Living in an Expanded World

Sometimes we underestimate the value of reaching out beyond ourselves, whether on a personal level or on a community level. We like the comfort of an intimate space where we know where we stand and on whom we can rely. I certainly do.

There are opportunities here at the Motherhouse, where I live, and in the broader Loretto Community for widening our experiences and our influence, whether that be positive or negative. It is important that we take the opportunities and accept the consequences.

At the Motherhouse, we welcome local community residents onto our campus, to fish, for example. We are happy to have guests at our excellent concerts in the church, organized by Mary Swain and publicized widely by Will Myers and Josh Ballard. We occasionally have families and friends who come for meals, for golf cart rides or other ways of experiencing our campus. These help to expand our world into the community and into different ways of thinking.

Who wants to have a different way of thinking? Not me! I like being among folks who by and large share my world view. However, by closing ourselves off we risk isolation and lack of understanding different points of view. It is clear to many of us that “outside” people often have an entirely foggy knowledge of the Sisters of Loretto and the Loretto Community. We are perceived as we were many years ago, which can be enjoyable but sometimes difficult when the perception is at odds with our current selves. “I remember so fondly Sister X and her religion class.” That is lovely, and we are grateful for Sister X’s influence and excellent example. However, Sister X is long gone, and we carry on with new ideas and practices, many perhaps at odds with Sister X’s.

Inviting others onto our campus and into our practices is both risky and exciting. “If they only knew …” can be our unstated response.

Expanding to the outside is important. We value the work of the Loretto Justice Fellows who bring us with them as they serve their communities, especially El Paso at this time. The work of the United Nations calls us to participate in the tasks of peacemaking. Here in Kentucky, some of us are on the board of the New Pioneers for a Sustainable Future, others are active in the Democratic Women’s Club of Washington County. We support the Loretto Childcare Center, the free Loretto Medical Clinic, the local library and many other civic groups. We take our attitudes of working for justice and acting for peace to the wider world — and work and act within places that help us to look beyond ourselves.

Let us be willing to risk both exposing our real identities and our affection for our heritage by continuing to expand our world. Let the parties begin, here at the Motherhouse — in gatherings in the newly renovated tobacco barn, in professional church concerts, when outsiders are buried in the Nature Reserve Cemetery, as helicopter pilots rent space on our property, as more folks come to do research in the Heritage Center, as local organizations participate in the annual Ag Bash, in the many ways we are happy to be risk-takers. 

And let this atmosphere extend beyond the Motherhouse wherever Loretto members and friends live.

*Photos by Sister Aggie Hoormann