Authors and Artists

Each book written, each artistic endeavor demonstrates the vision of Loretto members as they share their artistic gifts with the Community and beyond. Learn more about our Loretto Authors and Artists.

Home » Authors and Artists » Page 2

Ann Manganaro SL: Poet

By Christina Manweller / June 19, 2023 /

Purple book cover with the title: "Give Me a Living Love: The Poems of Ann Manganaro SL

The out-shining, out-reaching sea-Strange mystery of life at lastBursting forth in us. Excerpt from “March 1981” Ann Manganaro SL wrote, “I sing of the light behind the sky” (1/1/1981). In…

Loretto and the Arts

By Susanna Pyatt / February 28, 2023 /

Students in an art class, standing at easels and painting portraits of a man smoking a pipe.

The Sisters of Loretto were founded in 1812 with a mission of teaching, but what were their schools like? To answer one aspect of this question, an upcoming exhibit at…

Sharing Our Story: Celebrating Loretto Members’ Long and Vital Writing Tradition

By Loretto Community / January 23, 2023 /

Collage of the covers of books and publications including "Loretto Magazine," "Mostly for Promise," "A Path to the Divine in Human Life," "Interchange," "Loretto Circle eNewsletter," and "Journal Reflections."

The ability of writers to imagine what is not the self, to familiarize the strange and mystify the familiar, is the test of their power. American novelist Toni Morrison By…

Artist Residencies at the Motherhouse

By Eleanor Craig SL / December 1, 2022 /

The Loretto Community at the Motherhouse is partnering with the Kentucky Foundation for Women (KFW) to offer artist residencies of one to three weeks. The residencies are open to feminist…

Sister Gabriel Mary’s Artwork

By Susanna Pyatt / November 29, 2022 /

A smiling woman stands in a silkscreening workshop, holding up a beautiful print of pinks, reds and white.

Guess which artist is most represented in the Loretto Heritage Center? Sister Gabriel Mary Hoare! We have over 70 works by her in the collections here. People who have been…

Residency leads to writing about family history

By Loretto Community / August 31, 2022 /

Published by The News-Enterprise on August 25, 2022 An interest in writing about her family history inspires a local artist to complete a residency in Loretto. In partnership with the…

Artists find peace at Nerinx

By Loretto Community / July 14, 2022 /

Published in The Lebanon Enterprise on July 13, 2022 “For most Marion County residents, the property in Nerinx owned by the Sisters of Loretto is just a place for retired…

My Journey with WATER

By Catherine (Kitty) Madden CoL / June 1, 2022 /

A book cover, detailing the author, title, and an abstract background with blue and purple designs.

It all began with a simple request from Kathleen Tighe, “We would love to have you join the Outreach Committee team that helps prepare the quarterly Zoom rituals for the…

The Good Ancestor: A Radical Prescription for Long-Term Thinking

By Martha Crawley CoL / September 1, 2021 /

This is how things come to be: A while back, in a Community Group, Kitty Madden mentioned this book, “The Good Ancestor,” by Roman Krznaric. Jessie Rathburn picked up on…

Bringing Peace

By Mary Swain SL / July 1, 2021 /

A book cover featuring a man with short grey hair and glasses playing a banjo and smiling with the title in bold white letters: What Belongs to God by David Edwards. The book is displayed standing on a rock in front of large white flowers and greenery.

David Edwards was a college student during the Vietnam War, planning to continue his studies in the seminary. He was thus exempt from the draft that threatened so many young…

Loretto Artists, Authors Enhance Lives of Others with Their Talents

By Loretto Community / May 30, 2021 /

A woman sits at a table with pen and paper, contemplating what to write.

The Loretto Community celebrates the creative minds and hearts of its members. This week, we highlight authors, poets, artists and craftspeople. They enhance the life of the Community and the…

White Fragility: A Conversation

By Loretto Community / September 1, 2020 /

A simple black book cover with white text with the title: White Fragility: Why it's so hard for white people to talk about racism

By Ried Clark and Martha Crawley Nudged by the Spring Community Group discussion on race, six of us from Group 4 agreed to read and discuss White Fragility. We gathered…

Your support makes all the difference

Donate today

Loretto welcomes you

Learn more or plan a visit to the Motherhouse!

Get in touch

The Loretto Community consists of the congregation of the Sisters of Loretto and Loretto Co-members. The congregation of the Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross was founded in rural Kentucky in 1812. Today, our Sisters and Co-members continue to live out the Loretto Community’s mission to “work for justice and act for peace because the Gospel urges us.” In the United States and throughout the world, Loretto Community members serve in many fields, including education, healthcare, elder care, environmental stewardship and advocacy.