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Mary Ann McGivern SL

Mary Ann recently moved from St. Louis to the Loretto Motherhouse in Kentucky. She is searching for entry points into Marian County, Ky., civic life — funding the day care center, improving jail services, helping stop a pipeline through Bernheim Forest. She is on the roster of homilists at Loretto Chapel’s Sunday Communion service. Mary Ann has been a Sister of Loretto since 1960.

Motherhouse welcomes retreat on mysticism

By Mary Ann McGivern SL / November 1, 2023 /
A man and woman sitting together with assorted mics and a display screen behind them. They are smiling for a picture with papers in their laps, likely preparing to present something with the display screen and microphones.

The Motherhouse September retreat masters invited all of us participants to practice mysticism. The title of the retreat was “Mystics in the Heart; Monasticism for the World.” Mary Ellen McElroy…

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Jemez Pueblo Food Pantry

By Mary Ann McGivern SL / August 30, 2023 /
a box of canned and boxed pantry food

Loretto Co-member Karen Knoll manages a food pantry on the Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico. She purchases about $450 worth of food each month, enough for 15 boxes for seniors.…

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Reflection on the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Mary Ann McGivern SL / August 20, 2023 /

Midrash is expansive exposition, interpretation and explanation of the text. The facts might be a little misremembered, but the teaching is true. That’s what I remember learning in Scripture class.…

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Reflection on the 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Mary Ann McGivern SL / July 30, 2023 /
Heads of grass in a field glow golden in the sun.

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field. What do we treasure enough that we would sell all we have to buy that field? When I…

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People Are Dying of Poverty. Loretto Will Speak Up.

By Mary Ann McGivern SL / July 12, 2023 /

A year ago the Loretto Community marched with the Poor People’s Campaign in Washington, D.C. This year the Poor People’s Campaign met in convention in D.C. and Loretto stayed home, working…

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Reflection on the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Mary Ann McGivern SL / June 18, 2023 /
Colorful banners reads, "Be light into darkness — The Loretto Community."

Once at the St. Louis Catholic Worker the woman who had volunteered to give the homily forgot. So, at this point in the service she said, “The Gospel speaks for…

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U.S. Income, Expenditures and The Debt Ceiling

By Mary Ann McGivern SL / May 10, 2023 /
Photo of United States 20 and 100 dollar bills in a pile.

U.S. Income 2022: The income of the United States is basically what is brought in through taxes and fees on individuals and corporations plus FICA (Federal Income Contributions Act). We…

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U.S. Income, Expenditures and The Debt Ceiling

By Mary Ann McGivern SL / May 10, 2023 /

U.S. Income 2022: The income of the United States is basically what is brought in through taxes and fees on individuals and corporations plus FICA (Federal Income Contributions Act). We…

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Visiting schools in Pakistan

By Mary Ann McGivern SL / May 1, 2023 /
Six individuals smile in front of a beige and blue monument. It is sunny outside, and the four women are wearing head scarves.

On Feb. 24, Nasreen Daniel, Samina Iqbal, Anna Koop and I drove to Multan, about four hours south of Lahore, to visit the Lasallian Brothers. Brother Shahzad wrote our letter…

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We are church: in dialogue with culture, religion, and the poor

By Mary Ann McGivern SL / April 1, 2023 /
Two women each wearing the dupattā smiling with the priest for a picture.

On Ash Wednesday, Father Morris Jalal, OFM Cap, the pastor of our parish, St. Columban, said Mass for us and the children. Father Morris is a native of Lahore. He…

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Reflection on the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Mary Ann McGivern SL / January 22, 2023 /

Many of our own accounts of joining Loretto begin with an attraction to the sisters. How much fun they had. They were happy. They had endless patience with us. They…

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Reflection on the Third Sunday of Advent

By Mary Ann McGivern SL / December 11, 2022 /
brown sand under white clouds

Rejoice! Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say rejoice! Every word of today’s readings tells us to rejoice because our feet are firmly planted in the goodness of God’s…

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