Topic archive
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.
Loretto Motherhouse Farm Wins Conservationist Award
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 how combating climate change and caring for Earth is a…
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…
Slaveholding in Loretto’s history: Honoring the sacredness of human dignity
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 individuals of dignity and worth. Eleanor Craig SL This past…
The Motherhouse Dining Room Reopens!
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 to hear all the voices humming and to see our…
Ritual of Remembrance and Sanctification at Loretto Motherhouse
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 ritual and particularly through the Ancestor Spirit Portraits installed in…
Merry Christmas to All From the Loretto Community: The Story of the Christmas Crèche
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 visual of how Jesus came to us in poverty. God…
Take a Break and Discover Rich History of the Loretto Community
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 Community. Visiting the museum and researching in our archival collections…
Cattle Care at the Motherhouse Part Two
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, from grazing lush pastures with their moms to becoming meat…
Ritual of Remembrance and Sanctification
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 than 50 individuals enslaved between 1812-1865. The “I Was Here”…
Ritual of Remembrance and Sanctification
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 at
Cattle Care at the Motherhouse Part One
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 & Land Management Committee’s presentation to the 2021 Assembly, the…
Loretto Motherhouse Farm and Values
By Angela Rakes, Education and Outreach Coordinator for Loretto Motherhouse As the Loretto Motherhouse Farm moves to raising more local food, we are also committed to using our resources to support other farmers, specifically Black farmers and recently, those severely…