Discover Toronto's history as told through its plaques

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Loretto Abbey, Toronto, 1928

Photos and transcription by contributor Wayne Adam - Posted April, 2011

In front of Loretto Abbey at 101 Mason Boulevard, near Yonge Street and Wilson Avenue, is this 1985 plaque erected by The Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is what it tells us:

Coordinates: 43.740694 -79.411140

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Mary Ward (1585-1645) founded the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1609 to be an uncloistered community of religious women dedicated to the apostolate of teaching in the Christian context and to responding to the needs of the Church in every age. Numerous schools were soon opened in Catholic Europe and later throughout much of the free world.

The establishment made in 1686 at York, England, Mary Ward's homeland, led to the foundation at Rathfarnham, near Dublin, Ireland, in 1821. From there, at the invitation of Bishop Michael Power, five young women, known here as the Loretto Sisters, came to open a school in pioneer Toronto in September of 1847.

On May 22, 1928, Archbishop Neil McNeil of Toronto blessed the cornerstone of this new Loretto Abbey which would serve as both a school and a Motherhouse for the Institute in North America. Built in the Tudor Gothic style, the north wing and chapel were added in 1953.

This plaque was blessed and dedicated by His Eminence G. Emmett Cardinal Carter, Archbishop of Toronto, on Saturday, September 14 1985.

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Here are the visitors' comments for this page.

> Posted January 8, 2013
Isabel are you the one who worked at Banco Central? If you are, find me on Facebook Carmen Nunez McAllister. Would love to hear from you or e-mail me at cmcallis101@gmail.com. Looking forward to hearing from you!

> Posted August 2, 2012
I am a former Loretto Abbey student who graduated in 1974. I must say that my Loretto Abbey years are ones I often look back on with fond memories.
Years often pass too quickly, and I now I have a strong desire to reunite contacts with the school and alumnae.
Since 1991, I have established my residence in Bilbao, Spain, which I may add is a beautiful city and a wonderful place to live. I have been a primary English teacher in two private schools.
The American School of Bilbao is a private school which offers course studies in English. Here I have been working in the ESL program for the past 22 years. I love my teaching post and it gives me great pride to see the positive results of the programm.
During most of the academic year, I also teach intensive English courses at Ayalde. Ayalde is a catholic girls' which focuses on academic studies in three languages, Spanish, English and the Basque language. At Ayalde, I have been an English teacher for the past six years.
I hope that this new contact will be positive for myself and the Loretto Abbey Community.
Isabel Findlay

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