2026 Jubilarians
Posted on June 23, 2026, by Loretto Community
80+ Jubilee
Kathleen Tighe SL
Happy 82nd Jubilee to Loretto Sister Kathleen Tighe SL!
Kathleen Tighe SL was received into Loretto on April 25, 1944. Five of the Tighe sisters, daughters of Eugene and Alice (Weir) Tighe, became Sisters of Loretto. Lucina entered in 1932, Alice Eugene in 1933, Ann Virginia in 1934, Carolyn in 1935 and Kathleen in 1944. Another sister, Helen, would join the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Kathleen served in California, Colorado, Illinois and Missouri, teaching in various schools and serving as principal at Loretto Academy High School in Kansas City, Mo., and at Nerinx Hall High School in St. Louis. She earned a bachelor’s degree in music with a minor in piano from Webster University in St. Louis and a master’s in education from DePaul University in Chicago. In 1976, Kathleen took part in the Loretto Third World Experience, serving in Majuro in the Marshall Islands. She has served in senior citizen housing and as a creator of the Loretto Spirituality Network. She served on the Loretto staff, retiring in 2000 in Danville, Calif., where she and her housemate, Kay Lane SL, developed an extended Loretto community that prayed and celebrated together. Kathleen and Kay moved to Kentucky in 2013. Kathleen resides at Loretto Living Center at the Motherhouse where she loves to listen to classical music and read stories, particularly the classics. She says she loves “to hear a good story, and I love telling my stories about Loretto.”
Bernie Feeney SL
Happy 80th Jubilee to Loretto Sister Benedicta (Bernie) Feeney SL!
Bernie Feeney SL, who turned 99 last November, credits her mothers for her long life: her own mother and the Blessed Mother. “My mom passed along her longevity,” she said, noting that her mother lived into her 90s, as did her two sisters. Her brothers lived into their late 70s and early 80s.
Her affection for the Blessed Mother is especially strong, in part, “because she showed the children at Fatima how to pray the rosary,” Bernie shares. “The rosary became very important in my life, so I try to say it every day.” She recommends the practice to all.
Born in 1926, the year of the U.S. sesquicentennial, Bernie grew up on a farm in the village of Ivesdale, Ill., 19 miles outside of Champaign, and was taught by Benedictines. It wasn’t until she attended Webster College in St. Louis that she met the Sisters of Loretto. She was received into the congregation in 1946.
As a Sister of Loretto, Bernie taught for many years, later serving the Denver Archdiocese as a leasing coordinator for low-income housing and volunteering with Catholic Charities. Whatever she did, she enjoyed. “I had wonderful experiences and have much to be grateful for,” she says.
A resident of Loretto Living Center, Bernie, who enjoys regular exercise and good conversations, says, “It is very pleasant, a very nice place, and the people are very professional and very kind. You could not ask for any place nicer.”
Asked what advice she might give others on how to go about living a long life, Bernie first joked, “I don’t understand it myself, how I came to be 99.” Then she added, “Take every day to be fully alive. Enjoy and be appreciative and involved.
75th Jubilee
Bea Klebba SL
Happy 75th Jubilee to Loretto Sister Beatrice (Bea) Klebba SL!
Bea Klebba SL was received into Loretto on Dec. 8, 1951. She resides at Loretto Living Center at the Motherhouse. Through her work in schools, hospital ministry and in retirement, she has found joy and meaning in her service. Bea has lived out Loretto’s Constitutions as she has “sought compassionate ways to serve the suffering body of Christ.”
Loretto Sister Sue Charmley shares the following about Bea: “I know that Bea is a proud Michigan ‘Wolverine.’ She and I shared our loyalties to our home states. Michigan is her home. She had a wonderful garden in the St. Joseph secure garden/yard (now known as Mary’s Haven). She decorated the garden with lots of little statues of frogs having fun and called it ‘Frog Town.’ It brought joy to the residents in the secure unit. She also used to call herself ‘the Queen Bee’ and took great interest in our beekeeping project.”
Claudette LoPorto SL
Happy 75th Jubilee to Loretto Sister Claudette LoPorto SL!
