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.
Bernie Feeney Celebrates 75 Years
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 her family from joining the Motherhouse Community in church and…
Family Ag Day at the “Crossroads”
Butter churning, animal petting, honeybee observing, grain sandboxes and the smell of the Marion County Cattlemen’s grill greeted 350 excited visitors, children and adults alike, to the “Crossroads” exhibit/Loretto Motherhouse Farm Family Ag Day June 24. I am the Education…
Projects from the Heritage Center
Although the Heritage Center has been closed to the public for over a year, the center’s staff still has been moving forward with several projects. Throughout this month, a traveling Smithsonian exhibit, “Crossroads: Change in Rural America,” will be at…
The Gift of Trees at the Motherhouse
By Martha Alderson (for the Farm and Land Committee of the Motherhouse Coordinating Board with information from Susan Classen) ‘So much is unfolding that must complete its gesture.‘So much is in bud.’ Denise Levertov The last lines from this poem,…
Regenerative Farming at the Loretto Motherhouse Farm
Loretto Motherhouse Farm’s Farm Director, Cody Rakes, and his wife, Angela Rakes, the Motherhouse Education and Outreach Coordinator, gave a Zoom presentation on regenerative farming to Louisville’s First Unitarian Church for a special Earth Day service on April 25. In the video below,…
Anchoresses in the Infirmary: Life During the Pandemic
In March 2020, life changed for us residents of the infirmary. In medieval England anchorites and anchoresses lived alone in stone cells attached to a church and had the mission to pray for all people. The famous anchoress Julian of…
The Gift of Trees at the Motherhouse
‘So much is unfolding that must complete its gesture. ‘So much is in bud.’– Denise Levertov The last lines from this poem, “Beginners” by Denise Levertov, tell of possibility and promise. So much is in bud! The new trees at…
Knobs Haven: Renovation of Retreat House Kitchen
The kitchen in the Knobs Haven house has received a total makeover so that individuals and groups can safely store and easily prepare their own food. This option will enable Knobs Haven to host retreatants even when access to the…
The Mission Bell Repair
“We found the large cedar tree in the holler near the Valley House,” said Robbie Lyvers. It had been felled during what then Gov. Steve Beshear had called “the biggest natural disaster in modern Kentucky history — the ice storm…
Notes & News – Spring/Summer 2020
Smithsonian exhibit group meets at Motherhouse By Susanna Pyatt, Loretto Heritage Center Curator The Loretto Heritage Center will host the Smithsonian traveling exhibit “Crossroads: Change in Rural America” at Loretto City Hall in fall 2020 in partnership with the Beautify…
Running a farm, Caring for Earth
The studies that have been done about regenerative agriculture, that’s really what Cody is already doing in many aspects. Susan Classen CoL, Eco-Systems Manager Photo by Christina Manweller Farmers, working hard to produce crops and put food on our tables,…
Loretto’s promise to the land
‘The bees are swarming!’ One of the hives tended by Susan Classen released a black humming cloud that was moving up and onward with definite purpose. Swarming bees can mean the loss of 10,000-plus bees in a matter of minutes. After…