The Steel Magnate and the Monastery: Sharing a Beautiful Story Unknown to Many in Today’s World

Regardless of your religion I think you will enjoy the story of this beautiful monastery located in a small western Pennsylvania town. The story about this monastery and its connection to the steel magnate, Charles M. Schwab, who built it is very fascinating. The name of the monastery is the Carmel of St. Thérèse of Lisieux or “Loretto Carmel” and it is located in the small town of Loretto, Pennsylvania. Some people may have heard of Saint Francis University, which is located just down the road from Loretto Carmel and practically across the road from Charles M. Schwab's former mansion. Loretto Carmel is named for Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, a very popular saint who lived in a monastery in Lisieux, France. There are many Carmelite monasteries named after Saint Thérèse but Loretto Carmel is the only one in the United States founded directly from France. The Sisters who founded this monastery came to the United States from Bordeaux in September 1926 at the invitation of a local bishop. However, before these founding Sisters traveled to the United States they visited with three of Saint Thérèse's sisters, who were not only religious sisters but they were her blood sisters as well. One of Saint Thérèse's sisters gave the founding Sisters a first-class relic of Saint Thérèse to take to the United States and in return a promise was made to name the new monastery after Saint Thérèse. In case you are not familiar with religious relics, first-class relics include the physical remains of a saint, such as, a strand of their hair.

Charles M. Schwab was raised in Loretto and was an engineer who worked in the steel industry. He was the first president of United States Steel Corporation but eventually left to work for Bethlehem Steel and under his leadership the company became the second-largest steel maker in the United States. So obviously he was a very wealthy man with his fortune estimated to be between $500 and $800 million in today's economy. The mansion that he owned in Loretto was his summer estate and it had beautiful gardens. The Franciscan Third Order Regular (TOR) Fathers purchased the property and now the gardens, known as "Mount Assisi Gardens" or the "Shrines and Sunken Gardens at Mount Assisi" are open to the public for visitation. The Franciscans added religious statues and shrines and I can tell you firsthand that the gardens are absolutely breathtaking. So even if you are not a religious person I think you would still enjoy visiting just to see the beautiful gardens, which include ponds and benches for people to sit and enjoy the scenery. The gardens are sacred grounds so there are certain rules that must be followed but you don’t have to be a particular religion to enjoy them. Mount Assisi Gardens are so beautiful that many people choose to have their wedding pictures taken here. Therefore, it is worth taking a road trip to see these gardens plus you can also see Charles M. Schwab’s mansion, which is now home to the Franciscan Friars and sits above the gardens. It is also a beautiful site to be seen even though it is not open for the public to visit.

When the founding Sisters came to the United States from France they temporarily settled into the El Dorado Monastery in the city of Altoona, which was not far from Loretto. However, the Sisters needed to find a suitable permanent location for the new Carmel. I have grown up learning about and visiting the sites in Loretto. My grandmother and I would spend many Sunday afternoons visiting Loretto Carmel and Mount Assisi Gardens. It was my understanding that Charles M. Schwab built Loretto Carmel for his sister. My grandmother told me the story and I just assumed that it was accurate since Loretto Carmel is in such close proximity to the mansion. Well, his sister was also a religious sister so that was true but he didn’t build the monastery specifically for her. She belonged to the Sisters of Charity at Seton Hill in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, but she did eventually transfer to Loretto Carmel. The Schwab family had become great friends of the Carmelite Community and when looking for a place to build the new Carmel she sent, by taxi no less, a statue of Saint Thérèse to the Schwab family with a note stating “I need a home”! It is important to mention that his mother was devoted to Saint Thérèse so I’m sure that helped the cause. Even if you are not Catholic you probably have seen religious sisters in movies or on television and some of them can be very determined and convincing! Charles M. Schwab did agree to build the new Carmel on property donated by the Franciscan TOR Fathers. He was a great businessman of course so he also helped his beloved hometown by hiring local people to construct the monastery. The Sisters moved into the new monastery in May 1930.

The Sisters at Loretto Carmel are discalced which means they live a life of prayer in a cloistered or enclosed monastery. This is one reason it was so important to find the right place with sufficient property to build the new monastery. The Sisters who would be living there needed space since they pretty much stay within the enclosure of the monastery except to go to the doctor or other necessary appointments. Loretto Carmel has a chapel that the public is welcome to attend mass at or to just make a visit. The Sisters are at the mass but they are behind a curtain so you cannot see them but you can certainly hear their beautiful voices! The chapel was recently renovated but the history is still intact. There is also a gift shop at the monastery where they sell various religious items like rosary beads, books and statues. They also give tours of certain areas in the monastery. At one time there were Sisters who were permitted to give tours; however, they sadly passed away but local people have stepped up volunteering to give the tours. Not that long ago my sister and I visited the monastery and we went on a tour. One very interesting part of the tour are the rooms where the cloistered Sisters visit with their families. The rooms are very simple and the Sisters are not in the room with their families but they are hidden. If a family member wants to give something to a Sister there is a cylinder-like contraption that you place the object in and turn it towards the Sister so she can receive it. The interactions the Sisters have with the outside world are greatly limited. This is a choice they make when they enter the Carmelite monastery, their life is dedicated to prayer. The Sisters do have each other so they are not totally alone. But there is no doubt in my mind that it is not an easy lifestyle and I have great respect for these women and their great love for God.

I had some basic knowledge about the history of Loretto Carmel but I did research to make sure the information I provide in this article is accurate and to provide some additional details that I did not know. The information about Loretto Carmel was obtained from their website www.lorettocarmel.org and the information about Charles M. Schwab was found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_M._Schwab. If you are interested in visiting Loretto Carmel, please visit their website for directions and for mass times and visiting/tour hours. Information about Mount Assisi Gardens can be found at www.franciscanstor.org.