xt7q833mwt91 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7q833mwt91/data/mets.xml  19121913  books b92-148-29450769 English B. Herder, : St. Louis, Mo. : Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Sisters of Loretto. Catholic Church Kentucky. Loretto centennial discourses 1812-1912  / with an introduction by the Most Rev. John J. Glennon, D.D. text Loretto centennial discourses 1812-1912  / with an introduction by the Most Rev. John J. Glennon, D.D. 1912 2002 true xt7q833mwt91 section xt7q833mwt91 



           ZLoretto


Centennial Miscourses



1812



1012



        WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY
MOST REVEREND JOHN J. GLENNON, D.D.
         ARCHBISHOP OF ST. LOUIS





         ST. LOUIS, MO., 1912
         PUBLISHED BY B. HERDER
         17 SOUTH BROADWAY



FREIBURG (BADEN)
   GERMANY



    LONDON. W. C.
68, GREAT RUS SELL STR
 











              IMPRIMATUR

Sti. Ludovici, die Nov. 4, 19I2
                       +J oamnes J. Glennon,
                            Archiepiscopus,
                              Sti. Ludovici.



              Copyright, 1r93,
                    by
            Joseph Gummersbach
 









INTRODUCTION



  The following pages tell us how Loretto cele-
brated her centennial days; they tell us of the
Order's beginnings in prayer and sacrifice, amid
many trials and difficulties, and how, in spite of
these and perhaps because of these it waxed
strong and potent. But, how could it be other-
wise, for their commcncement being at the foot
of the Cross, they had the abundant treasures of
the open Heart of our Blessed Lord to draw
from. They had His last words as a heritage.
And with them, the Blessed Mother Mary, who
was, henceforth, to be their mother. Hence in
their journey onward there should necessarily be
the Resurrection in the foreground.
  And we, after these one hundred years, have
seen their Calvary passed, except in their prayers,
and their resurrection assured in the order of the
works that they have accomplished, and the good
they have done. We have seen arise, a cloud of
witnesses to Catholic truth, to sound morals, and
to sane, dignified and ennobled womanhood.
We have seen the black-robed teachers come and
go, plant their standards through all the valley of
                      iii
 


Introduction



the Father of waters, and westward to where the
white light rests on the hills. And wherever
their walk has been, and wherever their standard
has been set, there have been found the pearls of
their scattering - the pupils, namely, whom they
taught, and whose virtues like pearls of great
price, they wear to the memory of their Sister-
teachers.
  We need the Loretto Sisters; we need them to
maintain in their teaching and to create in their
pupils, that type of character which binds reli-
gious faith and beauty to sane and intelligent
living. We need the hardy virtues, so to bloom
and brighten, in our modern days, with all the
brightness and freshness that the grasses and
the flowers of their native Kentucky gave to the
world of one hundred years ago.
  The worst " Modernism " of the time is that of
the "Modern" woman. Other modernists deny
or dispute certain doctrinal or dogmatic truths;
they would take from Revelation its divine
origin, and from the Sacred Scriptures their in-
spiration; but the " Modern " woman goes much
farther. She would revolutionize society; she
would emancipate herself from all law - even
the law of sex. She would leave wifehood,
motherhood and home behind her to be free and
to be a full fledged citizen of an impossible state;
to be a leader in a dehumanized community.
  It is to combat these, that we need Catholic



iv
 



Introduction



American Sisters to teach their Catholic sisters
that Catholic virtues still may grow-still must
bloom, here, in America; that graciousness, gen-
tleness, faith, and devotion are, and will remain
a woman's chiefest ornaments - that in them lies
her best and fittest education; that she gains but
little when she tries to do what men can do
better; and that she loses much when she forgets
or minimizes her duties to her home and chil-
dren; and that she loses all, when she is lured
away to the camp of social revolution, where all
hunmanity, as we know it ceases, and where all
sanctities and sanctions fail.
  Yes, it is a great work the Lorettines have be-
fore them; but with the memories, the prayers,
and the experience of a hundred years, with the
good wishes and sympathies of their many
friends, with the benediction of the Holy Church,
they must not fail - they must succeed.
                 JOHN Jo GLENNON,
                     Archbishop of St. Louis.



v
  













                CONTENTS

                                             PAGE
INTRODUCTION  . . . . . . . . . . . .

