Nun with Dorchester ties murdered in New Mexico

Navajo, N.M. - A nun with ties to Dorchester was found murdered in her New Mexico convent.

The body of Sister Marguerite Bartz was discovered Sunday in the St. Berard Convent in Navajo, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gallup said in a statement.

The 64-year-old was a sister of the Blessed Sacrament, which is headquartered in Bensalem, Penn.

The circumstances surrounding Bartz's death are under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The FBI says Bartz was murdered some time between Halloween night and Sunday morning. When she failed to show up for Mass on Sunday, a colleague went to check on her and found her body.

Authorities are now trying to find a beige colored 2005 Honda CR-V with the New Jersey license plate NF24821.

The FBI says the vehicle was in Bartz's possession and is now missing. Anyone with information is urged to to contact the FBI at (505) 889-1300.

Bartz was born in Wisconsin in 1945. She entered the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in 1966 from Beaumont, Texas, and professed final vows in 1974. She held a Bachelor of Arts degree from Xavier University in New Orleans and a Master’s Degree in religious education from Loyola University, also in New Orleans.

Over the course of more than 40 years, Bartz was missioned in Dorchester, Massachusetts; Lawtell, Louisiana; Guadalupe Indian Mission in Peña Blanca, New Mexico; Saint Joseph in Laguna, New Mexico; Saint Catherine Indian School in Santa Fe, New Mexico; and—since 1999—Saint Berard’s in Navajo, New Mexico.

The Catholic Diocese says Bartz was always passionate for justice and peace and the life she lived would indicate that she'd respond to this incident with a spirit of forgiveness towards whoever is responsible for these acts.

Funeral plans are pending and will be announced at a later date.