Mary Margaret Murphy SL, Vice President

Although I was born in Erie, Pa., I attended six different grade schools and lived in Kentucky, Ohio and Colorado. I met the Sisters of Loretto in Denver at Blessed Sacrament Grade School. Upon graduating in Denver from Machebeuf High School, I entered the Loretto novitiate. I graduated from Loretto Heights College in Denver with a double major in English and education. Later I enrolled in University Without Walls and received a degree in early childhood development.

After graduating from Loretto Heights, I was missioned to Taos, N.M., where I taught first grade at St. Joseph School. This was the beginning of my lifetime service to the Hispanic community. Two years later, I joined Loretto in Rawlins, Wyo., where I assisted with the development of a daycare/Head Start Center. I served as a teacher and Family Outreach Worker. Since this was the only daycare center in Rawlins, it brought all segments of the community together in an early-childhood learning environment in a Hispanic barrio.

I continued my work in early childhood development, when I moved to Pueblo., Colo., and became the director of the newly-formed Eastwood Day Care Center. Five years later I moved to the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado, where I lived for more than 26 years. While in the Valley, I did advocacy for the elderly through Christian Community Services; was a case manager for Conejos County Public Health and later for Valleywide Community Health Clinic; and introduced SHARE Colorado, a statewide Catholic Charities program which made a nutritious food package available monthly to anyone who paid a modest fee and did volunteer work in their community.

After living in the Valley for 26 years, I moved to El Paso, Texas. For the past 12 years, I served as the case manager at El Paso Villa Maria, a shelter for women who are homeless. I recently transitioned from Villa Maria to become the coordinator of the Loretto Volunteer Program, which expanded to El Paso August 2018; to also serve in Loretto elected leadership; and to do volunteer work with the immigrants.