Topic archive
CoLs
For more than 40 years, Loretto Co-members have enriched the life of Loretto. Their presence is reflected in relationships, service on committees, financial support and participating in the many missions of Loretto. Learn more about the Co-Members of Loretto.
Remembrance of the Life of Mary Lou Gomez-Leon CoL
Mary Lou Gomez-Leon was born May 3, 1927, to Laurencia Aizpuru and Ignacio Gomez-Leon. She was the older sister of Ignacio (Nacho) and Eddie. Mary Lou’s passions were her family, friends and music. An accomplished musician Mary Lou played a variety of…
Love Is the Way!
Happy Valentine’s Day! Loretto sends a Valentine to you! There is only one message from God to us, and here it is: “I love you.” God says that to each one of us, to…
Remembrance of the Life of Dr. Lawrence Purcell CoL
Loretto Co-member and longtime dentist Dr. Lawrence Purcell died Feb. 9 in Denver. Larry was a thoughtful and long-standing co-member of the Loretto Community. Larry celebrated 10 years as a co-member on Feb. 4; his wife, Jo Ann, has been a co-member…
Eileen Harrington CoL
I was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin. I first met the Sisters of Loretto as a senior in high school, when our student government hired Mary Ann Gleason to help us with communications and community-building work in our school community. One…
The Community Celebrates Terry Franco
“I have always felt that my love for God — my ‘quiet times with God’ came from Loretto. I always felt a connection, but never understood the impact the sisters had on my faith, my confidence in myself, and my…
Remembrance of the Life of Mary Edith Jones Seematter CoL
Mary Edith Jones was born on March 28, 1937, at DePaul Hospital in St. Louis, the first of eight children of Ernest Robert and Rosemary Furlong Jones. She grew up with four brothers and three sisters in the southwest St.…
Working toward healing
Building a preschool in Vietnam Paulette Peterson CoL had started preschools in the U.S., so when she arrived in Vietnam in 1974, she went to work establishing a preschool at an orphanage. She teamed up with a local woman to…
On the ground as the North Vietnamese army advanced
Aiding orphans in Vietnam wasn’t new to Ruth Routten CoL, an American Airlines flight attendant who, on her days off, had escorted children from Vietnam to adoptive families starting in 1973. After the C-5A crash in early April 1975, when…
Vietnam: answering the call
‘Get your passport, get your shots; I need help.’ Susan Carol McDonald SL to Mary Nelle Gage SL in June 1973 The Vietnam War gave rise to thousands of orphans. As husbands and fathers were killed, surviving mothers became the…
Welcome to Terry Franco, Loretto’s Newest Co-Member
Welcome to our newest co-member, Terry Franco! Terry was accepted as a co-member on Oct. 26, 2021. She lives in El Paso where she teaches at Loretto Academy. Terry has a passion for Loretto values of peace and justice and…
Spotlight Video: Beth Blissman CoL
This year we recognize and celebrate 30 years of Loretto’s presence at the United Nations. The Loretto Community is accredited with consultative status at the U.N., where we advocate on issues important to the mission and goals of the Loretto…