Claudette LoPorto SL was received into Loretto on April 25, 1951. Working at Apple for 16 years, she says, “It was just a happy place, and I loved it.” Sister Claudette retired in 2001. She then served as a volunteer for several years. Her home in Danville, Calif., was recognized by many for its spirit of hospitality. In 2011, she moved to Loretto Motherhouse in Nerinx, Ky., where she continues her service to the Loretto Community. Among her many gifts, she designs and arranges creative displays in celebration of holidays at the Motherhouse. She also enjoys gardening. Through her varied ministries across the years, Claudette has lived out Loretto’s Constitutions and “helped many others live according to its spirit and teachings.”
70th Jubilee
Elizabeth Croom SL
Happy 70th Jubilee to Loretto Sister Elizabeth Croom SL!
Sister Johanna Brian SL wrote the following about Sister Elizabeth:
Sister Elizabeth Croom graduated from Bishop Toolen High School in Mobile, Ala., in 1955 and entered Loretto with the Class of 1956. She was the oldest child of a family of 11 children. She had the opportunity to learn a lot about caring for children in the school of real experience! Most of Elizabeth’s long years of teaching took place in Alabama, Missouri and Texas. Much of her work focused on elementary- and middle-school children — particularly in the areas of reading, math and curriculum development. She was always dedicated to the highest standards of excellence in her work and took advantage of opportunities for professional growth by attending summer programs for math and reading at universities in Florida, Texas and Tennessee, where she earned a master’s degree at Vanderbilt. Besides being an excellent teacher, Elizabeth has other talents that she generously shares with the Community. She worked in the Finance Office for 10 years and acted as chairperson of the Motherhouse Coordinating Board for six years. She was also chair of the search committee that found Michael Bickett.
Elizabeth brings the same high standards of excellence to many other areas of her life. She loves reading, art, music and was a very enthusiastic supporter of the musical talent of Sister Patrice Taheny with whom she lived for many years. She always considers it important to keep up with current events and be knowledgeable about and involved in issues pertaining to social justice whenever she can. Care for our planet is also very important for her, and she was one of the Bernheim Forest tree huggers! Elizabeth continues to show up for life and is always present for meals in the dining room and liturgy in the chapel.
Congratulations to Elizabeth celebrating 70 years as a Sister of Loretto!
Lydia Peña SL
Happy 70th Jubilee to Loretto Sister Lydia Peña SL!
Sister Lydia responded to the following questions about her years in Loretto.
Looking back at your life in Loretto, was joining the Congregation what you thought it would be? Tell us how your answer came to be realized.
“Yes, the congregation was what I thought it would be. Everything I’ve done I’ve done for Loretto. I’ve worked at different jobs but everything has come to Loretto.”
As you reflect on your various mission experiences, which one brought out your gifts? Tell us why you chose that one and what gifts you used.
“Each one [mission] brought out my gifts. I have a gift of really liking people and accepting them as they are. I like people, I enjoy meeting people and I value being able to do for people.”
What aspects of belonging to Loretto have meant the most to you?
“Community, being with women who value what I value. Knowing that I belong.”
Elaine Prevallet SL
Happy 70th Jubilee to Loretto Sister Elaine Prevallet SL!
Co-member Martha Crawley shares the following about Sister Elaine:
Though Elaine Prevallet SL has written many articles, books and reflections on spirituality, ecology and the many connections between and among us, she is not able at this time to write more. She has expressed in her writing, teaching, spiritual guidance and relations with community and friends as deeply, wisely and purposefully as can be done.
Rather than writing on Elaine’s behalf about her life in the Loretto Community for the past 70 years I chose to ask her about it in a recent phone conversation. She expressed – and I clarified – the following:
“It’s hard to say on the spot … I know that Loretto has helped me keep my mind open to the world … as it (the world) moves and changes. My view of the world has widened and deepened and my Community has helped me keep that openness. I want to always keep that appreciation on and in the world. It’s small, and it’s big. I can say that my Loretto years have opened my mind and heart to … how can I say? … Wonder. To a value and trust that our good God will follow us all the way.”
