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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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Students volunteer at Loretto Motherhouse

By Loretto Community / September 18, 2024 /
Two older Sisters with white hair take a photo with another adult and three students as they take a break from gardening.

On June 1, students from Loretto-associated schools — Loretto Academy in El Paso, Nerinx Hall High School in St. Louis and St. Mary’s Academy in Denver — arrived to spend…

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Seeking Home: Commemorating 200 years at Loretto Motherhouse

By Eleanor Craig SL / September 18, 2024 /
An older white woman with white hair and a blue shirt holds a small microphone and is shown speaking to a crowd in the pews in front of the altar of a Catholic Church.

In the beginning … This story is about an unusual group of women, daughters of Maryland settlers. They were young women who came together on the Kentucky frontier in the…

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Summer at Loretto Motherhouse brims with community activities

By Loretto Community / September 18, 2024 /
Many children in adults in brightly colored clothing are seen sitting on top of a hay wagon as they are about to take a tour of a farm on a sunny day.

In addition to the Seeking Home procession in June and an important Assembly, this summer saw Loretto visitors engaging in numerous family activities. These included Family Fun Day, the Heritage…

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Bringing running water to a Kentucky family

By Loretto Community / September 18, 2024 /
An older white woman with grey hair and round framed glasses, a striped pink shirt and beige pants smiles in a newly constructed and completed bathroom.

A dad and his two daughters, ages 11 and 14, living a short distance from Loretto Motherhouse were hauling water to their home month after month. Judy Popp SL, who…

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‘Upon This Hill’ – Poem by Cecily Jones SL

By Loretto Community / September 18, 2024 /

From “Mostly for Promise: Poems by Cecily Jones SL,” published 2013 Reflections of Isabella Clarke on the Sisters’ Transfer from Little Loretto to St. Stephen’s Farm, November 1824 After the…

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Unforeseen uprooting 200 years ago led the Sisters of Loretto home

By Loretto Community / September 17, 2024 /
A white haired senior smiling softly at the camera as she sits in front of a window on a sunny green day.

In 1824, the Sisters of Loretto were forced to move from their home of the past 12 years to the current location of the Loretto Motherhouse 9 miles up the…

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The Santa Fe Staircase: Loretto Chapel’s Famous Architectural Wonder

By Loretto Community / August 26, 2024 /
A woman hands out programs and warm smiles as you enter a beautiful church. A winding staircase is visible behind her to the right.

Loretto Mother Magdalen Hayden (some spell her first name Magdalene) was one of two sibling sisters who established Loretto missions that served persons of color. In 1847, Mother Bridget Hayden…

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Living in an Expanded World

By Martha Alderson CoL / August 21, 2024 /
A clear lake reflecting the slightly cloudy but bright blue sky above. Large green trees and a hill with a Mary statue at the bottom are reflected in the water as well.

Sometimes we underestimate the value of reaching out beyond ourselves, whether on a personal level or on a community level. We like the comfort of an intimate space where we…

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Loretto Motherhouse Church Concert Series – Heartland Harp Ensemble

By Loretto Community / August 19, 2024 /

Please join us for the next concert in the Loretto Motherhouse Church Concert Series! The Heartland Harp Ensemble will present music from “Seven Celtic Countries” on Tuesday, September 17 at…

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Ag Bash Smash!

By Loretto Community / August 14, 2024 /
From left, an older woman with grey hair, glasses and a green t-shirt stands smiling with a young woman with brown curly hair wearing a blue tank top and jean overalls. They are standing together in front of a sign that says "new pioneers for a sustainable future."

Over 400 children and grown-ups showed up at Loretto Motherhouse on Saturday, Aug. 3, to play in the corn, soybean and wheat boxes (no sand here), pet the four-day-old chicks…

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Loretto Motherhouse Church Concert Series – Davis Hale and Adrienne Fontenot

By Loretto Community / August 13, 2024 /

Please join us for another concert in the Loretto Motherhouse concert series on Saturday, August 17. Saxophonist Davis Hale and pianist Adrienne Fontenot will give a concert starting at 3…

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Loretto Motherhouse Church Concert Series – Pianist Nada

By Loretto Community / August 13, 2024 /

Please join us for another concert in the Loretto Motherhouse concert series on Sunday, August 25, 2024. Pianist Nada will offer a concert at at 3pm ET in the Loretto…

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Loretto welcomes you

Learn more or plan a visit to the Motherhouse!