisters’ favorite songs and scripture readings. Rev. Greg Plata of Greenwood gave the opening prayer.
Reflections on the lives of the Sisters were given by Bishop Joseph Kopacz of Jackson and family, community members and friends of Sisters Margaret and Paula shared remembrances.
The dedication gathered together family members, members of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and the School Sisters of St. Francis.
Following the marker dedication, a mass was held in the Sisters’ honor at St. Thomas Catholic Church in Lexington.
