Lives of service blossom under Loretto’s consistent guidance, send out ripples

There’s just something special about Loretto that you can’t find anywhere else. And something this special deserves to be celebrated, cherished and shared.

Emily Cohen, 2010-2011 Loretto Volunteer

The Loretto Justice Fellowship is the latest program offered by Loretto to carry forward the Community’s values and mission by providing resources, guidance and community to those embarking on lifetimes of service. The seeds of the Justice Fellowship program were planted 37 years ago in Loretto’s rich, affirming soil.

The Loretto Southwest Volunteers program, founded in 1989, was directed by Patricia Jean Manion SL. Volunteers spent a summer working with Sisters of Loretto in Colorado and New Mexico. They served at the Denver Catholic Worker House and at shelters. In 1992, the program was renamed Loretto Volunteers and expanded to cities outside the Southwest, including St. Louis, New York City and Washington, D.C. Volunteers were steeped in Loretto values, intentional living and spirituality. These young adults carried the Loretto commitment to work for justice and act for peace as they went into the world, each serving a nonprofit organization for a year while living in community. With Loretto’s support, they worked in shelters, health clinics and other social service organizations; they advocated for those whose voices were silenced; they served with groups supporting migrants and with environmental organizations; they tutored schoolkids and adult learners seeking GEDs. This has been the story of Loretto since 1812: leading the way toward, and fostering, compassion and healing.

In all, there were close to 200 Loretto Volunteers whose lives were indelibly impacted, leading to a ripple effect carrying forward through countless numbers of lives.

Mallory Daily, former Loretto Volunteer coordinator, wrote in 2017, “The volunteer program builds on this strong foundation that has been set by the Loretto Community for hundreds of years. Volunteers are given the tools and the encouragement to find meaningful work and live compassionate lives. They learn how to cultivate community, how to communicate with their peers in kind and productive ways, how to show up for the causes they believe in, how to educate themselves on major issues, how to sustain themselves while swimming against the mainstream, how to channel rage into action and how to heal our broken world. For all, this is a lifelong journey. And for many, it starts with Loretto.”

As throughout its long vital history, Loretto continues to encourage and advance journeys of service. In 2023, the Loretto Volunteer program underwent a transformation, emerging as the Loretto Justice Fellowship. The ripples roll on and on.

Read all of the articles in the summer 2026 issue of Loretto Magazine.