Ave Maria Loretto
Loretto, Niagara Falls with the first verse of "Ave Maria Loretto"
Through the decades, the sounds of "Ave Maria Loretto" have echoed through the halls of Loretto Academy. From the oldest member of the community to the youngest, this song has bound the generations together. At reunions, the voices of those who had walked the halls of Loretto would rise in unison to sing about their alma mater from their vantage point near the mighty Niagara. The two men that wrote "Ave Maria Loretto" were associated with the Congress of the Mission (the Vincentians). Thomas Vincent Welch was a New York State Assemblyman and J. Ernest Rieger was a professor of music at Niagara University, Lewiston, Niagara County, New York. A copy of the sheet music for "Ave Maria Loretto" is located in Archives and Special Collections under the call no. M 2113 R53 A94 1894.
