Loretto Magazine and Annual Report – Spring 2022

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Loretto Spotlight Video – Fr. Peter Urban CoL

Slaveholding in Loretto’s history: Honoring the sacredness of human dignity

This past November during Loretto’s annual Assembly, the Community came together to honor and recognize those who had been enslaved at the Loretto Motherhouse. Community members living at the Motherhouse in Nerinx, Ky., gathered in the church for the Ritual of Remembrance and Sanctification featuring art, song, poetry and prayer; it was live-streamed to Community members around the world. Central to the ritual were Ancestor Spirit Portraits, the work of the artists’ group, I Was Here.

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Escuela de Guadalupe: Looking toward a bright future

When I think of Escuela de Guadalupe, the people are the first thing that comes to mind — my teachers, the staff, my friends and even my friends’ families. … I’m smiling while writing this because Escuela made learning fun, and my experiences there sparked my competitive learning nature for the rest of my academic career. I could tell Escuela always believed in me and still does. The staff still reaches out to me all the time, and I love it.

After Escuela, I attended St. Mary’s Academy (grades 6-8) and Regis Jesuit High School. I currently attend Colorado School of Mines, where I’m in my final year studying mechanical engineering with an emphasis in automotive design.

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The evolution of a thriving school

Escuela de Guadalupe’s mission is “to support and uplift the global community, our families and our students by offering an education that integrates Spanish and English biliteracy, Catholic values and academic rigor.” Now in its 23rd year of operation, Escuela de Guadalupe is well established in the Denver area as a dual-language school, as an independent Catholic school and as a school on the path to accreditation by the Association of Colorado Independent Schools (ACIS).

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Loretto Community members’ passion for education helps Escuela bloom

Susan Swain SL was a gifted teacher and administrator who brought to Escuela years of innovative elementary school teaching. Susan was skilled in implementing the open classroom concept that focused on the individual student’s strengths and weaknesses. She had been mentored by educators who came from England to share their knowledge.

Joy Gerity’s well-known mantra “What’s best for kids?” was at the heart of her life as an educator and her involvement at Escuela de Guadalupe. Joy came to Escuela with 34-years’ experience at St. Mary’s Academy in Denver and poured all of that and more into an idea that blossomed into the excellent school Escuela is today.

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Dorothy Day and Loretto

I was blessed to have been taught by the Sisters of Loretto from kindergarten through college, and to have spent several years as a member of the Loretto Community. Later I knew and worked closely with Dorothy Day at the New York Catholic Worker, from the late 1960s until her death in 1980. So I can identify with a quote on the Loretto Community website (12/2/2019) from Jane Peckham Stoever, “The influence of Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker, and the Loretto spirit, are a heady mix.”

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Helping to revive dignity in Juarez, Mexico

“Poverty does not have to equal misery.” This is Father Peter Urban CoL’s fervent belief, rising out of his own background, and a phrase that frequently crosses his lips. It is the undergirding principle for Miguel Pro Mission, the organization he founded in 1999. His enthusiasm and the great hopes he has for the mission and for the people of Juarez, Mexico, are palpable.

Juarez hosts hundreds of maquiladora, or factories, most of which are owned by U.S. corporations. These jobs pay such low wages —Father Peter says an average of $50 a week— that people are unable to improve their lives. Again, he says, “This is misery, not poverty.”

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In Pakistan, children open their hearts to humility

Over the years I have often read of women in Pakistan who give birth to their children in rickshaws. It happens not only in a far-off village but in a big city like Lahore. It is not possible for the poor to call an ambulance. Likewise, it is not possible for them to register at a hospital before delivery.

These women seldom see a doctor because they do not have money; therefore, they don’t know the exact or even approximate time of the child’s birth.

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Imagining a new future with Elaine Prevallet SL

Sister of Loretto Elaine Prevallet has devoted much of her life to thoughtful reflection, moving to a clear knowledge of the interconnection of all life. She writes with clarity, passion and humility, inviting readers to consider new insights and connections within their lives. Her most recent book, “A Path to the Divine in Human Life: The Role of Chakras in Religious Dedication,” is the product of years-long reflection and writing about this deeply human and inspired way of understanding the dedication of one’s life energies.

Read more here.

Loretto’s 2021 Annual Report

Obituaries