Loretta Schafer

Who is Loretta Schafer?

Sister Loretta Schafer, S.P., was the Superior General of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, from 1976-1981. In 1977, she worked with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development to develop and construct the Maryvale Retirement Complex at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana.

Schafer served as Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, the first woman to serve in this position.

In 1978, she sold Chicago's Providence-St. Mel school, which had been property of the Sisters of Providence, to principal Paul Adams after the Archdiocese of Chicago withdrew financial support. The story of the community's rallying spirit to keep the school open gained national attention and press, including a Readers Digest article "A School That Wouldn't Die."