THE LORETTO CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION . . . .      I

FOUNDATION DAY   . . . . . . . . . . .II
   Right Rev. Denis O'Donaghue, D.D., Bishop of
   Louisville, at Loretto, Kentucky, April 25, 19I2.

LORETTO's FOUNDER - BETHLEHEM ACADEMY . . . 21
   Rev. Celestine Brey, A.M., S.T.B., at Bethlehem
        Academy, Kentucky, April 25, 1912.

LORETTO AND ITS HISTORY  . . . . . . . . 38
   Very Rev. M. S. Ryan, C.M., D.D., at St. Louis,
             Missouri, April 25, I912.

CENTENNIAL ORATION . . . . . . . . . . 50
   Very Rev. James T. Walsh, LL.D., at Kansas
           City, Missouri, April 25, I9I2.

FATHER NERINCKX . . . . . . . . . . . 57
   Rev. Henry Shepherd Spalding, S.J., at Loretto,
             Kentucky, May 22, I912.

FATHER BADIN . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
   Rev. John Cavanaugh, C.S.C., at Loretto, Ken-
               tucky, May 22, I9I2.

COMMENCEMENT DAY . . . . . . . . . . 99
   The Hon. Edward J. McDermott, Lieutenant-
      Governor of Kentucky, at Loretto Acad-
                emy, June 5, I9I2.

LORETTO A GIFT OF PROVIDENCE . . . . . . . IO8
   Rev. Philip Birk, C.P., Alumnx Day at Loretto
         Academy, Kentucky, June 13, I9I2.
                      vii
 


viii               Contents
                                             PAGE
LORETTO'S GLORIOUS CENTURY . . . . . . .126
   Rev. J. B. O'Connor, O.P., at Loretto, Ken-
               tucky, June 26, 19I2.
LITTLE LORETTO - HOLY GROUND . . . . . .I47
   Rev. Mark Moeslein, C.P., at St. Charles
         Church, Kentucky, June 30, I9I2.

 








               THE LORETTO
      CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

  The Centenary of Loretto harks back to the
days when the conditions of life in Kentucky
were rude and difficult, when the building of
homes in untamed forests was but begun, and
little attention was given to education beyond
the cultivation of ingenious prowess and indus-
try that might extort from undeveloped re-
sources the things necessary for comfortable
living. The solitary missionary, heroically sac-
rificing his life to God, passed to and fro min-
istering to the scattered Catholics, striving to
keep alive among them the faith of their fathers.
Under such conditions Loretto sprang into ex-
istence as if spontaneous from virgin soil, a new
creation, a gift direct from the hand of Divine
Providence, to the sturdy settlers toiling in the
van of civilization. Christian training and in-
struction, Christian education, is the most es-
sential requisite for the establishment and main-
tenance of Christian homes and Christian
civilization. To supply this requisite where it
was sadly needed, Divine Providence established
Loretto.
                       I
 


The Loretto



  Beginning by imparting the rudiments to the
children, the Sisters of Loretto from the first
have labored faithfully and zealously to promote
the upbuilding of Catholic schools and have con-
tributed to the advances made in education
through every decade of a century. Their
growth as an organization and their proficiency
as teachers have developed apace with and con-
tributed to the progress of religion and education
throughout the country. The log cabin school
of the pioneer has given place to schools and
academies equipped with all modern appoint-
ments, but the spirit of sacrifice that animated
the Founders of Loretto has sustained those who
perpetuated the Society and its work and is still
as generously cherished as ever.
  The Loretto Centennial Celebration was there-
fore due as a tribute of gratitude and thanks-
giving. It unfolded a brilliant panorama beau-
tifully adorned and enriched with flowers and
fruits, the products and outgrowth of the events
of I8I2 that mark the beginning of Loretto, a
truly inspiring retrospect awakening sentiments
of esteem and higher appreciation of the excel-
lence of Loretto's achievements. Each festal
day had its distinctive features of reminiscence
and manifestations of joy, blending the fra-
grance of Catholic charity and worship, and de-
picting Loretto in its proper setting in the his-
tory of the Church in Kentucky.
 


