Author archive

Joy Jensen SL

Joy is a vowed member, and she resides in the Motherhouse infirmary. Previously, Joy was a community organizer in St. Louis at St. Alphonsus Liguori “The Rock” Church, a historic Catholic church with a predominately African-American faith community. She also did some teaching at St. Louis University after receiving her doctorate. She enjoys reading American history and spy thrillers. Joy also enjoys knitting.

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St. Stephen’s Farm: Our Loretto Heritage

By Joy Jensen SL / May 1, 2020 /

A freshly cut green hay field on a farm.

The 200-acre tract that Stephen Badin purchased from Basil Hayden lay on the west side of Coleman’s Run, a branch of Hardin’s Creek. That land, called a plantation, had belonged…

The Story of the Land

By Joy Jensen SL / April 1, 2020 /

A wide green pasture with small sheds far in the distance and thick green trees behind.

This is the story of the land that was to become a new Loretto. In 1785 Basil Hayden led 20 families from St. Mary’s County in Maryland to their land…

In the ‘Land of Knobs’

By Joy Jensen SL / June 1, 2019 /

Steep rolling hills covered in multi-colored trees in the fall on a cloudy day.

If you drive to Bardstown, Ky., on Route 49 from Loretto, you will see a high, cone-shaped hill rising from the surrounding trees near the hamlet of Holy Cross. Everyone…

A Reflection on Ask the Beasts

By Joy Jensen SL / May 1, 2019 /

A few years ago a juvenile red-tailed hawk was injured while flying into an electrical line. It died of starvation. I searched and found it under a tree. I stroked…

Our Loretto Motherhouse Farm Is an Ecosystem of Its Own

By Joy Jensen SL / February 1, 2019 /

A meadow with black cows surrounded by leafless trees on a cloudy day.

Did you know that our Loretto Motherhouse farm is an ecosystem? Remember that an ecosystem is made up of living and non-living things that interact and exchange energy. A farm…

The Folk Architecture of Little Loretto

By Joy Jensen SL / November 1, 2018 /

Little Loretto (the first Loretto Motherhouse, located near St. Charles, Ky.) is an example of Upland South folk architecture in early 19th century Kentucky. Folk architecture is architecture built for…

Little Loretto as Landscape Spirituality

By Joy Jensen SL / November 1, 2018 /

Little Loretto occupies a sacred place in Loretto’s history and memory. The landscape of Little Loretto evokes what is precious in Loretto spirituality. Little Loretto is an example of landscape…

The Secret Garden Revisited: A Reflection

By Joy Jensen SL / October 1, 2018 /

Green bushes with white flowers lining a still pond on a green field on a sunny day.

A bird feeder hangs outside on my Infirmary window. A Chipping sparrow visits it daily and is occasionally joined by a Harris’s sparrow. After eating they fly to the Japanese…

Loretto Recognizes Responsibility to Work With Others to Defer Climate Change in Ohio River Basin

By Joy Jensen SL / June 1, 2018 /

Editor’s Note: This is the last of the four-part series. The Loretto Motherhouse is situated in the Ohio River Basin. The basin is an area that drains into the Ohio…

Motherhouse Natural Flyway for Neotropical Migratory Birds

By Joy Jensen SL / May 1, 2018 /

A small bird grey bird with a black and white head on a wooden fence post in front of a green field.

Did you ever spot a Kentucky Warbler or a Yellow-breasted Chat? They fly freely in the Loretto Motherhouse forests. They are neotropical migratory birds that are protected under the Migratory…

A Secret Garden: The Motherhouse Courtyard Ecosystem

By Joy Jensen SL / April 1, 2018 /

A courtyard with a pond, and a red brick path in front of a red and white brick building.

Editor’s note: Joy has written a series of four articles to inform us about the ecosystem at the Motherhouse. In this issue, we will present the first two. Look for…

What Are Ecosystem Services?

By Joy Jensen SL / April 1, 2018 /

A green field with small trees freshly planted in a row with large forests in the background with a clear blue sky on a sunny day.

We have read about ecosystems. But what are ecosystem services? The notion was popularized by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment report in 2005, and it is often used in forest management…

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The Loretto Community consists of the congregation of the Sisters of Loretto and Loretto Co-members. The congregation of the Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross was founded in rural Kentucky in 1812. Today, our Sisters and Co-members continue to live out the Loretto Community’s mission to “work for justice and act for peace because the Gospel urges us.” In the United States and throughout the world, Loretto Community members serve in many fields, including education, healthcare, elder care, environmental stewardship and advocacy.