Topic archive
History
Two hundred years and counting! Loretto has responded to the call of God to serve God’s people. From children to adults, from elementary to graduate-level education, from eldercare to advocacy for the homelessness and underserved, Loretto has left its mark on the world as it seeks to “work for justice and act for peace.” Learn more about the history of Loretto.
Little Loretto as Landscape Spirituality
Little Loretto occupies a sacred place in Loretto’s history and memory. The landscape of Little Loretto evokes what is precious in Loretto spirituality. Little Loretto is an example of landscape spirituality in the American experience. In writing about landscape spirituality…
The Folk Architecture of Little Loretto
Little Loretto (the first Loretto Motherhouse, located near St. Charles, Ky.) is an example of Upland South folk architecture in early 19th century Kentucky. Folk architecture is architecture built for local people, by local builders, using local materials. Father Charles…
Memories of Rudy Torrini, a Great Teacher, Friend, Mentor
There is a lot to say about Rudy (Rudolph) Torrini (1923-2018). He has been connected to Loretto for quite a while. If I remember correctly, he was first hired to teach art at Nerinx Hall and then at Webster College.…
The Eventful Lives of the Brown Sisters
By Leslee Moore Even after 12 years of working in the Loretto Archives and Heritage Center, assistant and docent Marcia Mohin still can be surprised. As she processes files of Loretto Community members past and present, she finds stories that…
Ghost Stories
By Katie Santa Ana With October upon us and Halloween just around the corner, the season for ghost stories is here! Sister Joan Campbell SL (1929-2007) was always on the look out for Loretto ghost stories and gathered a few…
LOREtto: Eulalia Flaget and the Bishop’s Crucifix
By Katie Santa Ana In the museum collection of the Loretto Heritage Center, we have a small, unassuming crucifix with an interesting egg shaped wooden case. In now fading white ink, “Rev. Flaget’s Rosary given to Loretto 1925” is written…
LOREtto Teaching: FIDES, MORES, CULTURA
Loretto Academy at Loretto Motherhouse, opened in 1834 in today’s “Rhodes Hall,” steadily pursued its mission of education, through times of financial boom and bust, through the fire of 1858 which destroyed most of the Motherhouse, and despite the turmoil…
Teaching: From the Three Rs to the Higher Branches
Two buildings on the grounds of Loretto Motherhouse are in the midst of significant anniversaries. The buildings that today we call “Rhodes Hall” and the “Novitiate/Academy Building” together mark 175 years of young ladies’ education at the Sisters of Loretto…
LOREtto: Thomas Merton and Loretto
By Susanna Pyatt 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of Thomas Merton’s death. As a monk at the Abbey of Gethsemani, Merton was a neighbor of the Sisters at the Loretto Motherhouse. The Heritage Center is currently planning an exhibit for…
Vestina Moran and the Stagecoach to Santa Fe
Adapted by Katie Santa Ana The following story has been adapted from an unsigned account found in the personnel file of Sister Vestina Moran SL. While we can’t confirm all the facts, it’s certainly a fascinating read! Sister M. Vestina…
Sisters in Service During World War I
By Laurel Wilson A row of white tents lined the campus of Loretto Heights Academy in Denver during July 1917. For three weeks, the Heights was transformed into the National Service School, a camp started by the Woman’s Section of…
Getting to Know Florence Wolff
By Katie Santa Ana Flipping through the paper finding aids of the Sisters of Loretto archives, one name appears at the top of each page more often than not: Sister Florence Wolff. Her carefully typed pages served as the guide…