Loretto Class of 1966 Celebrates 50 Years

By Sue Charmley

In 1966, 50 years ago, two groups of postulants were received into Loretto’s novitiate. Half of the class had lived in the St. Louis House of Studies under the guidance of Virginia Williams, while the western postulants had lived on South Wadsworth Boulevard in Denver, under Cecily Jones’ care. As first-year novices, the two groups merged at Nerinx, Ky., to be further nurtured under Helen Jean Seidel, their novice director.

Now, in 2016, after half a lifetime, seven of the class of 1966 had a reunion this past May at the Motherhouse. Along with catching each other up on family stories and recounting novitiate adventures, we gathered one morning to listen and discuss with Elaine Marie Prevallet, who delved into spirituality in relation to recent discoveries about the cosmos. Elaine also shared her personal joy of being old and experiencing new freedoms.

Eleanor Craig opened the Heritage Center one afternoon and was a true storyteller for the group. One evening the reunion group had the rich experience of listening to Cecily’s poetry. Hearing her introductory remarks brought a deeper level of heart-to-heart sharing of her poems among the group. Of course, sitting on the porch of Knobs Haven in the evening coolness, while fireflies twinkled nearby, led the class to more storytelling, and that will continue into our futures.