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LOREtto
Welcome to LOREtto, a blog created by Loretto Heritage Center to share insights into the rich history of the Loretto Community. Learn more about our Heritage Center and archives.
“Related to Many in the Society”
A note in Sr. Matilda Drury’s file mentions that she was “related to many in the Society and in the priesthood.” Like the Bowling family highlighted in January’s LOREtto post, “related to many” has a larger meaning than the typical…
Loretto and the Arts
The Sisters of Loretto were founded in 1812 with a mission of teaching, but what were their schools like? To answer one aspect of this question, an upcoming exhibit at the Loretto Heritage Center explores how Sisters of Loretto taught…
Tracing the Bowling Family
Updated on March 4, 2024 after additional discoveries in the Loretto Archives. It’s not uncommon to find Sisters of Loretto who are biologically related to each other, usually as sisters, cousins, or aunts and nieces. Heritage Center staff may find…
“On the twelfth day of Christmas…”
Happy holidays from the Loretto Heritage Center staff! To celebrate the season, we posted photos for the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” to our Facebook page. All of the images relate to Loretto artifacts and stories. If you’re not…
Sister Gabriel Mary’s Artwork
Guess which artist is most represented in the Loretto Heritage Center? Sister Gabriel Mary Hoare! We have over 70 works by her in the collections here. People who have been to the Motherhouse have likely seen other pieces by her…
The Spalding Women and Loretto
Loretto numbers among its early students and Sisters several descendants of Benedict Spalding (1746-1815), one of the leaders of the Maryland-to-Kentucky Catholic migration. Benedict’s wife and children accompanied him in 1790, settling on the Rolling Fork River and prospering in…
Tragedy and Triumph: The Early Days of Lorettines in Missouri
By Katie Daugherty The Heritage Center was thrilled to welcome Katie Daugherty as our 2022 summer intern. Katie came from Sylva, NC, where she is Head of the Circulation Department at her local public library. She recently completed a Post-Graduate…
Tales from the Ledgers: Bartering in Early Loretto Academies
By Katie Daugherty The Heritage Center is thrilled to welcome Katie Daugherty as our 2022 summer intern. Katie comes from Sylva, NC, where she is Head of the Circulation Department at her local public library. She recently completed a Post-Graduate…
Loretto’s Years in Arkansas, 1838-1845
Despite the fact that Loretto established three different schools in Arkansas, they all vie for some of the shortest-lived Loretto houses. None lasted more than four years. They were all founded at a time when Loretto was expanding across the…
A History Mystery
Back in January, the Heritage Center staff were asked about an oil painting of the Epiphany that hangs in the Motherhouse Infirmary. This work, showing the three Magi visiting the Holy Family, has a plaque on its frame for “Francois…
The Sisters Who Left for Chicago
On June 9, 1864, a Sister once lauded as “the idol and admiration of all those under her care” walked out of the Loretto convent in Cairo, Illinois, taking with her three other Sisters of Loretto.1 Their departure was unauthorized,…
Loretto and the Saint
Imagine having an income of $1000 a day and an inclination to be helpful to the most neglected communities of people. What would you do with your money? In 1885, Katharine Drexel lost her father, a wealthy and socially prominent…