Loretto Heritage Center

05/26/2026

Our friends at Marion County Historical Society have moved, reorganized, and have a new location in the former Lebanon Enterprise building. As it goes when moving and downsizing, they have an excess of goods which will be auctioned. See their message below and submit your bids!
"Over the years, we’ve collected a wide variety of items. Going forward, part of being good stewards is making thoughtful decisions about what we can properly house, preserve, and interpret within our current space and mission. Some pieces that could not come with us are now being offered through an online auction."
"This is an opportunity for these vintage and historic items to find new homes with people who will appreciate and treasure them, while the funds raised will directly support the Historical Society’s continued operations, preservation efforts, and community programming. If you love vintage finds, local history, and one-of-a-kind pieces, we invite you to take a look at the auction."

05/22/2026

May, the month of Mary, has prompted us to share a favorite from our photograph collection. This view of Mary's Lake was captured in 1926, during its reconstruction. The lake was built in 1917, reconstructed in 1926, and a statue of the Virgin Mary was added in 1927.

You can find many current and historical views of our peaceful lake by following this link: https://lorettocommunity.canto.com/v/Archives/landing

Images from our website are subject to terms & conditions: Images are for personal use only. Please contact [email protected] for commercial or public exhibit use.

05/13/2026

Warm greetings to you today on the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima! We pulled a most beautiful object from the collection to show you today; this banner was made at the St. Columban Embroidery School in Shanghai, China. After establishing a mission in Hanyang, China in 1923, the Sisters of Loretto also operated a school in Shanghai until 1952. In addition to teaching at these two schools, the Sisters served the people of these communities in countless ways through times of war, floods, epidemics, and political unrest.

The silk brocade front is embellished with embroidery and in the center is a painting of Our Lady of Fatima. On the back is the school's seal and the letters OSJ, OSM; “O Suffering Jesus, O Sorrowful Mary” was a short prayer used in all Loretto Schools. The students likely embroidered this piece but we currently do not have any information about the painting.

Enjoy our object collection, published resources, and photograph collection online: https://www.lorettocommunity.org/about/motherhouse/heritage-center-archives/explore-our-collections-2/

05/01/2026

We wish you a Happy May Day with our snapshot! This is a 1968 view of the May Day Procession and Crowning at St. Augustine Church in Lebanon, KY.

St. Augustine is one of many churches founded by Father Charles Nerinckx; in 1815 he began the process of erecting the church on four acres which Benedict Spalding had set aside for a Catholic church; Father David A. DeParcq took over in 1820 and completed the church. Father DeParcq also established the first parish school there, in 1833, which was served by the Sisters of Loretto.

[Photo from our online database, dated 1968; the people in the image are unnamed]

To see more views of St. Augustine Church, visit our photograph collection online: https://lorettocommunity.canto.com/v/Archives/landing

04/17/2026

Inspired by National Poetry Month, we're sharing eloquent words from the pen of a Loretto Sister. Mary Valena Eppler, SL (1878-1964) was an artist and teacher as well as a published author; she wrote plays, short stories, and poetry. This particular selection was one of three poems included in The Yearbook of Modern Poetry, 1939. This page, ripped from the book, was found in Sister Mary Valena's personnel file as was the photograph. A handwritten note on the back of the photograph reads "Sister Mary Valena in the Old Green House at Loretto Heights" and is undated.

04/15/2026

Our latest blog post is up! Today's content discusses the care and preservation of the framed pieces in our artifact collection and the ever-changing field of conservation framing.

In 2024, The Loretto Heritage Center received grant funding from the KY Historical Society, through the Local History Trust Fund, to fuel our project to reframe the most sensitive framed…

04/10/2026

April is National Poetry Month and inspired our selection for today's . This painting, created by Sandra (Sandy) Ardoyno SL, is an excellent example of abstract expressionism and includes six stanzas from E.E. Cummings' poem 'Anyone Lived in a Pretty How Town.'

Sister Sandy Ardoyno received the habit in 1962. After completing her education at Webster University, Sister Sandy taught art at Bishop Toolen (McGill-Toolen) High School in Alabama, where she remained for 45 years. "I think of service in lots of different ways, but if you encourage your students to do the best they can in whatever it is they decide they want to do, I consider that a service."–Sister Sandra (Sandy) Ardoyno (1943-2015)

Flourishing within the world of art is only part of Sister Sandy's story. To learn more about her remarkable life, visit our necrology site: https://data.lorettocommunity.org/db/necrology/personDetail.php?ID=10027

The poem in its entirety can be read here: https://poets.org/poem/anyone-lived-pretty-how-town

04/03/2026

Today's is a continuation of last week’s post. This set of four drawings was created by Mary Norbert Parsoneault, SL: Mary Meets Jesus on the Way to Calvary; The Crucifixion of Jesus; Jesus Taken Down from the Cross; Jesus Laid in the Tomb. These emotive images are the final four pieces from a set of seven drawings which illustrate the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Sister Mary Norbert (1891-1959) was a prolific artist and served as head of the Loretto Heights College Art Department from 1933 until her death in 1959. We’re grateful to have these pieces in our collection and to be able to share them with you during this year's Easter season.

03/27/2026

Today's is a set of drawings created by Mary Norbert Parsoneault, SL in 1941: The Prophecy of Simeon; The Flight to Egypt; The Loss of Jesus in the Temple. These beautifully rendered images are the first three pieces from a set of seven drawings which illustrate the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Sister Mary Norbert (1891-1959) was a prolific artist and served as head of the Loretto Heights College Art Department from 1933 until her death in 1959. Next week, we'll share the four drawings which complete the series but if you can't wait they can be found online in our artifact collection! Follow the link: https://data.lorettocommunity.org/db/artifactCollection/artifactList.php