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.
Loretto in Colorado: Carrying out our mission of education since 1864
From its beginning in 1812 in Kentucky, Loretto expanded its mission of education quickly. Santa Fe, N.M., saw the opening of Our Lady of Light Academy in 1852. Three Sisters of Loretto traveled by mail coach from their Santa Fe…
Sisters of Loretto have historic relics
Published by The Lebanon Enterprise on Wednesday, November 13, 2024 Father Pier Giorgio Dengler thinks religious relics should be displayed so the faith of believers can be reinforced. It made even more sense when those artifacts were located in one…
The Enduring Mystery of the Loretto Chapel Staircase
Published by Atlas Obscura on October 8, 2024 It’s considered a miracle, an engineering marvel, and even a scientific anomaly, depending who you ask. In Santa Fe, New Mexico, the helix-shaped spiral staircase at Loretto Chapel has long puzzled visitors,…
Loretto Magazine – Fall 2024
Download Read Loretto Magazine Loretto Spotlight Video – Eleanor Craig SL A letter from President Barbara Nicholas SL Is this how it is with you? We are entering the season when nature’s way is to let the sap recede. That…
Living history
In this 1961 photograph, taken in the museum at Loretto Motherhouse, Antonina Ryan SL shows an old spinning wheel to Marian Wheatley Medley, daughter of Carl Wheatley, Loretto’s farm manager. Marian’s family lived in Clare House on the Motherhouse grounds…
Seeking Home: Commemorating 200 years at Loretto Motherhouse
In the beginning … This story is about an unusual group of women, daughters of Maryland settlers. They were young women who came together on the Kentucky frontier in the area some call the Kentucky Holy Land because of the…
Unforeseen uprooting 200 years ago led the Sisters of Loretto home
In 1824, the Sisters of Loretto were forced to move from their home of the past 12 years to the current location of the Loretto Motherhouse 9 miles up the hill. History has shown that the move would turn out…
The Santa Fe Staircase: Loretto Chapel’s Famous Architectural Wonder
Loretto Mother Magdalen Hayden (some spell her first name Magdalene) was one of two sibling sisters who established Loretto missions that served persons of color. In 1847, Mother Bridget Hayden had gone to Osage Mission, Kan., and in 1852, Mother…
Community joins Sisters of Loretto in Seeking Home Walk
Published by the Paxton Media Group on July 3, 2024 Celebrating its 200th year at the current Motherhouse location, last Thursday the Sisters of Loretto joined with more than 100 members of the wider Kentucky community to walk more than…
Archives conducts reframing project of artifact collection, plans to target over 180 items
Published by the Lebanon Enterprise, July 31, 2024 After receiving funding for the project earlier in the year, members of the Loretto Heritage Center stated that the effort to reframe a number of the artifacts in their collection is underway.…
Loretto archivists: Caretakers? Detectives? Techies? All of the above!
The Loretto Heritage Center includes both an Archive and a Museum where the 200-plus-year history of the Sisters of Loretto and the 40-plus-year history of the Loretto Community are documented in paper, artifacts and richly interpretive exhibits. Loretto’s archival materials…
Wish You Were Here: Loretto History in Postcards
Most everyone has received postcards from friends having fun while traveling to beautiful and interesting places, and hopefully we’ve had the opportunity to send a few, as well. Postcards are an immediate, brief form of correspondence and a quick and…