Omaha, US - On Sunday, the Catholic priest of a small Nebraska community lost his life after being stabbed with a knife in the church rectory, according to authorities.

Rev. Stephen Gutgsell, aged 65, was stabbed during a break-in at the St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun, as stated by the Archdiocese of Omaha.

Following the incident, he was rushed to the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where he succumbed to his injuries, according to church officials.

Fort Calhoun, with a population of approximately 1,000 people, is located about 20 miles north of Omaha.

Gutgsell, aged 65, had dialed 911 around 5 am to report an attempted break-in at the church rectory. When police officers arrived, they discovered an injured Gutgsell and the alleged attacker inside the premises.

Washington County Sheriff Mike Robinson, in a statement, announced that the suspect, Kierre L Williams, a 43-year-old black male from Sioux City, Iowa, had been taken into police custody.

Williams faces charges of homicide and the use of a weapon to commit a felony.

The local church released a statement, saying, 'The Washington County Sheriff's Office is investigating, and there are no further details at this time.'

'Please join Archbishop George Lucas in prayer for the repose of Father Gutgsell, for his family, and for the St. John the Baptist parish community in this tragic time.'

Mike Fitzgerald, a parishioner at the church, informed the Omaha World-Herald that the regular 8:30 am service had been canceled. 'Father Gutgsell has been here for 11 years, and I thought he was a very holy man.'

'He did a lot of things for the community. He always made sure that the (church) bulletin had everything in it that we needed to know about things going on at the church.'

The attack on Gutgsell marks the second case of homicide in Fort Calhoun in the last few months. Linda Childers, aged 71, was found dead in her rural home on Aug. 14, believed to have been killed during a home invasion the day prior.

William P. Collins has been charged with her first-degree murder, two counts of using a weapon to commit a felony, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited person, first-degree assault, burglary, possession of a stolen firearm, and theft.