Sisters of Loretto

The Loretto Community is a congregation of vowed Catholic sisters and lay co-members who work for justice and act for peace because the Gospel urges us.

Founded on the Kentucky frontier in 1812 as Friends of Mary at the Foot of the Cross, the first sisters dedicated their lives to God as religious women and educated poor children of the area. They later took the name Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross. Today the name Loretto Community incorporates the two types of membership in Loretto: sisters who make public profession of vows and co-members who affiliate with the spirit and mission of the community. In recent years, the community began a volunteer program for short-term service opportunities.

Just as frontier living shaped the lives of our early sisters, so a global society shapes ours.