Loretto Community Enhances Life of All Members

We affirm that the greatest asset of the community is the life of every member.

“I Am the Way,” Loretto Constitutions, #25

When we are in one another’s presence we are in the presence of a sacred mystery. We promise each other that we will support each person in community by sharpening our intentions for healthy dialogue, deepening the quality of our presence to one another and by breaking down barriers and building up human communion. These values ultimately benefit the whole Community in terms of relationships. They also support the internal service many give and the work we do for others.

“It is the love of Christ which has brought us together and which nourishes our affection for one another.”  (“I Am the Way,” Loretto Constitutions, #24) These words describe how we try to be and live. The fact of our service will change according to the grace we receive and the reality of the times and awareness of the needs. 

 As generous distributers of God’s grace, put your gifts at the service of one another. 

1 Peter 4:10

The small steps members take in service to one another are sometimes not seen. The impact of those actions becomes evident when we step back and see the larger picture. The process of building a strong Community makes us better and contributes to the creation of a better world. Our choices must therefore be for the good of the whole.

No task is too small. No gift is unopened. Community life is about interdependency and mutuality. Each member of the Community enriches community life. Right relationships are lived out every day. 

Because we know, as theologian Henri Nouwen states, “Community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another.”