Donna Mattingly SL

I grew up on a small farm in rural Central Kentucky near the Sisters of Loretto Motherhouse. The area is also known as Kentucky’s Holy Land. Before I entered Loretto I worked many years at the local newspaper as a graphic artist. For several years I was also the bookkeeper. My first official Loretto connection was at the age 18 when I helped to rewire the organ in our renovated Motherhouse church. That was the beginning of Loretto’s weaving into the tapestry of my life. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and art from Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, Ky.  

My first out-of-the-country experience was in 2005 when I had the privilege to travel with three of our co-members to El Salvador to commemorate the 25^th anniversary of the four martyred U.S. church women, Maryknoll Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel and lay missionary Jean Donovan. I also saw the home of Archbishop Oscar Romero and the site of his assassination. I visited the clinic of our Sister Ann Manganaro. Their spirits were very much alive in the Salvadoran people. It was truly a humbling and heartfelt experience. It gave me a deeper sense of hope in solidarity with my farther neighbors still today. 

I am in my 20^th year as a Sister of Loretto and am the youngest vowed member in the United States. I spent seven years as an assistant in our Development Office in Denver. During my time there I explored many beautiful scenic places in the Rocky Mountains. I have a richer appreciation for how we are caregivers and for the need to take care of  our earth and all creation. I love being outdoors; I like to walk in the evenings. I enjoy taking photos. My photos have been used in many publications in Loretto such as  Loretto Magazine, Interchange and the newsletter at the Motherhouse.

I moved back to our Motherhouse at the end of Jubilee year 2012 to be closer to my mother, who was a resident in our Infirmary, and to work in our Archives and Heritage Center for several years. I am currently in my ninth year working in our Finance Office as an assistant. I give technical/camera support at our Sunday prayer services, wakes and funerals among many other tasks. I have served on our Motherhouse Coordinating Board and several committees. 

Through the years I have participated in peaceful protests at the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Ga., and against the nuclear weapons plant in Oakridge, Tenn. Earlier this year I participated in a Peace Prayer Rally in Louisville, Ky., for peace in Palestine and Israel. Among my volunteer efforts, I have worked for Habitat for Humanity, helped build a cabin at Cedars of Peace and served at the Loretto Child Care Center in Loretto, Ky. 

We live in changing times, relying on God’s power at work within us to do more than one can imagine. As a younger member elected to leadership in the Community I am nourished by the Gospel and communal love with an endowment of hope to carry the future of Loretto forward. As Marge Burkle OSF once said, we are like the seasons, “Spring – a time for beginnings, Summer – a time for living, Fall – a time for letting go, Winter – a time for endings and a time of new beginnings and surprises.” We “walk by faith and not by sight” with hope, love, confidence and courage together.