Topic archive
Anti-racism
Loretto Community condemns racism in all forms.
The Community is working to understand its complicity in systemic racism. We cannot atone and change without knowing the truths of our past.
Remembering Selma, 1965
On March 10, 61 years later, I am celebrating a time in history when many people — clergy, ministers, rabbis, nuns and an array of local citizens — came together to march and protest the fact that people of color…
Bellarmine students use classroom skills to locate and mark graves of Black Catholics
Posted by The Record, April 22, 2026 Bellarmine University students studying geographic information systems last fall mapped and marked the graves of Black Catholics buried in the Archdiocese of Louisville’s St. Louis Cemetery. It was the latest step in an…
Face to face with a heart-wrenching truth
‘The history of enslavement by Catholic bishops and clergy, by religious communities and by large swaths of the Catholic laity from 1619 through the Civil War is not well known and ought to be.’ Eleanor Craig SL, CARA award ceremony,…
Loretto Archives documents slave ownership
Click to read all of the articles in the winter 2026 issue of Loretto Magazine.
Loretto Magazine – Winter 2026
Read Loretto Magazine Loretto Spotlight Video – Mary Catherine Widger SL A Letter from President Buffy Boesen SL I have a small poster in my house that reads, “Take time to wonder, to give thanks and to praise!” As I…
In keeping with Dr. King’s legacy of non-violent, direct action, Loretto stands in solidarity with all fighting for justice to protect our immigrant neighbors
The theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2026 is taken from Ephesians 4:4, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling.” These words from Paul’s letter…
Eleanor Craig SL to receive Luzbetak Award for Exemplary Church Research on behalf of Sisters of Loretto
Updated Nov. 11, 2025 to include the official news release Eleanor Craig SL was selected by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) as a 2025 recipient of the Rev. Louis J. Luzbetak, SVD Award for Exemplary Church…
The power of reckoning: How Catholic Church records can help African Americans uncover their ancestry
Posted by Black Catholic Messenger August 1, 2025 The intersection of the Catholic Church with the transatlantic slave trade is extensive, and the investigation of its history and effects has grown to include a number of organizations in recent years,…
Loretto celebrates preciousness of all life
All life is precious. From the beginning God was in love with us and wanted to live with us to reveal to us what true humanity looks like. We are tall, short, Black, brown, white, thin, smart and not so.…
Loretto and Land Justice Futures: working toward healing land, people and communities
In mid-2022 the Loretto Community was invited to participate in the Nuns and Nones (N&N) Land Justice project. N&N was aware of Loretto’s interest in this topic, as demonstrated by the 20 Loretto Community members who took part in a…
Q & A with Sr. Eleanor Craig, an ‘ordinary’ Loretto with an interest in history
Originally posted by National Catholic Reporter on April 11, 2024 Loretto Sr. Eleanor Craig describes herself as “smart and assertive” at a healthy 81 years old. After serving as an educator for several years, her interest in history, passion for…
Deacon uncovers names of Black Catholics buried in unmarked graves at Louisville cemetery
Published by the Louisville Courier Journal on February 21, 2024 Loretto Roots Enslavement project is one of many historic studies being conducted by Catholic organizations who were involved in the system of enslavement in the early 19th century. Deacon Ned…