I am struck by Elaine’s expressing how the world and her awareness of it all has expanded. Often it is thought that joining a religious community is, in a way, a departure from the life, wonder and struggles of our world. She expressed so clearly that her Loretto years drew her more and more deeply into the life of the world, and she responded to that invitation thoroughly.
No matter the hurdles and confusions of the aging process, Elaine never fails to express a deep gratitude for all she has been given in her life.
Maria Visse SL
Happy 70th Jubilee to Loretto Sister Maria Visse SL!
Maria shares the following about her time in Loretto. “Looking back, it is hard to say exactly why I joined. It was just what I felt was right at that time. I’ve never looked back.
“I was educated by the Sisters of Loretto from kindergarten through high school and in high school began to see the Sisters in their dedication to a mission. It seemed I would have a purpose. I have had a variety of missions. The least memorable was teaching music/piano at the grade school level for three years. Then off to Chile, in 1963, which had a big impact. I learned to speak and think in Spanish. I arrived there with no command of the language and listened and studied and by the time I left Chile in 1979 I had been able to work in community development and teach in two local grade schools. I also sang in a university chorus which provided a chance to travel, sing and bring out the gift of my vocal talents. Really on a level of mission gifts I have to put nursing right up there. On return from a short time in Nicaragua I did a four-year-nursing-program at the University of Northern Colorado and worked as a labor and delivery nurse in Taos, N.M., for 20 years.
“Belonging to Loretto has been everything I could have hoped for when I, on the spur of the moment, made the decision to come to Loretto in 1955. The companionship and trust of the Community are the gifts I can bring to whatever mission Loretto supports.”
65th Jubilee
Carole Eschen SL
Happy 65th Jubilee to Loretto Sister Carole Eschen SL!
Sister Carole shares, “Joining Loretto was a just-right decision made at a very young age that has supported and inspired me through my life and into my older years. I went to Nerinx Hall High School in St. Louis and was blessed by terrific teachers, most of whom were Sisters of Loretto. I was impressed by their kindness and joyful demeanor. Since I had wanted to be a teacher from a very young age, a life of service in Loretto seemed possible. I had no real idea what to expect and there were some surprises but the Spirit kept me going. I am grateful that all my experiences have helped me become the person I am today.
“As the Community changed over time, I was also growing and changing, supported and challenged by some truly remarkable women. To be on a lifelong journey with them has been a blessing.
“The mission I spent most of my active years in was education. I was a teacher for 53 years, and I am still an educator in a less formal role in my retirement. I worked with middle-school students in the areas of math and science. I also taught biology to high school students. I was a creative teacher, and I feel that my enthusiasm and love of learning was a gift that I brought to my students. I learned from them and enjoyed helping them grow and develop their own talents.
“The aspect of Loretto that’s meant the most to me is belonging to a group larger than myself which is dedicated to peace and justice that is rooted in spirituality. I have many opportunities and challenges.
“That gives me the chance to serve even in retirement. My spiritual life has been expanded and strengthened by those vowed members and co-members on this journey with me.”
Pat Joyce SL
Happy 65th Jubilee to Loretto Sister Pat Joyce SL!
Sister Pat responded to the following questions about her years in Loretto.
Looking back at your life in Loretto, was joining the Congregation what you thought it would be? Tell us how your answer came to be realized.
“Yes it was what I thought it would be. All during my time at the novitiate, it was like what I saw among the sisters who taught me and my experiences with those sisters. So yes, I knew what I was getting into. As far back as I remember, even as a kid I always wanted to be a teacher, it was just natural to be connected with an order that was a teaching order at that time.”
“How religious life looked when I first entered in 1960 is nothing compared to how it looks today. And I really don’t have a lot of fear about the future because why wouldn’t you expect that 10-15 years from now it’s going to look totally and completely different than how it looks now. Because now it looks totally and completely different from how I entered initially. I didn’t have trouble with changes. I’ve gone with the changes, appreciated the changes and that’s given me a lot of peace.”
As you reflect on your various mission experiences, which one brought out your gifts? Tell us why you chose that one and what gifts you used.
