Sister Loretta's Story

Early schooling

"I grew up on a farm in Saskatchewan, in a devout Catholic family. When I was growing up, I did not have the opportunity to attend a Catholic school. Each summer, I attended Religion classes offered in our parish. Since it was a distance from our farm, I lived in residence. The ball games after classes in the evenings stand out for me. I loved those two weeks of Summer School."

When the world ends

"One day the Ursuline Sister who was teaching us told us that someone had predicted that the world would end in four years. I'm sure she added that no one knows when the world will end, but I wasn't listening. I was thinking, "In four years I'll be sixteen, old enough to be a Sister! Then I'll go to heaven when the world ends!" I never thought about the world ending again, but from time to time, I did think about being a Sister."

First I'll teach

"When I graduated from high school, God's call became more persistent. But I wanted to be a teacher first. After I became one, my next excuse for not following what I felt was God's call was that I wanted to pay my own expenses. I did that by teaching for one year."

I respond to the call

"I then decided I would join the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto and find out what the life of a Sister was like. I hoped I would be told I was mistaken in thinking God wanted me to be a Sister. Instead I was affirmed. It wasn't long before I wanted to stay and give my life to the Lord. I have never regretted my decision!"

To read more Sisters' Stories, please see Meet A Sister