Ceciliana Skees SL celebrates 75 years in Loretto!

Ceciliana Skees SL is grateful for the opportunity she’s had to positively impact lives during her 75 years as a Sister of Loretto. She says, “I worked with very young people, very poor people, mostly in the West End of Louisville, Ky., and I helped them have a better life.”

In fact, for nearly 40 years, Ceciliana and those who worked with her significantly improved lives. In 1968, with the support of Loretto, she took responsibility for St. Benedict School in Louisville’s West End, an area with a primarily Black population burdened with poverty.

Determined that this school would not fall into disrepair and fail as so many had, and learning that federal support for private non-denominational schools in poor neighborhoods required that the program include daycare, she restructured the school to serve younger children. In 1971, the St. Benedict Center for Early Childhood Education was licensed to serve children as young as 6 weeks. She says, “We took very good care of the children, gave them a safe place to be and made life better for them.” Over and over, visitors delighted in the sight of such happy children.

In 1994, the archdiocese sold the land and building, and Ceciliana set out to raise funds. A vacant lot was donated and a cutting-edge building was constructed to maximize energy efficiency (see plaque).

Over the years, Ceciliana and her team expanded St. Benedict’s to offer care to more children. As a 2007 article in Loretto’s newsletter, Interchange, shared when she retired as administrator, “The center offers 145 children, 2 weeks of age to 12 years, an exemplary, caring program designed to maximize their growth in learning and self-respect.” It was hard to leave, she said upon retirement, “because these are my children.” Ceciliana’s legacy lives on as St. Benedict’s thrives, continuing to serve predominately low-income Black families.

After retiring, Ceciliana moved to the Loretto Motherhouse in Nerinx, Ky., helping to refurbish homes on the campus. Later she took responsibility for the Guest House, ensuring that Loretto Motherhouse visitors experienced an accommodating, warm and welcoming environment.
Recently Ceciliana again retired, at age 93, after seven years overseeing the Guest House. She says the aspect of Loretto she most treasures is “being with the people who live here. … We live with a lot of wonderful people.”

Congratulations, Ceciliana, on your 75th jubilee!

To read all of the articles in the winter 2025 issue, click here.