Nun miraculously survived ISIS attack that killed 16; kidnapped priest may be crucified on Good Friday

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By Mark Ellis

Four nuns murdered in Yemen
Four nuns murdered in Yemen

Sister Sally, a superior of the Missionaries of Charity, an order founded by Mother Teresa, miraculously survived an ISIS attack on a convent and a home for seniors in Yemen that killed four nuns and 12 others.

Early on Friday morning, March 4th, Sister Sally was shocked when five young Ethiopian Christians ran to alert the sisters that ISIS had arrived to kill them. Clearly alarmed, the nuns ran two-by-two in different directions.

Some of the workers at the home for seniors yelled, “Don’t kill the sisters! Don’t kill the sisters!”

“They caught Sister Judith and Sister Reginette first, tied them up, shot them in the head, and smashed their heads,” according to Sister Sally’s account obtained by The Clarion Project.

Two of the martyrs
Two of the martyrs

Then Sister Anselm and Sister Marguerite were caught and brutally killed in the same fashion.

One of the sisters speculated later that the smashing of the heads was a cruel mockery of the Scripture, “He will crush the head of the serpent.”

The gunmen entered the old-age home, which housed 80 people, by persuading the guard at the gate that they wanted to visit their elderly mother. As soon as they gained entry, they shot the guard dead and began moving from room to room, handcuffing their victims before shooting them and smashing their heads, according to the account.

Sister Sally started to run toward the convent to warn Father Thomas, but realized the ISIS fighters were already there, so she decided to hide in the refrigerator room at the senior home.

The ISIS fighters searched everywhere for her, because they knew there were five nuns in total. At least three times they came to the refrigeration room looking for Sister Sally.

Sister Sally did not hide but remained standing behind the door – they never saw her. “This is miraculous,” the account noted.

Father Thomas was put into a car by the ISIS fighters and taken to an unknown location. Rumors surfaced on the internet that he would be crucified by the extremists on Good Friday.

Father Thomas Uzhunnalil
Father Thomas Uzhunnalil

Before the attack, because of the warfare in the port city of Aden last year and the ongoing presence of ISIS in the city, Father Thomas admonished the nuns almost every day to be ready for martyrdom.

Sixteen people were killed in the attack, including four of the five nuns. Islamic State targeted the home and apparently studied when the nuns would be present. “The nuns were so faithful; ISIS knew exactly when they leave and when to break in. Because of their faithfulness they were in the right place at the right time and were ready when the Bridegroom came,” the account noted.

The report says the order of nuns was “the only Christian presence” in Aden “and ISIS wants to get rid of all Christianity.”

After attack, a guard in front of Missionaries of Charity retirement home
After attack, a guard in front of Missionaries of Charity retirement home

“They are real martyrs; they died because they are Christians. They could have died in the war but God wanted it to be clear they are martyrs for the faith,” she said.

In addition to the horrible crimes already inflicted, the jihadis “smashed and destroyed” all Christian artifacts at the site — the tabernacle, altar, crucifix, statues, Bibles and prayer books.

The murdered nuns were all slated to return to their home countries, but “they opted to stay to serve people.”

Sister Sally also insisted on staying to serve at the home after the attack, but police forced her to leave, saying the Islamic State would certainly return “to finish the job.”

“Sister Sally is fully surrendered. She said to pray that their blood will be the seeds for peace in the Middle East and to stop ISIS.”

4 COMMENTS

  1. This is so sad for Christians everywhere!! God Bless each and every individual involved, God Is Good! We shall overcome the Evil in this World!! I will pray for Father Thomas.

  2. Our Father Who art in Heaven,

    If Fr. Thomas Uzhunnalil is still alive, please accept my life in exchange for his unto the honor of our Lady and St. Maximillian Kolbe and above all unto Thy Honor and Glory, Almighty God.

    Thy priesthood, my Lord, is the highest dignity upon earth, surpassing kings and emperors and even angels themselves. For the power of kings is only over the bodies of men, whereas that of the priest is over their souls.

    On Thy priests are conferred powers not accorded to angels; for to what angel was it ever given to convert bread into the body of Christ by his word?

    St. Francis of Assisi, who never attained to the priesthood, said if he met an angel and a priest at the same time he should salute the priest first.

    As a senior citizen layman who never married and without family, I humbly approach my King and ask that I may be allowed to fulfill Thy Words: “Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Truly I count Fr. Uzhunnalil and all Thy priests as my true friends.

    Lord God Almighty, please allow Fr. Thomas Uzhunnalil to be set free to continue to be Thy representative that more souls may come humbly and contritely to Thee in Jesus Christ’s Name.

    Your son,

    Lawrence

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