Blessed Fr. Kłopotowski was a great devotee of Mary and that is why he placed his Congregation under the maternal protection of Our Lady of Loretto. He wanted every Loretto sister to grow in holiness according to her example and to remember that “she is a daughter of the Mother of God and her life is dedicated to her Divine Spouse – Jesus”.
CHRIST AT THE CENTRE
Mary leads everyone to her Son, hence the foundation of every Loretto sister life is total dedication to Jesus Christ through Mary in religious consecration. Sisters strive to achieve union with Jesus through constant self-improvement, prayer, work, maintenance of the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience and the practice of other evangelical counsels. The most recent Constitutions define Loretto Christocentrism as “joyful consecration to God, total conformity to Jesus Christ and dedication to serve Him and man in the spirit of the Gospel, the Rule of St Benedict, the Constitutions, the writings of Father Founder and the heritage of the Congregation” (Article 8). Sisters fill themselves with the spirit of Christ. They draw graces from the treasury of the Church through daily participation in the Sacred Liturgy, Holy Sacraments, meditation on the word of God in the Holy Scriptures and other prayers.
TO BE LIKE MARY
Loretto nuns give special veneration to the Blessed Virgin Mary every day. Their daily prayer is the Rosary, the Litany of Loretto, and devotion to Our Lady. They solemnly celebrate Her feasts and memorials and on Saturdays they venerate Her by singing the Hours of the Immaculate Conception. Fr. Kłopotowski’s will was that sisters should imitate Mary’s virtues, especially her meekness, humility and constant readiness to do God’s will.
Fr. Kłopotowski wanted sisters to reflect in their inner attitude the Holy Family from the Loretto House. There was an atmosphere of deep prayer, obedience, love and contemplation of the Mystery of Incarnation.
In every house there is a statue of Our Lady of Loretto. St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is also venerated as a special patron saint. The Loretto sisters are concerned with spreading devotion to Our Lady by publishing a monthly magazine, books on Marian themes and ministering to pilgrims at the shrine in Loretto.
THE CHOICE OF THE BENEDICTINE WAY
Fr. Kłopotowski has also based Loretto community on the Third Rule of St. Francis of Assisi. He was fascinated by that Saint’s immense contribution to the renewal of the Church. He lived in the hope that the with his publishing activity, sisters would also render great service to the Church. Aware of this mission he was very concerned for every Loretto vocation. The spirituality of Loretto was transmitted by the Founder to sisters in conversations, correspondence, conferences and meditations.
The spiritual wealth passed on by Fr. Kłopotowski allowed sisters to pass through difficult stages in the history of their congregation and not to lose their charism and identity. In December 1940, following the advice of priests who cooperated with them, the Loretto sisters joined the Benedictine oblations. In 1962, Abbot Primate Father Benno Gut incorporated the congregation into the monastic family of St. Benedict. The patron saints St. Benedict and St. Scholastica perfectly fit into the Loretto spirituality by their example of listening to the voice of God, seeking Him and pursuing Him with all their strength. The sisters learn from their patron saints to constantly do God’s will, realise the family spirit in the religious community and to combine contemplation with the conscientious performance of daily duties.
The Loretto sisters have been using the Benedictine breviary and the Monastic Liturgy of the Hours since 1986. They care for the beauty of the liturgy by using Gregorian Chant. They also celebrate Lectio Divina daily.
APOSTOLIC SPIRIT
The apostolic spirit is important in their spirituality, especially the apostolate of the printed word. Both the Benedictine vocation “pray and work” and the apostolic zeal of Blessed Fr. Kłopotowski are an inspiration for the constant proclamation of Christ, bearing witness to Him. The sisters continue to work in the publishing house in Warsaw initiated by Father Founder but they also opened publishing outposts in Italy, Romania and Ukraine and they work for Radio Maryja Headquarters in Chicago, USA. Furthermore, they carry out the apostolate of teaching and education through work in schools and kindergartens. They also take care of the elderly. Concern for the poor was deeply implanted in the spirituality of the congregation by the Founder himself.
A spirituality shaped and lived out in this way opens up the possibility for every Loretto woman to reach a higher spiritual level in her consecrated life and to bring Jesus – the Incarnate Word – to the world with enthusiasm – “so that in everything God may be glorified”.
