Two Loretto Magazines

This summer, the Heritage Center received a grant from the Kentucky Historical Society to purchase a dandy new book scanner to scan much of our collection of materials from the Sisters’ schools in Kentucky. The grant was part of the Kentucky Historical Society’s America250KY project which celebrates America’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As part of this project The Loretto Magazine, not to be confused with Loretto Magazine, will be scanned.

The Loretto Magazine was a literary magazine published by students at Loretto Academy in Nerinx, KY. Both sisters and students authored articles in the monthly publication. It was published at the insistence of Mother Francisca Lamy and remained in publication from 1898-1916. In 1896, Mo. Francisca was the Assistant Mother at the Motherhouse.

Another publication created by the Sisters of Loretto is Loretto Magazine, a news magazine which serves the Loretto Community and its supporters. It was first published in 1959 with the intent to “make Loretto everywhere better known” as stated in the opening issue by Sr. Mary Luke Tobin, Superior General at the time of publication. Its intended audience was Loretto students and alumni, parents of students, and friends of the community. The magazine is still printed today and highlights the work of Loretto Sisters, Co-Members, and volunteers. It is currently produced by the Development Office.

I’ve started scanning our hardbound collection of The Loretto Magazine, while Kaylee Dunston, my colleague in the archives is scanning the copies of Loretto Magazine for a separate project. As I settle in to work with a book, I go to the screen and set up the job parameters, line up the book on the scan-bed so that it’s supported nicely by the adjustable book cradle. Then I settle into a rhythm as I scan, beginning with the cover and endpapers and working my way through the text of the volume, page by page: turn the page, scan, check the captured image, repeat till done. Then save. Save immediately. Don’t walk away for 5 minutes because it will flat-out delete your work with only a silent pop-up window as your warning. How do I know this? Did I scan my first volume twice? Yes, I did.

While scanning, I don’t have time to read the articles but it’s funny how snippets will randomly jump off of a page: familiar people and place names, favorite words, catchy sentences, typos… It’s interesting, really, what the eye sees and how the mind tends to latch on to certain things, isn’t it? In this blogpost, I’ll share a few of my finds.

The titled segments and features are fairly consistent within issues, changing somewhat over time. Contents of The Loretto Magazines provide for a variety of interests: Poetry, prose, verse exercises, and essays written by students, annals, musical and theater programs, fictional stories, non-fiction, travel, Loretto history, editorials, Loretto locals, personals, alumnae notes, commencements, awards, and honors, and obituaries. From time to time, the magazine also featured selected works by authors from the larger literary world.

Reading the newsy Locals column tells us who traveled or received visitors, marriages, etc. and reminds me of a column that small local papers used to publish which centered on community goings-on. When I was a child, my family would read those and laugh, happy that we were able to escape the beam of that social spotlight.

A few paragraphs given to recalling the books donated to the Academy, “Books Received” serves as a reminder of the value of books when they were less plentiful than they are today.

Sub Rosa is a fun piece which features humorous snippets of conversation from the students.

Random bits of news can be found throughout––a museum donation!

Design elements like these flourish and tiny illustrations fill empty spaces on the page.

Page one of a student’s personal accounting of the invitation to work in the printing room is a humorous and heartfelt insight to her experience… you’ll have to wait for the digital version to read the rest of her story!

All of the excerpts above are from The Loretto Magazine, [1898-1913]
I will skip ahead a few decades and leave you with a Christmas poem from Loretto Magazine Summer 1961-Spring 1962 issue.

The digitizing of these publications will be complete within the next few months and we’ll make an announcement when they’re ready to view. Hopefully you’ll find them every bit as engaging as I have!

*This project is supported with funding from the Kentucky Historical Society. For more information see history.ky.gov.