Volunteers
For 40 years, Loretto Volunteers have joined the Community in communal service to people in need. They have served in such areas as education, health clinics, homelessness and immigration. Learn more about Loretto volunteers.
Meet Erica Stewart, our new Assistant Loretto Volunteer Coordinator in Denver! Erica’s pronouns are she/her. She recently moved to Colorado and is thrilled to start a new adventure accompanying Loretto Volunteers at the new Denver site. Erica has worked for the past four years at her alma mater, Stonehill College, in Massachusetts, directing its Community Engagement…
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Since being invited to represent the Loretto Community at the United Nations 2 1/2 years ago, I have had the chance to work with numerous young people and my hope for the future lies with them… For example, our 2019 summer interns Anna and Gracie have both put their heart and soul into representing Loretto…
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“I’ve been given so much. Whatever I am able to return, I am grateful for the opportunity to do it.” Mary Margaret Murphy SL, Loretto’s new Vice President, laughs as she recalls some of her Machebeuf High School friends talking about entering religious life. Back then, her retort was “Thank you, God. That’s not for…
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By Melissa Feito, a second-year Loretto Volunteer During opening retreat at the Loretto Motherhouse last August, Loretto Volunteers received this advice: “Seek communities outside of your home community.” It might sound a little pessimistic at first. Aren’t our Loretto communities supposed to be a place where we feel welcomed, supported and loved? As a second-year…
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The Loretto Volunteer Program recently hired an assistant Volunteer coordinator in Washington, D.C. Meet Keithlee Spangler! Keithlee (pronouns: they/them/theirs) grew up in St. Louis but has settled in the D.C. area to live in intentional community. After living in four different cities in three years, they relocated to D.C. to work as an advocate on…
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By Jes Stevens It’s been four years since I was a Loretto Volunteer. Four years! Some days it feels like my time working in Washington, D.C., as a Volunteer was so long ago. And other days, it seems like it was just yesterday that I was living in intentional community in Junia House. Over these…
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By Mallory Daily and Mary Margaret Murphy A neon poster “Welcome Loretto Volunteers” greeted Sawyer Hill, Amy Maltz, Isabel Ngo, Marissa Nuñez and Amelie Rode on their arrival at the El Paso airport. They came directly from the Loretto Motherhouse where they participated in an orientation program with Loretto Volunteers headed to St. Louis and…
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By Susan Nichols, former Loretto Volunteer Those who surround the Community know that Loretto houses are filled with furniture, knickknacks and art passed around the sisters and co-members. Our Volunteer House, Tobin House in Maplewood, Mo., held more than a few of these, but it was a simply framed photo of the house’s namesake Mary…
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Thirteen Loretto Volunteers arrived Aug. 10 for their weeklong orientation at the Loretto Motherhouse. As you already might know, Loretto Volunteers commit to a year of service working full time at social justice organizations in St. Louis, El Paso and Washington, D.C. They also dedicate their time outside of the workday to building community with…
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Like many a good story, this one starts with an ice storm in Kentucky. Mary Swain was driving us to the Louisville airport. Claudia Calzetta and I woke early on a cold February morning to find our windshields covered with a thick layer of ice, and the roads in most spots didn’t fare any better.…
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By Mary Louise Pabello Editor’s Note: Mary Louise is a returning Loretto Volunteer now working as NGO U.N. Intern/Loretto Community. The Loretto Community has long supported migrants and refugees in our midst. Here is an update on what has been happening on a global level at the United Nations. In September 2016, the U.N. General…
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By Claudia Calzetta Everything happened so fast at the annual mid-year retreat for the St. Louis Volunteers. We were enjoying a beautiful sunny day at Rockhaven retreat center. It was a relaxing weekend, each of us taking a breath and enjoying the wonderful opportunity to focus on self-care. Nothing heavy, just some good, life-giving time…
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