They worked to extend the boundaries of learning and justice

By Barbara Doak

The story begins in 1901 when Loretto Academy in Kansas City, Mo., was established. Teaching was the sisters’ primary work for decades as they touched the lives of thousands of students. Loretto Academy, Our Lady of Good Counsel and Sacred Heart Grade School included children who were a mix of Irish immigrants and Hispanic families. Other families moved in to work on the railroad in Kansas City. The families quickly knew that their children had excellent teachers who showed love and support. The growth of education in Kansas City was steady because of the devotion of the many Sisters of Loretto. There they lived, worked and died all in order to love and serve God.

The sisters knew the old rule well, the heartfelt hope of Father Charles Nerinckx and the early sisters. They were sent to fulfill “generous living of the constitutions and an ever deeper commitment to consecrated life in accordance with the spirit of the founders under the constant protection of Mary at the Foot of the Cross.” Their commitment was imprinted on their hearts and lives on today in the Loretto sisters and co-members who live and work there.

Forty-two Sisters are buried in the Mount St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, where the central image is that of Our Lady of Sorrows, our patron. A name our readers might remember is Mary McNellis (Sr. Cornelia). One day Mary was searching for the burial site of her parents and found the statue of Mary and the graves of Loretto members. At 90 years of age, Mary, with her companion Barbara Doak, remembered and inspected every grave.

After retiring from teaching in 1980, Mary worked in Montessori programs and in the Department of Social Ministries of Catholic Charities where she was also involved in the development of Ecumedia. Mary officially retired again in 1991, but continued to work for peace and justice. She and other Loretto sisters went to the Netherlands in 1999 for the Hague Appeal for Peace Conference. In 2000, Mary was selected Kansas City Citizen of the Year and was recognized at the Mayor’s Annual United Nations Event. She worked on: the UN Association Board and the boards of the World Federalists, League of Women Voters, Interfaith Peace Alliance and Catholics for Justice. Mary McNellis SL died in 2012 at age 102. She joined her sisters in the Mount St. Mary Cemetery still knowing that “We continue to extend the boundaries of learning and justice …”

I Am the Way # 7