Sister Loretta Schafer, S.P., (April 17, 1917 – February 19, 1998) was the

Superior General A superior general or general superior is the leader or head of an 'order' of religious persons (nuns, priests, friars, etc) or, in other words, of a 'religious institute' in the Catholic Church, and in some other Christian denominations. The super ...

of the

Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods The Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods are an Consecrated life (Catholic Church), apostolic congregation of Roman Catholic Church, Catholic women founded by Saint Theodore Guerin, Theodora Guerin (known colloquially as Saint Mo ...

, Indiana, from 1976 to 1981. In 1977, she worked with the

United States Department of Housing and Urban Development The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the secretary of housing and u ...

to develop and construct the Maryvale Retirement Complex at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. Schafer served as

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the

Archdiocese of Indianapolis The Archdiocese of Indianapolis () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Indiana in the United States. When it was originally erected as the Diocese of Vincennes on May 6, 1834, it encompassed all of Indiana as well as the eastern ...

, the first woman to serve in this position. In 1978, she sold Chicago's

Providence St. Mel School Providence St. Mel School (PSM) is a private, Mixed-sex education, coeducational Preschool-12th Grade school in East Garfield Park, Chicago, Illinois. History The school was created in 1969 with the merger of two schools, Providence High Scho ...

, which had been property of the Sisters of Providence, to principal Paul Adams after the

Archdiocese of Chicago The Archdiocese of Chicago () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction, an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church located in Northeastern Illinois, in the United States. The Vatican erected it as a diocese in 1843 and elevated it to an ar ...

withdrew financial support. The story of the community's rallying spirit to keep the school open gained national attention and press, including a ''

Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...

'' article "A School That Wouldn't Die".

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schafer, Loretta Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods 1998 deaths 1917 births 20th-century American Roman Catholic nuns