Stories from the Archives
Helping the New SSCM Congregation
Was she Sister Lauretta, Sister Loretta McGonnell, Loretto McConnell, or Loretta McDonald? Imagine being called by several religious names and three last names! Catharine McGonnell was born in 1848 in Fairfield Township, Lycoming County, which borders Montoursville today and which is only a few miles from Williamsport. She entered the IHMs in 1872, was received in 1873, and professed in 1875.
Sister Loretta served as superior at St. Patrick Orphanage at the time of the fire on February 27, 1881; (newspapers from that time as well as modern recounts have incorrectly identified her just as Sister Lauretta.) That was a very trying time for her. It seems as though God gave her an assignment that must have brought life to her after losing the lives of children in that fire.
From a picture of sisters assigned to Laurel Hill Academy, we know that sometime between 1881 and 1913 Sister Loretta served in Susquehanna, PA, at Laurel Hill Academy. (HINT: Sister Loretta is pictured in one of the panels on the wall of the main hall in the IHM Center, she is in the top row center.)
In 1913, she was asked to serve as the Directress of Novices at St. Stephen Convent in Plymouth, PA, for the new Congregation of the Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius. According to the archives of the SSCMs, on the day St. Stephen’s Convent was ready for occupancy, Mother Cyril Conway, I.H.M. accompanied the postulants and novices into the chapel of St. Stephen’s, prayed with them, shared supper with them, and then returned to Scranton. Mother Cyril left Sister Loretta in charge of the novices and as representative of the Superior General of the IHMs. Sister Loretta continued to receive postulants at the Plymouth convent and to direct novices as well as govern the affairs of the new congregation as the representative of Mother Germaine O’Neill (who was elected in 1913). She continued to serve in that capacity until 1917.
The newspaper account of her death indicates she died after a lingering illness. Bishop Hoban spoke of her dedication at her funeral, which was held in the Marywood Chapel on July 8, 1919. Sister Loretta McGonnell is buried in our Marywood Cemetery.
Sources used:
- Sisters of Saint Cyril and Methodius, 1909-2009: 100th Anniversary, edited by
Sister Jeanne Ambre, SS.C.M., State College, PA: Jostens Publishing Company,
2009, p.19. - Sister Loretta Marie Hrubec, SS. C.M., Archivist. Sisters of Saints Cyril and
Methodius, email dated June 2, 2024. - “Funeral of Sister Held at Mt. St. Mary’s” Newspapers.com, The Tribune, July
10, 1919, Newspapers.com. Accessed May 7, 2024. - Kashuba, Cheryl A. “Tragedy 1881 orphanage fire left 17 children dead.” The
Times Tribune, June 12, 2011.