Two bishops to honor Sisters of Loretto

Bishop William F. Medley of the Diocese of Owensboro and Bishop Charles “Chuck” Thompson of the Diocese of Evansville, Ind., will be celebrating a special Mass at 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 23, at St. Francis of Assisi in honor of the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Sisters of Loretto. A reception will take place in the parish hall after the Mass.
The Mass is being held at St. Francis of Assisi, 6785 Hwy. 52 in St. Francis, because of its proximity to the Loretto Motherhouse in Nerinx and because of the connection between the parish and the sisters. Many Sisters of Loretto have worked at the church’s annual picnic, taught religious education, and served in the music ministry and in other capacities at the parish. This coming year, the parish’s Confirmation class will partner with the Loretto Sisters at the Motherhouse as part of the class’s studies.
Medley and Thompson both have ties to the Sisters of Loretto as well.
Medley was born in Loretto and baptized at St. Francis of Assisi, which is also where he attended grade school. Medley was ordained as a priest in 1982, and he was ordained as the fourth Bishop of Owensboro on Feb. 10, 2010. Medley is also related to a number of Loretto Motherhouse employees.
Thompson was born in Louisville, but he and his family lived in Marion County during his grade school years. He attended St. Charles Elementary in St. Mary, which is where the Sisters of Loretto started. Thompson was ordained as a priest in 1987 and served as the pastor of St. Augustine in Lebanon from 1996 to 2002. He became the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Evansville on June 29, 2011.  
For more information about the Sept. 23 celebration, call (270) 402-1205 or email Sr. Agnes Ann Schum, S.L., at aaschum@windstream.net.