Loretto-Associated Schools: Communities of Faith, Excellence & Service
Posted on January 30, 2023, by Loretto Community
Article #37 of I Am the Way, Loretto Constitutions, reads, “Our long and vital tradition of teaching takes many forms; we desire to educate others as well as ourselves to truth, beauty and the ways of peace, in the spirit of Jesus.”
The celebration of National Catholic Schools Week began Jan. 29 and runs through Feb. 4. This year’s theme is “Catholic Schools: Faith. Excellence. Service.” Catholic schools have a specific purpose to form students to be good citizens of the world, love God and neighbor, and enrich society with the leaven of the Gospel and by example of faith.
That theme is in keeping with the four Loretto values that all our Loretto-associated schools follow: faith, community, justice and respect. To say that we are proud of all our Loretto schools would be an understatement. Every Loretto school has carried out the central mission of Loretto since the Congregation’s founding in 1812.
Loretto schools were formed as the Community’s initial work of educating women and children was growing in Kentucky. The story of Loretto schools could fill numerous books, and does! In state after state the Sisters were invited to open academies that offered a broad liberal arts curriculum. Two of our original academies, Webster College in St. Louis and Loretto Heights in Denver, evolved into standard senior colleges for women.
Loretto education has formed thousands of individuals worldwide. It is our prayer that all our students live lives that take them along paths of spiritual wholeness, creating a bond “between concern for nature, justice for the poor, commitment to society and interior peace.” (From Pope Francis’s encyclical letter Laudato Si’)