My first mission was to be at Loretto elementary school in El Paso and I taught first grade. I always believed that if a child didn’t fit the system, there was something wrong with the system, and my job as a teacher was to find out/create a system that somehow this child/children could continue to learn.
That was in those days when learning disabilities was first coming in as an idea and growing into its own and people started realizing that, adapting, changing, etc. I started out the gate that way. All I can say is, it’s some innate instinct in me that just knew, it wasn’t the kids fault if they were failing my class.
Sister Pat worked in grades 1-3, and worked at the El Paso Archdiocese training teachers to teach catechism classes in their parishes. For a while she also taught religion in middle school part-time and was the resident beautician part time in the convent. Then she worked at the high school library. Most of her time was spent at Loretto Academy in El Paso, and she never had a feeling she was supposed to go someplace else.
When she retired from teaching she got into art and went back to school to train in specific art modalities. “That is one of the things I found I had talents I never knew I had. It was with encouragement from the sisters, and my own initiative, and my own desire to explore this whole new world that opened up after my second heart attack. And I spent most of my retirement doing that.”
What aspects of belonging to Loretto have meant the most to you?
“The aspect of belonging to something bigger than myself definitely has meant a great deal. The whole Community aspect, you know somebody has got your back and you got somebody else’s back. You belong to something bigger than yourself, the group you belong to respects and fosters and encourages how the spirit is working through you as well as you keeping the main mission of the community in mind. The friendships over the years, the closeness, the people you can count on.”
Anndavid Naeger SL
Happy 65th Jubilee to Loretto Sister Anndavid Naeger SL!
Sister Anndavid shares the following reflection, “How could I have ever imagined a life of prayer, silence, rules and service which was offered by the Sisters of Loretto? A life (in my beginning days) in a special dress (habit), a rural location, a unique code of conduct, a very different living situation and a constant effort to live a life built on three lifelong commitments of vows of poverty, chastity and obedience?
“When I was missioned to El Paso, where I spent most of my life teaching in four of our five schools: Guardian Angel, Sacred Heart, St. Patrick and Loretto Academy High School, I was introduced to the desert climate, different food, a new culture and language. Living in a very large Community (100+) of Sisters of Loretto was a learning experience, as I adapted to so many different personalities, talents, mannerisms, etc. I cherish all my days as a Sister of Loretto as I continue to be faithful to my vows and Community. I have known some truly remarkable women religious, have been accepted, loved and forgiven by them. They have helped me realize that all my days have been pure gift.”
Barbara Nicholas SL
Happy 65th Jubilee to Loretto Sister Barbara Nicholas SL!
Looking back at your life in Loretto, was joining the Congregation what you thought it would be? Tell us how your answer came to be realized.
“In 1960, I turned 18 on Aug. 11 and entered Loretto as a Postulant on Sept. 15. I had no idea what life in the Congregation meant or would come to mean. I knew only that the Sisters who taught me at Loretto High School in Louisville were smart, friendly, kind, interested in us. They seemed to like each other as they stood around talking and laughing. I guess I wanted to be like them. I had an experience that I’ve always remembered as a call to become a Sister of Loretto rather than to go to nursing school as had been my plan. These many years later, I hope and believe it all turned out as it was meant to be.
As you reflect on your various mission experiences, which one brought out your gifts? Tell us why you chose that one and what gifts you used.
“When I was doing my assigned three days of student teaching in the second-grade-classroom at the College School at Webster, I knew that I was not a classroom teacher. The class was to be about measuring. Each student had a container with water and a ruler. I asked the class to measure the level of the water. A child asked: Do we use the big inches or the little inches? What a great question and a clear indication that I had not thought through the assignment as a real teacher would. I responded that they could use either but to tell me which they used. Later, gifted by Helen Sanders to pick a school and to study nursing, I believe I entered my life’s work. I often experienced that interpreting medical information was in fact, ‘teaching.’ I believe that I was good at that.”
What aspects of belonging to Loretto have meant the most to you?
