St. Louis
A 64-year-old church secretary, known for compassion and understanding in dealing with the homeless, died in December after being stabbed by a homeless man outside her office at Christ Church Cathedral.
Carol Bledsoe reportedly went into a hallway to investigate a disturbance and was stabbed in the neck. She died shortly afterward.
Police arrested a 45-year-old man outside the cathedral. He was known to cathedral workers, although he was not among a regular group of homeless men who participated in a breakfast program at the church.
Ms. Bledsoe was on a first-name basis with many of the homeless men and women, who called her “Miss Carol.”
The morning after her death, members of the cathedral and diocesan staff and a number of homeless persons took part in a Rite of Restoring Things Profaned. Bishop George Smith sprinkled the floor with holy water, reclaiming the hallway and offices as holy space.