            Centennial Celebration         3

  On the twenty-fifth of April, i8i2, Father
Nerinckx gave the religious veil to Mary
Rhodes, Christina Stuart, and Ann Havern.
That event was devoutly and religiously com-
memorated on Foundation Day, the twenty-fifth
of April, 19I2, in every house of the Society.
The Holy Father graciously imparted his Apos-
tolic Blessing to every Sister of Loretto at the
Foot of the Cross. Unnumbered bishops and
priests offered their Masses that day in thanks-
giving and in many ways contributed to the
splendor of the Celebratior. In many places
large congregations assembled at solemn, or
pontifical Mass to blend their prayers and
thanksgivings with their felicitations.
  At the Mother House the Right Reverend
Denis O'Donaghue, Bishop of Louisville, at-
tended by his Vicar General and Secretary, cele-
brated Mass and gave the Loretto habit to six
privileged postulants, just twice the number that
received it from the hands of Father Nerinckx
that day one hundred years ago; amd nine happy
novices pronounced their first vows. At a later
hour pontifical Mass was celebrated by the Most
Reverend Joseph Weber, C. R., at which the
Bishop of Louisville assisted on his throne and
after the Gospel preached a very edifying ser-
mon most appropriate for the occasion. In the
afternoon a beautiful devotional procession to
the Tombs of the Founders, in which the Arch-
 


The Loretto



bishop, Bishop and Clergy participated with the
whole community, was followed by Solemn Bene-
diction of the Blessed Sacrament. The pres-
ence of Archbishop Weber was due to the kind-
ness of the Fathers of the Congregation of the
Resurrection, who for forty years have con-
ducted St. Mary's College at the place called by
Father Nerinckx, Mount Mary, where he pro-
posed to found a Brotherhood, and which Lo-
retto gave in exchange for the present site of
the Mother House. In 1907 His Grace resigned
his See of Lemberg in Austria to become a
member of the Congregation of the Resurrection
and is now Novice Master at the Provincial
House of the Order at Berlin, Canada. His
participation in the solemnities added another
note of Catholicity to the celebration of Founda-
tion Day.
  The fervent sentiments expressed on the oc-
casion by the Right Reverend Bishop of Louis-
ville, reechoed in the eloquent discourses deliv-
ered at other houses of the Society where
Foundation Day was elaborately celebrated. At
Bethlehem Academy, Kentucky, the Rev. Celes-
tine Brey, A. M., S. T. B., vividly sketched the
life of Loretto's Founder, and the history of
Bethlehem Academy, Loretto's eldest surviving
branch establishment. The polished orations of
Very Rev. M. S. Ryan, C. M., D. D., at St. Louis,
and of Very Rev. James T. Walsh, LL.D., at



4
 


Centennial Celebration



Kansas City, voiced the sentiments with which
Loretto's many devoted friends everywhere
joined with the Sisters in joyful thanksgiving
on Foundation Day.
  It was a happy thought that prompted the ob-
servance of a festal day, the twenty-second of
'May, in memory of Loretto's venerated Founder,
and linked with his name that of his longtime
friend and associate, the Proto-Priest, the Rev.
Stephen Theodore Badin. The site of the
Mother House is redolent of their memory.
There they first met in 1805. There they lived
together for seven years. There they planned
the foundation of the first American Religious
Order; there they bowed in mutual disappoint-
ment when they saw their plans frustrated by
the flames that consumed the house they had
erected for a convent. There they encouraged
each other and waited and prayed together with
unwavering trust in Providence. There they
welcomed the coming of Bishop Flaget, and gave
him a home. And there Loretto venerates their
relics.
  The Right Reverend Edmund Obrecht, Abbot
of Gethsemani, celebrated the Solemn Mass that
day. The fact is reminiscent. The first colony
of Trappists that came to Kentucky were greatly
befriended by Father Nerinckx and Father
Badin. And the site of the great Cistercian
Abbey of Gethsemani was obtained by the Trap-



