Topic archive
Earth
As Friends of Mary at the Foot of the Cross, we are called to care for Earth in its pain, to celebrate its beauty, and to create space for its healing. Recognizing our role as one of interdependent partnership with all Creation has been part of Loretto’s mission throughout our history. We reaffirmed our commitment to resist systems and conditions that violate Earth and all species in 2018, calling ourselves to “significantly mitigate our impact on climate change and ecological degradation.” We invite any who are interested to join with us on this journey of ecological conversion. Learn more about our mission to protect Earth.
In the ‘Land of Knobs’
If you drive to Bardstown, Ky., on Route 49 from Loretto, you will see a high, cone-shaped hill rising from the surrounding trees near the hamlet of Holy Cross. Everyone calls it Rohan’s Knob. Upon seeing it, you will know…
SMA Students Spend Spring Break at Loretto Motherhouse
By Christine Boss St. Mary’s Academy selected several girls to participate in a trip from Denver to the Loretto Motherhouse over spring break. It was the first time that the AP (Advanced Placement) environmental science students had an opportunity to…
A Reflection on Ask the Beasts
A few years ago a juvenile red-tailed hawk was injured while flying into an electrical line. It died of starvation. I searched and found it under a tree. I stroked its beautiful feathers, and cried. I mourned the loss of…
Our Loretto Motherhouse Farm Is an Ecosystem of Its Own
Did you know that our Loretto Motherhouse farm is an ecosystem? Remember that an ecosystem is made up of living and non-living things that interact and exchange energy. A farm ecosystem differs from a forest or a lake ecosystem in…
Spirituality of Sustainability
During long summer days when plentiful sunshine, fresh tomatoes and ripe peaches are easy to come by it’s not a difficult task to talk about God’s presence in nature. As the days shorten and the harvest is collected, it is…
The Secret Garden Revisited: A Reflection
A bird feeder hangs outside on my Infirmary window. A Chipping sparrow visits it daily and is occasionally joined by a Harris’s sparrow. After eating they fly to the Japanese maple growing near my window. The gray squirrel who lives…
St. Louis Climate Summit Summary
Beth Blissman attended one day of the three-day St. Louis Climate Summit with Roberta Hudlow. It was an enriching experience filled with academic analysis and fresh, local food. The highlight for Beth was meeting U.N. Human Rights champion 17-year-old Kehkashan…
Loretto Recognizes Responsibility to Work With Others to Defer Climate Change in Ohio River Basin
Editor’s Note: This is the last of the four-part series. The Loretto Motherhouse is situated in the Ohio River Basin. The basin is an area that drains into the Ohio River from the convergence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers…