A Catholic Dominican community in north-west London is celebrating after three of its members survived Covid-19. 

The community had to self-isolate for two weeks following the three friars testing positive. 

One of the oldest members of the community, 89-year-old Fr Michael Dun, was taken to a hospice after his oxygen levels had dropped dramatically but was discharged only 48 hours later. 

Speaking to Premier, Fr Lawrence Lew, rector and prior of St Dominic's Church, said he believes Fr Michael's miraculous recovery was due to the anointing of the sick he had received.

In Catholic theology, they believe there are seven sacraments that were introduced by Jesus and seen as a channel of the Grace of God to those who receive it - one of those is the sacrament of the sick. 

"After we heard that he was going to the hospital, I managed to convince him that he should be anointed," Fr Lawrence said. 

"Many Catholics fear this, because they think that it means that they're going to die any moment, which is really quite silly, because the sacrament is for the sick, and it's meant to help us, spiritually strengthens us and it's also could result in bodily healing as well."

Fr Lawrence continued: "Between the time of his anointing and the ambulance coming, we had one hour. And during that hour Fr Michael's hearing improved...He became a lot clearer in his thinking."

"I attribute that all those improvements - to his mental state and his body - I attribute that to the sacrament of the sick, that it was God who had worked a healing."  

Fathers Leo Edgar, 85, has fully recovered from the virus but Fr Rudolf Löwenstein, 60, is still struggling. 

"Father Rudolph is the youngest of the three and he's not doing quite so well. This has really hit him quite hard. I would appreciate prayers for him and for his continued health and of course, prayers for the protection of the rest of the friars and of the community who come and worship here with us," Fr Lawrence concluded.