5
 


The Loretto



pists in i848, from the Sisters of Loretto, who
had conducted a school there for thirty years.
At the Mass the Rev. Henry Shepherd Spalding,
S. J., delivered an admirable panegyric on
Father Nerinckx. The services rendered their
earliest members by Father Nerinckx have ever
been gratefully remembered by the Jesuits of the
Missouri Province and acknowledged by innumer-
able friendly tokens promoting the interests of
the Sisters of Loretto. Very appropriate, there-
fore, was the selection of a descendant of a
pioneer Kentucky family to represent them when
Loretto paid centennial tribute to the memory of
her Founder, and Father Spalding's panegyric
was in full accord with the spirit of the occasion.
In like manner the fathers of the Congregation
of the Holy Cross, who venerate Father Badin
among the Founders of Notre Dame University,
were represented by the eloquent Rev. John
Cavanaugh, C. S. C., who voiced the praises of
the venerable Proto-Priest, proclaiming how his
apostolic achievements have written on history's
indelible page his claim to be honored by genera-
tions who never saw him. To complete the
reminiscence, the Rev. M. F. Dineen, S. S.,
D. D., of St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore, briefly
bespoke the devotion of the Sulpicians to Loretto
and its traditions, recalling the facts that Father
Badin, their first alumnus ordained at St.



6
 


Centennial Celebration



Mary's Seminary, here gave a home to the two
illustrious Sulpicians, Bishop Flaget and Father
David, with whom he came to America in I792,
and that here for the first time after that mem-
orable voyage they met again in i8ii. Mindful
of these ties that linked them with the begin-
nings of the Church of Kentucky, the Sulpicians
rejoiced to manifest their esteem and admira-
tion for the revered guardians of this hallowed
spot by participating in Loretto's Centennial
Jubilee. Thus hallowed memories filled the day.
  The programme of the Commencement Exer-
cises harmonized with the Centennial Celebra-
tions, and the school girls were elate with joy
at being privileged to participate in the Centen-
nial festivities. The eloquent address of the
Honorable Edward J. McDermott, Lieutenant
Governor of Kentucky, lauded the excellence of
convent schools, and congratulated the young
ladies upon the superior advantages they enjoy
at Loretto Academy.
  Alumnae Day brought echoes from the Com-
mencements of many years past, and the " Old
Girls " rejoiced together in the glory of their
loved Alma Mater. On this occasion the Rev.
Dean, Joseph A. Hogarty, of Lebanon, Ky., cele-
brated the Solemn Mass, and the Rev. Philip
Birk, C. P., in an impressive discourse reviewed
the trials and triumphs of the Sisters of Loretto



7
 


The Loretto



and the services which under the protection of
Divine Providence they have rendered to the
cause of Christian education.
  It was a day of unalloyed delight when the
representatives of various Sisterhoods came to
Loretto to rejoice with the spiritual daughters
of Father Nerinckx. Devoted to the same holy
cause, prompted by the same exalted motives,
familiar with similar trials, they could share in
largest measure the sentiments aroused by the
thought of a century of religious service in pro-
moting the cause of Christian education. That
thought carried them back to the lowly begin-
nings, not only of the Sisters of Loretto, but also
of the two other communities that may justly be
called natives proper of Kentucky; namely, the
Sisters of Nazareth, now also resplendent in
Centennial glory, and the first foundation of
the Sisters of St. Dominic in the United States,
only ten years younger. These three Sister-
hoods are a triple crown to the faith, piety, and
self-sacrificing devotion of the first generation
of Catholics in Kentucky which furnished their
first members; and the bonds of personal friend-
ship and Christian charity that so closely united
their saintly Founders, Fathers Nerinckx, David
and Wilson, are links that mutually bind them
in sincerest Christian sympathy. On this glad
day of Loretto's thanksgiving members of each
of these Sisterhoods blended their voices in joy-



