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Motherhouse

“Our Old Kentucky Home” – The Loretto Motherhouse is the heart of the Loretto Community. Located in Marion County, Ky., the site and the nearby town are named after our priest-founder Charles Nerinckx. Thousands of women entered the Community through its doors to follow God’s call of service. Today, it remains a home to our members, who gladly welcome visitors. Learn more about our Motherhouse.

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Loretto Motherhouse Farm Wins Conservationist Award

By Loretto Community / May 1, 2022 /
Six different individuals standing together displaying a poster and smiling for the photo.

By Angela Rakes, Education and Outreach Coordinator for Loretto Motherhouse As part of the 2021 Loretto Community Assembly, Loretto Motherhouse Farm Director Cody Rakes, my husband, shared with the Community…

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A History Mystery

By Susanna Pyatt / April 27, 2022 /
Framed oil painting by Frans Floris the Elder

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…

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Slaveholding in Loretto’s history: Honoring the sacredness of human dignity

By Loretto Community / April 23, 2022 /
A Black man, looking directly at the camera, stands shoulder to shoulder with a Black woman, whose eyes are closed. The photo has been made to look old, with the words "don't forget me, benna" overlaid in small text on the woman.

We gathered in our home church to see and hear with our hearts a tragic reality about our homeplace, that these grounds have been a place of wounding for many…

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The Motherhouse Dining Room Reopens!

By Loretto Community / April 1, 2022 /
Five women conversing happily over a meal.

By Lillian Moskeland A few thoughts from your April editor … What a joyous day for Loretto to gather at the reopening of the Motherhouse dining room! It was wonderful…

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Ritual of Remembrance and Sanctification at Loretto Motherhouse

By Loretto Community / February 6, 2022 /
Portrait of a Black man overlaid with red and yellow colorwash and text "lightening touches the ground"

The Loretto Community is pleased to share through social media some highlights of the Ritual of Remembrance and Sanctification that took place November 2021 at our Kentucky Motherhouse. Through this…

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Merry Christmas to All From the Loretto Community: The Story of the Christmas Crèche

By Loretto Community / December 20, 2021 /
A Christmas star on top of a building is profiled against the pinks and purples of the sky at sunset.

Is your crib set up? Years of religious imagination have created Christmas crèches that tell the story of that holy night.  Stories and images frame our traditions giving us a…

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Take a Break and Discover Rich History of the Loretto Community

By Loretto Community / December 13, 2021 /
Archival photo of a Sister of Loretto with her class in 1890

Located on the grounds of the Loretto Motherhouse in Nerinx, Ky., the Heritage Center houses documents and artifacts from the 200-plus year history of the Sisters of Loretto and Loretto…

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Cattle Care at the Motherhouse Part Two

By Loretto Community / December 1, 2021 /
Two brown cattle standing in a white-fenced pasture showing off their tags.

By Angela Rakes In last month’s article, we followed the cows through calving and discussed the cattle healthcare protocols. In this article, we will explore the lives of the cattle,…

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Ritual of Remembrance and Sanctification

By Loretto Community / November 18, 2021 /
Colorful banner featuring these words from Unamuno's quote "to remain silent is to lie." Banner by Robert Strobridge CoL

During the 2021 Assembly, Loretto invited all to observe its “I Was Here” Project, a ritual of remembrance and sanctification at the Loretto Motherhouse, a community of wounding for more…

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Ritual of Remembrance and Sanctification

By Loretto Community / November 15, 2021 /

A ritual of remembrance and sanctification at the Loretto Motherhouse, a community of wounding for more than fifty individuals enslaved between 1812-1865. The event program is here. Watch it live…

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Cattle Care at the Motherhouse Part One

By Loretto Community / November 1, 2021 /
Three young cows with pink ear tags looking at the camera while laying in a bed of hay in a wood and metal barn.

By Angela Rakes As Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Loretto Motherhouse, I often get questions about the Motherhouse Farm’s raising of cattle for meat. As part of the Farm…

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Bernie Feeney Celebrates 75 Years

By Loretto Community / October 1, 2021 /
Bernie Feeney, a woman with short white hair, glasses and black and white dress clothes smiling for a picture in front of an indoor church stage next to a large vase of colorful flowers.

By Eleanor Craig and Anndavid Naeger Bernie Feeney celebrated her 75th anniversary as a Sister of Loretto on Aug. 14 and 15. COVID-19 kept her friends in the Infirmary and…

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Loretto welcomes you

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