Loretto Magazine
Loretto Magazine – Fall 2026
Read Loretto Magazine
Loretto Spotlight Video – Mary Ann McGivern SL
A letter from President Buffy Boesen SL
In July, the Loretto Community came together for our Gathering at the Motherhouse, renewing our commitment to one another and to the mission that has carried us for more than two centuries.
Since then, I have been thinking about belonging through new lenses — about what it means to create a community where everyone has a place.
Meet me at Loretto Motherhouse!
It was an active and fun summer at Loretto Motherhouse! In early June, students from Loretto high schools volunteered at and enjoyed time with Community members. The summer also featured a “Where the Wild Things Are” summer camp, a Nature Run and our annual Ag Bash. Whew.
See photos and read about the summer events at the Motherhouse.
Gather, Loretto, Gather!
We spend all our lives learning how to belong. And that is a very healthy way to live. The recent Loretto Gathering encompassed our energy to belong in a very positive way. We are called to have a heart big enough to love each other; this gives shape to our Community of faith, and focuses our belonging, as the way we live out our Constitutions, I Am the Way. We come together to adapt to what is being asked of us today.
Read Sister Donna Day’s article and enjoy photos from the 2026 Loretto Gathering.
An architecture of belonging
It’s a delightfully cool summer morning at Cedars of Peace where a cluster of eight retreat cabins nestle in the woods on the Loretto Motherhouse grounds. Ignoring the “Silence please” sign, an eastern towhee’s distinct “drink-your-tea” song soars above the background chorus of a wood thrush, field sparrow and indigo bunting. So many species belong here.
Learn why we’re building an accessible retreat cabin and how you can lend support.
St. Mary’s Academy: Learning and living Loretto values
The 45 fourth- and fifth-grade students who have served as the 2025-2026 Loretto Leaders at St. Mary’s Academy in Englewood, Colo., will be the first to tell you that the program gave them far more than a title — it gave them a deeper understanding of what it truly means to lead with kindness and concern for others.
Read about and enjoy photos of the Loretto Buddies.
Loretto at the UN: Advocacy and education
Loretto continues shaping young lives through annual participation in the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). This year marked the 70th CSW gathering — an event that consistently inspires girls to find their voices and see themselves in the shoes of diplomats. In partnership with the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Dubuque, Iowa, we were present with a 44-member delegation.
Read this article about Loretto at the UN’s influence on young women; we also share a brief history of the 35-year-old program.
Belonging to the human family
Two years ago I saw a notice in our local weekly that a Black 20-year-old man had been arrested for the killing of a white woman a year and a half earlier. The prosecutor was planning to ask the jury to apply the death penalty. The crime had occurred in Marion County, Ky., and that’s where the trial would be.
Read how Loretto is challenging the death penalty in Kentucky and beyond.
Congratulations 25-year jubiliarians!
Recognize those Loretto members celebrating their 25th jubilees in 2026!
Memorials and Tributes of Honor: May 2026-August 2026
Obituaries
Postscript
Dear Loretto Friends,
When we gather across generations, geography and shared purpose, we are reminded of a fundamental truth: We belong to one another, and we belong to the broader human family.
In this issue, there are many glimpses of this connection in action, including our recent Gathering at the Motherhouse — a joyful reunion of sisters and co-members celebrating our shared path and the miles traveled together.
You’ll find it in our 25-year jubilarians, children at St. Mary’s Academy cultivating leadership, students engaging globally at the UN and our ongoing advocacy for human dignity through our opposition to the death penalty.
Belonging is not just a feeling; it is a space we consciously create for one another. That spirit lies at the heart of our newest initiative at Cedars of Peace: the Belonging Cabin. Designed to welcome retreatants living with conditions that impact mobility, vision and hearing, this first fully-accessible cabin will feature universal design, adaptive spaces and reclaimed Motherhouse timber — ensuring that the beauty, peace and sacred rest of these grounds are open to everyone.
I invite you to reflect on where you find belonging in your own life — and how we might widen our circle together. You’ll find a special opportunity to help us build the Belonging cabin here.
Thank you for your continued partnership, generosity and presence in the Loretto story.
Lisa Smith
Director of Advancement