“When I first heard someone say that wherever one Sister of Loretto is, there we all are, I think I gulped. What a concept of community. I know that as I worked all those years within the Baptist healthcare system, I was always mindful that while I was working there as a nurse, I was being there as Loretto. The experience of community is most profound for me.”
Sylvia Sedillo SL
Happy 65th Jubilee to Loretto Sister Sylvia Sedillo SL!
“I purposely did not want to have and did not allow myself to have preconceived ideas of what belonging to a religious congregation like Loretto would be. I had been the Prefect of Our Lady’s Sodality in the 8th grade and cheerleader in high school — two juxtaposed experiences in my youth.
“Some of my friends knew me to be a social butterfly — I loved to date a variety of boys, loved ballroom dancing, mostly the jitterbug at sockhops and at fancier dances in high school and college such as the homecoming and proms.
“A young man, trying to discourage me from going to the convent, asked me if I had seen the movie that was currently showing, “The Nun’s Story.” I wanted to find out for myself if it was truly what I was feeling that I wanted to do.
“Since I had no preconceived idea of what religious life was, each day was a surprise — mostly good and only God’s grace pulled me along. I can honestly say that I would not trade this life for any other. I realize that our loving God was present in all my decisions.
“Being in administrative missions brought out my leadership skills. I did not care much for teaching but I wanted to be a Sister of Loretto, and since I was in the pre-first grade I have loved and been a part of the Sisters of Loretto.
“When we were able to choose our mission experiences, all were not Loretto sponsored, but Loretto supported. The one I learned most from and used all my gifts was being a home care provider for my sister Janis, who has Down syndrome.
“The aspects of belonging to Loretto have been the challenge of being made aware of social problems of the world, e.g. racism, poverty and injustice. I have been made aware of the value of feminism, inter-faith relationships, actions for peace and justice, love for the earth and all of creation and loving persons for who they are and not for what they do.
“I appreciate the diversity in our Community and its spirit of joy and freedom. I love its unity, its commitment to mission and love for God who made Heaven and Earth and its seeking God through this world, and I look forward to a promise of something more.
“Here I am God, I come to do your will.” – Psalm 40:7
60th Jubilee
Sue Charmley SL
Happy 60th Jubilee to Loretto Sister Sue Charmley SL!
“I received the following blessing in a birthday card one year. I keep it framed on my dresser.
“‘May you listen to the whisper
of your inner voice,
Reach out and touch all the
beauty that surrounds you,
delight in your ability to be
swept away by laughter,
invoke the courage
to write your own story,
and follow the unfolding path
of your sacred soul journey.’
“My soul journey took on a special meaning during my freshman year at Loretto Heights College. There I met Loretto sisters on the faculty, who not only taught us academically, but prayed and recreated with us.
“The 1960s were a tumultuous time for our nation — the assassinations of President Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy. All these were influences on my young life.
“During my sophomore year, I wrote to the Loretto Mother Superior seeking admission to the Sisters of Loretto. My generation of newly professed sisters was to be unique due largely to Vatican Council II and our Loretto leadership. We young sisters were not assigned to a specific mission, but we were on our own to choose our own way in which to serve. With the encouragement of friends and mentors, I moved to New Mexico and began my teaching career there.
“I experienced the diverse cultures of the Navajo, Apache and Pueblo people along with the Spanish speaking ranching families of the north and local friends in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. I relished the natural beauty, too, of deep blue skies, snow capped mountains and mesas and valleys.
“As the years passed and my Loretto family and I aged, I dug up my roots of 45 years and returned to our Motherhouse. What a grand reunion I experienced!
“The quoted blessing I started with still holds true for me and my Community here.”
50th – Golden Jubilee
Kathy Santopietro Weddel CoL
Happy 50th Golden Jubilee to Loretto Co-member Kathy Santopietro Weddel!
“In October of 1976 when Sr. Helen Sanders and I signed my ‘Contract with the Sisters of Loretto’ I felt like the Community was asking me to live the words of Isaiah.
Isaiah proclaims that if we do away with the yoke and the clenched fist and if we give bread to the hungry and relief to the oppressed, Yahweh will give strength to our bones and we shall be like a watered garden, sustained by a spring whose waters do not fail.
