TIP #534 - THE SISTERS OF LORETTO In Marion County, Kentucky lies the town of Loretto, seven miles northwest of Lebanon. The town, according to Robert Rennick was "named in the early 19th century when an academy was founded here by the Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross, an order established at nearby St. Mary's in 1812. The order of the Sisters of Loretto was named for the town in the Italian Marches noted for its shrine to the Blessed Mother." The Sisters of Loretto was one of the first native American communities of religious women when founded in the desolate frontiers in 1812. According to the Kentucky Encyclopedia, Mary Rhodes, a native of Maryland, came to the area to visit her family's relatives near St. Charles Mission Station on Hardin's Creek, at nearby Bardstown. She felt a concern for the children and remained on to teach their children how to read and write. Soon, neighbors began asking that she teach their children too. In time, a little school, nothing more than a primitive building, was erected in an abandoned log cabin. Sister Mary was soon joined by two other women; Christian Stuart and Ann Havern. They put in a petition to their priest, Charles Nerinckx who was Belgium born and had been exiled by the French Revolution. He had come to Kentucky and worked with missions in 1805. It was with his help that the Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross was establish 25 April 1812. The school operated in this location for twelve years and moved into other facilities at St. Stephen's farm (now know as Nerinx KY). The first Catholic priest to be ordained in America resided here, Stephen Badin. The Loretto Motherhouse there has been in operation since 1824 and according to records, over 3,000 women have been trained there. From this humble beginning, the Sisters of Loretto have established schools all over the United States, involving also social work, and have expanded into foreign countries. Forty schools were established in Kentucky alone in the 1800's; Daviess County and east to Maysville. Many schools didn't survive, they flourished for a few years and then closed their doors. Some of the schools included Holy Mary's at Calvary (1816-1899), Gethsemani (1818-1848), Bethlehem Academy at St John's (1823-1958); Loretta Academy at Loretto (1834-1918); Cedar Grove at Louisville (1842-1925); Loretto High School at Louisville (1925-1973). These schools had a broad spectrum of courses offered, including History, science, language, philosophy, religion, art, music, and sewing. The Sisters of Loretto "moved with the times" and as westward ho became the goal of many, the Sisters moved westward also. The Missouri Compromise of 1823 gave them an opportunity to establish in Missouri by 1847 with the opening of the Osage Mission in Kansas. From there they moved onward to Santa Fe NM in 1852; to Colorado in 1864; to Texas in 1879; to California in 1866; to China in 1923 and to South America in 1953. The Sisters of Loretto are still flourishing in Loretto KY where there are administrative headquarters and training centers; it also serves as an ecumenical retreat and a has a licensed nursing home facility. Although not set in Kentucky, many of you will remember a movie and I believe a special at one time about a Catholic order of nuns who experienced the "Miracululous Staircase" According to Dan Paulos, seven of the Sisters of Loretto left Kentucky in 1852 for New Mexico. It was an extremely difficult trip as they had to travel up the Mississippi River to Independence MO by boat. It was here that one Sister became ill and had to return to Loretto KY. The remaining six Sisters then completed their journey on horseback and in covered wagons. This would have been, of course, a very strenuous journey in the 1850's for six women. There were perils at almost every step, including an Indian attack in Kansas. Despite the fierceness of the attack, the Indians did no harm to the Sisters. Right after this attack, one of the Sisters died. (not named). She was buried in the Kansas plains in an unmarked grave to keep the Indians from coming back and finding her body. It took months for the journey to be completed and when arriving in Santa Fe they found a home among the Mexican and Indian population of this then small town. By 1853 they had opened their first academy for girls there. In 1873, the Archbishop of Santa Fe made a suggestion that a small replica of the "Sainte-Chapelle" in Paris be added. It took five years before the "Our Lady of Light" chapel was completed; and it was then the Sisters realized that something had been forgotten - an error in the designing of the chapel's choir loft. The ceiling of the chapel was 85 feet tall. Despite the beautiful statuary, stained glass windows and the altar (all shipped from Europe), the choir loft was left unattached. There was no staircase - the architect, P. Mouly, had failed to place a staircase - he had planned originally to connect the loft with the second story (the convent school) using an outdoor hallway. But this was never done. Mother Magdalene, the Superior, decided that a normal staircase would take up too much space in such a small chapel; they decided against a ladder as it would be impossible for the chanters to climb up a ladder! So they began praying and offering novenas to St. Joseph the carpenter. They needed a miracle. On the very last day of their novena, they heard an approaching clopping of hoof beats and a gray-haired man riding a donkey appeared. He needed work and when the Sisters explained their problem, he said he could build them a staircase. However, he would only do it if he was not paid for his work, and his name was never to be mentioned. On the last day of the novena, a gray-haired man on a donkey appeared at the convent with a chest full of tools. He asked to speak with the Mother Superior. He offered to build the sisters a staircase, but required one thing in return. The superior, who was properly introduced, was never to disclose the name of the craftsman. Mother Magdalene ordered her nuns not to speak with the gentleman, and, under no circumstances, was he to be bothered. The superior swore herself to secrecy, and even upon her deathbed, refused to divulge the man's identity. He had no fancy tools - a saw, T-square and a hammer. The work went quickly and it was finished. After telling the Mother Superior, the word went out, the Sisters gathered, and during the excitement, the man disappeared, never to be seen again. Word spread through the village that this mysterious carpenter might have been St. Joseph himself. He was a total mystery as no one had sold him wood, the wood was not native to the United States, and the staircase is one of the most unique in the world. Architects from all over the world have visited the chapel and none can identify the wood. The staircase is 22 feet high; has 33 steps forming two complete circular turns of 360 degrees each - and it has no center support. There were absolutely no nails used; it is held together with wooden pegs. Each piece of hardwood is spliced in seven places on the inside and nine on the outside with each piece forming a perfect curve. Those steps were used daily for over 85 years. People who have climbed the steps describe a feeling of vertical movement with each step taken as if it were a coiled spring. Our Kentucky roots have spread to the entire world. We have provided Presidents, governors and many statesmen, noted physicians, scientists and even the Sisters of Loretto - brave young nuns on a hazardous journey from the little town of Loretto Kentucky in the early 1800's; to the miraculous staircase in a chapel in Santa Fe, NM. (c) 31 March 2005, Sandra K. Gorin Colonel Sandi Gorin SCKY Links: http://www.public.asu.edu/~moore/Gorin.html Sandi's Puzzlers: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gensoup/gorin/puz.html Gorin Publishing: http://ggpublishing.tripod.com/