8
 


Centennial Celebration



ful Te Deums, in which Sisters of Mercy and
daughters of St. Ursula joined harmoniously.
  The High Mass that day was celebrated ac-
cording to the Dominican rite by the Very Rev-
erend C. C. McGonagle, Prior of St. Rose Con-
vent; another tribute to historic events. In
i8o6 the Dominican Fathers founded their first
establishment in the United States, St. Rose Con-
vent, only nine miles from Loretto. Neighbors
for a century it was supremely appropriate and
the good Fathers rejoiced to grace Loretto's
festal solemnities with their own sacred rite.
The Reverend J. B. O'Connor, 0. P., eloquently
reviewed the services rendered to religion in
every period of the Church's history by the in-
tellectual activities of consecrated virgins, con-
gratulating those who perpetuate the work which
the devoted Sisters of Loretto were privileged to
be the first to begin in Kentucky.
  A devotional pilgrimage to the Church of St.
Charles and to the spot where Loretto was
founded concluded the Centennial Solemnities.
The Reverend Mother General and the Sisters
felt that they stood on holy ground as they sur-
veyed the scene hallowed by the memories of
" Little Loretto." Their fervor and devotion
found expression in the beautiful hymn, " Hail
to the Queen," which had so often reechoed there
a century ago. In the stately edifice that has
replaced the lowly log church of the pioneers,



9
 


Centennial Celebration



built by Father Nerinckx, in which the first Sis-
ters of Loretto received the veil, the pilgrims
assisted at Mass celebrated by the pastor, the
Reverend J. J. Pike. It was a high festival day
for the parish that will be long remembered. At
the Mass the Reverend Mark Moeslein, C. P.,
spoke pathetically of the origin of Loretto at that
place, and of the faith and practical piety of the
ancestors of the large congregation that filled
the church.
  More than ephemeral interest attaches to these
discourses delivered by gifted speakers, and their
historic value will increase as the years go by.
They are clustered here in a volume for preser-
vation as a precious souvenir of the Celebration.
That they may serve to make Loretto better
known and to nourish the spirit of devotion that
has ever characterized the Sisters of Loretto is
the hope that prompts their publication.
                              EDWIN DRURY.



IO

 







LORETTO CENTENNIAL DISCOURSES



            FOUNDATION DAY

THE RIGHT REV. DENIS O'DOHAGHUE, D. D.,
     BISHOP OF LOUISVILLE, AT LORETTO,
         KENTUCKY, APRIL, 25, I9I2.

  I wish I were able to say all that is in my
heart appropriate for the occasion that brings us
here to-day. It is indeed an epoch in the history
of Loretto well worthy of commemoration. It
is a day that has been looked forward to by the
Community as the completion of the first century
of its existence; and the exercises of this morn-
ing are held properly to mark the closing of that
long term. We are all glad to be here on this
occasion to celebrate this remarkable birthday.
We are at your home, on the very ground made
sacred by the presence and footsteps of your
illustrious and sainted founder. These circum-
stances naturally lead us back one hundred years,
and suggest a consideration or rather a study of
the remarkable man who conceived the idea of
establishing this community, marked out the
ground and laid the corner stone on which it
has been built. Institutions and enterprises
destined to become great, usually begin in an
                     II
 


Foundation Day



humble way; and Loretto is no exception to this
rule. Those who stood near the cradle of its
birth could hardly have a forecast of its future
greatness, and likely gave no thought to what
one hundred years would bring. It is easy for
us now to examine the roadway and count the
milestones in the Society's history. It has had
its joys and sorrows, its hours of hope and fear,
but an unfaltering trust in Divine Providence
was the star that pointed the way. We see the
harvest ripe, the ears of wheat bending in full-
ness, and we recognize the prophetic eye of the
founder who surely must have seen this day in
prayerful vision.
  What was the cause that brought forth this So-
ciety Surely there must have been a reason for
its coming into existence, an occasion that made
its beginning. The life of the founder is too
well known to be repeated here. Though long
ago passed to his reward, his memory will never
fade in the land of his labors. Unconsciously
he erected to himself a monument whose summit
reaches beyond the clouds. Father Nerinckx is
dead, but his heart watches, and in spirit he is
with us this day. The story of Loretto's be-
ginning is simple and pathetic. A few faithful
and devoted women stood at the cradle of its
birth in the wilderness. Their convent home
was built of unhewn logs, and its floor, mother
earth. In that distant day there was nothing to



