What do you love about Loretto? Let us count the ways!

The Constitutions of the Sisters of Loretto tells us in Article 11 that “Loretto came to be and comes to be through the creative Spirit of God, whose grace worked powerfully in our founders and continues to work in the community as a whole and in each of its members.”

How has Loretto touched your life? How have you received that gift in your own life and shared it with others? What do you love about Loretto? One member once shared, “I received gifts from Loretto for a lifetime.”

This response came from former member Jackie Hartman Dear, Novitiate Class of 1961. It appeared in the 2012 “Voices from Silence. A Loretto Patchwork”: “When thinking about the question of Loretto’s impact on my life, one phrase comes to mind: I received gifts from Loretto for a lifetime. These gifts were generosity of time and self, respect for others, and responding to the challenges of life’s demands.”

Sharon Kassing SL, one of Jackie’s classmates, had this to say: “What is it that I am grateful for that goes unspoken? I am utterly grateful to be part of an historic effort to be faithful. You may ask, ‘Faithful to what?’ When I was at St. John’s University in Collegeville, Minn., I remember one of my teachers saying, ‘The body of faith stays the same throughout time; it’s the expression of it that changes.’ So, I can’t answer the what, not even for myself, but I can say it has meant everything to me to walk side by side with so many people who have made the effort to live faith-filled lives.”

This week we will feature stories of unconditional love and the gifts received from Loretto. You will see short videos about relationships and community, belonging, nurturing and grace. It is all about loving Loretto.