
Justice and Peace
Grounded in our roots and enlightened by the Gospel, “we work for a future in which the poor and suffering, the hungry in body and spirit, will know God’s saving presence in them.” Learn more about our Justice and Peace work.
We support the recent statement, “God Is On Your Side,” by 12 U.S. Catholic Bishops in support of at-risk LGBT youth and the work of the Tyler Clementi Foundation. We respect the intrinsic dignity of all human life, including the lives of LGBT youth, who face many challenges, including bullying, harassment and violence, as well…
Read More“Because of our God’s deep compassion, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who are sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide us on the path of peace.” Luke 1:78-79 The theme of peace points to the core of the…
Read MoreAnn Rhodes, the youngest of the first six Sisters of Loretto, arrived at the log cabin that was to be home and school with Tom, an enslaved man, her property. It was 1812. We know that. We know that Tom was sold to purchase the first log cabin and the property surrounding it for the…
Read MoreMary Jean Friel CoL and her three grown children, Nathan, Michael and Carolyn, attended the San Diego premier of the 2014 movie “Cesar Chavez.” During the years the movie covers, Mary Jean was César’s assistant, answering calls, arranging meetings and dealing with whoever came looking for him. By the end of the movie, which took…
Read MoreWe met migrant farmworker families who lived in terrible situations, shared simple meals with them and held songfests. We learned their needs and responded; this included gathering their young children from the fields to begin day care programs, facilitating reception of sacraments, enrolling their children in migrant schools, taking them for medical care, planning fun…
Read MoreWe embrace our particular works of mercy, charity or justice in a spirit of informed openness to the deep needs facing us in the church and world today. We work with all people of goodwill to address these concerns. — “I Am the Way,” Loretto Constitutions, #39 The COVID-19 pandemic has pulled back the curtain…
Read MoreRacism is the original and persistent sin of the United States. Unarmed black people are killed by police authorities and armed members of the public. Say their names: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Philando Castile, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, Tony Robinson, Trayvon Martin. So many others. We know this. We see this. …
Read MoreAbout 20 Loretto Community members and friends met Nov. 9, 2019, with Joel Koerner and Andy Loving from a Louisville, Ky., investment firm called Just Money. We had learned about this socially responsible company from Loretto friends in Kentucky who are their clients. After the 2015 Loretto Assembly decision to divest congregation funds from the…
Read MoreLoretto stands with immigrants. We welcome those seeking refuge crossing our southern border from Mexico and deplore current U.S. policies that shun our beloved neighbors to the south and elsewhere who are in grave need. The economic exploitation and military destruction of the world’s precious resources in the regions that are home to the world’s…
Read MoreA letter to the editor co-signed by Loretto, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and the Ursulines of Louisville re: National Migration Week appeared in the Record, the Catholic newspaper of the Archdiocese of Louisville. Click here to view the letter, which appears on page A5.
Read MoreThe Loretto Award recognizes an alum of Webster University who carries on the community service and social values of the Sisters of Loretto, who founded the university in 1915. Jane Peckham Stoever is this year’s Loretto Award winner. Jane was a Sister of Loretto for 10 years. She taught English in Loretto schools and was…
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