“Sister Helen planted plain brown seeds in the dark, fresh, rich earth of my pocket. And Loretto said, let them be, the seeds. I ventured to new beginnings, uncharted territory and worlds of new learning.
“And when I needed a hint along the 50-year journey, I put my hand in my deep pocket and felt around. And behold a garden!
A bouquet to gift
Food to nourish
Earth to cherish
Peace to teach
and
Love to harvest.
“I remain grateful for those seeds that continue to sprout and grow, always nourished by precious friendships, shared wisdom and practiced faith — the Loretto Community whose waters do not fail.”
Susan Schilling CoL
Happy 50th Golden Jubilee to Loretto Co-member Susan Schilling!
She shares, “My connection with the Sisters of Loretto has been one of the most influential and enduring relationships of my life. This year marks 50 years since I became a co-member, a commitment that feels as meaningful to me today as it did when I first made it. The values, friendships, and sense of purpose I found within the Loretto Community have shaped who I am, both personally and professionally.
“My involvement began in fourth grade when I started school at Loretto in Kansas City and continued there through high school. During my senior year, I spent three months in Santiago, Chile, including time with Marcia Coleman and Maria Visse, living with a Loretto community and working in a neighborhood health clinic. That experience taught me Spanish, but more importantly awakened a lifelong commitment to serving underserved populations, a commitment that continues in my work today.
“I went on to earn a bachelor of science in nursing from Loretto Heights College and remained closely connected to many Sisters of Loretto while living in Denver. It felt only natural that, after graduation, I would formalize that relationship by becoming a Co-member. Between moves and jobs, I lived and worked at the Motherhouse in Nerinx, covering a three-month leave in the infirmary. I then remained for another three months while working as a visiting nurse for the Sisters of Charity.
“Eventually, I decided to return to school and pursue medicine. After medical school in Denver, I moved to Boston for my OB/GYN training. There I married, raised three daughters, and built a busy medical practice in a community health center serving an underserved, primarily Spanish-speaking population.
“The Sisters of Loretto and the Co-members I have known and loved are among the finest and most genuinely faith-guided people I have ever encountered. They instilled in me the conviction that all people deserve love, respect and basic human rights, including access to health care, regardless of race, ethnicity or socioeconomic status. They also taught me the importance of standing up, speaking out and working for justice on behalf of those whose rights and dignity are threatened, both in this country and around the world.
“Although my direct involvement has been more limited since moving to Boston because of distance, family responsibilities, and the demands of a medical career, my connection to the Loretto Community has remained a constant thread throughout my life. The friendships I have formed with many Sisters of Loretto — especially Mary Catherine Rabbitt and Kathleen O’Malley — have sustained and supported me through life’s joys and challenges in profound ways. Their influence continues to inspire and guide me today.
“After 50 years as a Co-member, I remain deeply grateful for the Sisters of Loretto and all they have given me. Their example of faith, service, compassion and justice continues to be a guiding light in my life, and I am honored to be part of this remarkable Community.”
Rev. Peter Urban CoL
Happy 50th Golden Jubilee to Loretto Co-member Rev. Peter Urban!
The Rev. Father Peter Urban CoL has been a member of the Loretto Community since 1976. One of his passions is helping children and adults pursue their desire and need for education in Juarez, Mexico. Another is providing materials so families have the means to build and repair their own houses, thereby fulfilling dreams of living with dignity in safe, comfortable homes.
Father Peter shares that he has been able to know several Loretto members, and it has been a great help to his life. The aspect of belonging to Loretto that has meant most to him is the Loretto’s interest in helping the poor.
25th – Silver Jubilee
Jeannine Gramick SL
Happy 25th Silver Jubilee to Loretto Sister Jeannine Gramick SL!
Sister Jeannine shares the following about her life in Loretto, “In 2001, I came to Loretto because of a series of conflicts with the Vatican. My former religious community, the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND), had assigned me to LGBTQ ministry for 20+ years. During that time, SSND leaders warded off complaints from bishops and Vatican officials, and by 2000, Vatican pressure had so mounted that the general leadership informed me that I would be dismissed if I continued a ministry to LGBTQ persons.