12
 


Foundation Day



suggest the foundation of a religious community,
and there was none to offer a word of encour-
agement except their devoted spiritual guide.
But he was prepared for the work. He suffered
persecution for the cause of religion in his native
land and Providence guided his step to a new
field of labor. But what was here to encourage
him in the founding of a religious community
such as he had seen in his native land Only
one of those who stood before him on the day
of the first profession to receive the religious
habit, had received religious training in a com-
munity school. They had no experience in this
line, but they had what was better, solid virtue
and an earnest desire to do the will of God.
  In studying this part of Father Nerinckx's
life we can see that he came prepared for the
work he was about to undertake, not the estab-
lishment of a religious community, but the con-
version of the people outside the fold, and the
preservation of the faith among such as had
received this precious gift. And what was this
preparation It was the persecution he suf-
fered from the enemies of religion in his native
country. If Divine Providence had permitted
that he should live the quiet life of a parish
priest, surrounded by all that is cheering and
encouraging, he would likely never have thought
of quitting his home to seek a new field of labor
in a strange and distant land. But persecution



Is
 


Foundation Day



settled the question. He could not compromise
his conscience by taking the oath prescribed by
a godless government, so he quit his home, his
kindred and the friends of his youth, to serve
God and save souls in the land of his adoption.
This state was then nearly a wilderness. The
Catholics were few and scattered, yet trying as
best they could to keep alive the faith of their
fathers, but they were of necessity drifting with
the tide. We become like the people among
whom we live. This is a kind of natural
tendency, and it is not easily resisted. Just what
kind of religious practices the scattered Catholics
had has not been recorded. They were without
a shepherd or guide until the good Father Badin
came who worked with a zeal that may be com-
pared with what we read of in the apostolic
times. He had no one to help him, no one to
cheer him, passing from place to place through
woods and thickets to break the Bread of Life
to famishing souls. He had seen what the
Church was in his native France, its greatness,
its splendor, its power, and he gave up every-
thing to lay the foundations of religion in a new
land. We live one hundred years from that
distant day. Now the Church flourishes, and
salvation is near to those who are well disposed.
We cannot appreciate the work of these twin
missionaries except we compare their times
with the present day. We find them living



I4
 


Foundation Day



in solitary cabins, traveling long distances on
horseback; the altar a table, and the vestments
for Mass carried in a saddle bag. The railway
had not arrived; the automobile was unknown,
and the roadway was an Indian trail.
   Notwithstanding hardships that we can now
hardly appreciate, these two apostolic priests,
and I can never think of them except together,
worked with unfaltering zeal in the cause they
were engaged. They pushed on incessantly
amidst cheerless surroundings. Both of them
realized the necessity of a community of sisters
to instruct and train the children to the practice
of virtue, but it was reserved for Father Ne-
rinckx to bring these aspirations to a successful
fulfillment. Having seen Sisterhoods in his own
country, and knowing that the grace of God
would pour down on this virgin soil here as it
did in other lands, he put his trust in Divine
Providence, and the Society of Loretto was
founded, one hundred years ago to-day. Under
the nurturing care of the Founder the precious
plant grew and expanded; rules for a religious
life were drawn up; a religious habit was
adopted, and to-day we see the result of this
humble beginning -the great Community which
we have assembled here to honor.
  But the work of the good Father Nerinckx
was not confined to the work of establishing this
community. In company with Father Badin, he



IS
 


Foundation Day



traversed the entire state wherever Catholics
could be found, built churches, established mis-
sions, visited the sick and buried the dead.
Traveling through the diocese, I hear of these
two pioneer missionaries everywhere, so much
so that one would be led to think that they were
with us yesterday, though we know they have
long rested in hallowed clay. But while absent
in body, they are with us in spirit, and they
surely rejoice, looking down from Heaven, to see
this joyful day.
  The establishment of religious communities
of Sisters has been providential, and while they
do not compose a part of the hierarchy of the
Church, they have become almost a necessary
factor in the advancement and preservation of
religion under existing conditions in this coun-
try. The Episcopacy and the Priesthood are of
divine institution, necessary for the continuance
of Christ's work on earth; but the foundation of
religious communities came in its day as a helper
-almost a necessary aid-in the propagation
of religious instruction among the people, and
thereby a preservation of our holy faith; and
while not of divine foundation, they have the
highest approbation that ecclesiastical authority
can bestow. At the head of each community
stands an Exemplar of religious work, one who
illustrated the Christian virtues in a heroic de-
gree. The state of Kentucky has been highly



i6
 


Foundation Day



favored in this way. It has given to the Church
two communities that are distinctively native,
one the Community whose centenary we are
celebrating to-day; the other Nazareth, which in
a few months will complete the hundredth year
of its foundation. There is no rivalry between
these two institutions; their work is on the same
lines - to promote the glory of God - and
work for the salvation of souls.
  For several years I have had occasion to visit
churches in many places, and I have often stood
and pondered, What would the clergy do in the
direction and management of their congrega-
tions were they not aided by the religious com-
munities of sisters It seemed sometimes hard
to determine who was the greater factor for
good; but I recognized that there was no com-
parison on this line; what one did the other could
not do, but working in harmony all things went
well. Yes, the Sisters are a necessary factor in
successful parochial work. They teach the
Catholic school, and do it well, oftentimes under-
going what may be aptly called the martyrdom
of the schoolroom. Take away the religious
teachers from the school, and the work of the
Church would suffer untold harm; the young
mind of the child would lack the spiritual nutri-
tion necessary for perseverance, and faith would
soon suffer decay. For this reason we all give
thanks to Divine Providence for calling into ex-



I7
 


i8            Foundation Day

istence the religious communities in the fullness
of time for the preservation of the faith and the
advancement of religion. Our Savior says in
the gospel of to-day: The harvest is great, but
the laborers few. True at all times, but this was
clearly the case in this state one hundred years
ago. But times have changed. Providence has
raised up laborers. Vocations to the priesthood
and the community life have multiplied so that
no deserving soul is without the means of salva-
tion. Since its institution the priesthood has
been necessary everywhere; in changed condi-
tions the religious teacher became almost an equal
factor in the preservation and propagation of
holy faith. And the teaching Sister in the school
is valuable not only as one who instructs the
child, but as an example to all the people; an
object lesson as to what religion and piety mean.
  I congratulate the Community of Loretto on
being able to celebrate this centenary on the very
ground where their founder lived. His ashes
sleep here and his heart watches here. The bell
he used is still here, and this morning on my
way to the chapel, I was glad to hear its tone
again. He brought it from his native country,
and it is probably the first bell that ever sum-
moned the people to divine service in the state
of Kentucky. This, my dear Sisters, is for you
a day of memory, of recollection and of medi-
tation-not of sadness but of joy-not of
 


Foundation Day



pride, but of gratitude and thanks to God for
what He has done for the preservation of this
community. Loretto has not grown in a day to
what we find it now. It took one hundred
years. And what joys and sorrows are told in
these annals! The community has had its
trials and its dark days, but it moved on. Those
who persevere are tried by Heaven, like gold in
the fire, to test their courage and purity of in-
tention. This is a day of joy for the whole
Loretto Community, those who are here and for
those who celebrate the day elsewhere. They
who are absent are celebrating the day as we
are here. We are doing as best we can to cele-
brate the day in a proper spirit and are medi-
tating on the life of the illustrious founder, and
the more we study it, the more we are impressed
with its splendor and spiritual beauty.
  With my own congratulations I wish to pre-
sent those of the clergy who are with us for this
centenary celebration, particularly the Most Rev.
Archbishop Weber, C. R., who is celebrating the
Mass of thanksgiving. No one is a stranger
here to-day, whether he be from the diocese of
Louisville or elsewhere. The Sister of Loretto
and her habit will always point to the Home, the
Mother House, and will spell the name of the
illustrious Founder, Father Nerinckx. I pray
that Heaven may prosper the community in the
years to come, and that in the centuries that will



I9
 

20            Foundation Day

follow, what we do here to-day will be looked
upon as the work of the pioneers, even as we
now look on the work of Ann and Mary
Rhodes, done in their day. We all this day
wish the Community prosperity and success in
the work they have been engaged in for one hun-
dred years.

 








        LORETTO'S FOUNDER -
        BETHLEHEM ACADEMY
  THE REV. CELESTINE BREY, A. M., S. T. B.
FOUNDATION DAY, APRIL 25, I9I2, AT BETHLE-
         HEM ACADEMY, KENTUCKY.

  How few events that occurred one hundred
years ago are remembered now. How seldom
do we look back to the labors and sacrifices of
those who have gone before us. Busy with the
life about us, we often forget to give credit for
the conditions and blessings