“After a year of discernment, I continued to feel God’s invitation to remain in this ministry as a woman religious. This would necessitate transferring to another religious congregation. Although two congregational leaders invited me to consider their communities, the decision to apply to Loretto was an easy one because of a number of friendships I had formed with the Loretto Sisters.
“In the National Coalition of American Nuns, I worked with Anne Patrick Ware, Mary Ann Cunningham, Mary Ann Coyle, Ginny Williams and Mary Louise Denny. I also worked with Maureen Fiedler in her justice work at the Quixote Center. All these Loretto Sisters inspired me with their sense of integrity, wisdom and courage to speak publicly in the face of prejudice toward the underdog. I also knew that the Loretto Community was a leader in the call of the Second Vatican Council to adapt to the modern world, and I wanted to be a part of this exciting group of women!
“In 2001, I made my first vows in the Loretto Congregation with two expectations: 1) of receiving ministerial support and 2) of participating with a group who lived and worked on the peripheries (as Pope Francis would later say) of the Church. My hopes were not disappointed.
“Until Pope Francis’ election in 2013, the Vatican bureaucracy harassed the Loretto leadership, as it had the SSND leadership. Loretto leaders honestly, and competently, responded to Vatican letters while enabling the ministry to continue. This was not an easy task for the leadership, and there were painful and even fearful moments for Community members. I regret all the pain and fear, the hurt and the grief, but ultimately Loretto enabled the Catholic Church to achieve a greater acceptance of LGBTQ people. The years of heartache once again confirmed that ‘for those who love God, all things work together unto good (Rom. 8:28).’
“Besides providing ministerial support, Loretto has been an ideal Community to nourish my social needs and my desire to work toward a more just society. Participation in a Community group and in a number of Loretto committees and networks over the years has enriched my life with many friendships. I loved all the committee meetings and programs we provided, especially in the Loretto Women’s Network (as it was called in the early days), the Earth Network and the Racial Justice Committee.
“I believe God led me to Loretto to enable me to be happy and at peace and to contribute to the lives of an oppressed minority. I truly love all the Loretto Community members I know and feel loved in return. I feel proud that I cast my lot with Loretto’s early founders who struggled on the frontier to bring the Good News to the poor and disenfranchised. And I feel privileged that I cast my lot with the Lorettos of today who work to improve the fate of those who suffer from injustice, oppression and deprivation of dignity.
“In my final vow ceremony at the Loretto Motherhouse, I made a public commitment to a religious and Christian life and ministry. I vowed to live simply, to share any material and spiritual resources I may have, to love rightly and reverently, and to continue to discern and follow God’s call for me. I have been so very blessed to live these vows and minister for 25 years as a Sister of Loretto.”
Patricia Herron CoL
Happy 25th Jubilee to Loretto Co-member Patricia Herron!
Looking back at your life in Loretto, was joining the Congregation what you thought it would be? Tell us how your answer came to be realized.
“It was nothing like I thought it was going to be. Sisters Sue Charmley and Carolyn Wheat were teaching at St. Pius along with me, and they said, ‘You gotta go up to Taos and meet the gals.’ People from Denver and Santa Fe came to Taos and there were about 20 Sisters there. I could not believe the spiritual connection I found in that room. Nobody was put down, everybody was listened to. There was just a lot of stuff people were doing and talking about, helping the poor, the homeless, etc. I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, what have I got myself into, I love it.’ I got to know PJ and the two Mary Anns and Penny and Elaine. I have my ‘work for justice act for peace’ pin I carry with me at all times when I go out.”
What aspects of belonging to Loretto have meant the most to you?
The spiritual connection is the aspect of belonging that has meant the most to her, Trish says. She stays in touch with the Community through local get-togethers and online retreats. She shares,”It’s just knowing that there are people that support you. Where else do you get this? … I have belonged to churches before, and it doesn’t quite match up to what Loretto has done and is doing.”
We also extend hearty congratulations to Sisters Claudia Calzetta SL and Nasreen Daniel SL on their 25th Jubilee!
Posted in
Topics:
