Interviewer
Eva Antone Ross
Project
200th Anniversary of the Sisters of Loretto
Summary of Interview
Ratermann was born in El Paso in 1932 and was born at a Masonic Hospital. She is the youngest one in her family and her older sister, Sister Helen Julius Ratermann, who was the oldest and was born in 1914, was also a sister. The location of the interview is 4108 Waco. Her mother’s family went to live in Socorro, New Mexico and when the mines began to get shaky, they moved to El Paso. Her father was Julius Augustus Ratermann and came to El Paso because doctors believed he had Tuberculosis. Her mother was born in Socorro, New Mexico and moved to El Paso,TX and claimed she was born in El Paso because her heart was in El Paso. She grew up in El Paso. Her sister and brother went to St. Joseph’s and she went to Loretto and graduated in 1951. Her brother Julius flew B-‐17 bombers in WWII, her other brother was an Engineer in the Air Force. Ratermann went to the Motherhouse in Nerinckx Kentucky-‐which is sixty miles out of Louisville. The first year students are able to pray a lot and learn more about their faith. She was in Denver in 2010 for a discernment meeting. She was amazed at the technology used and how people in various parts of the country were able to be a part of a meeting in Denver. She shared how she began teaching at Loretto. She also discusses going to Juarez to teach as well. The students went with her and were expected to be on their best behavior. They would go to the market and to the Cathedral in Juarez. The two speak about worldly issues and she also said she would tell a young person about the faith in the 21st Century that they need to live for something special. When Ratermann thinks of the Spirit of Loretto, she thinks about winning souls. Ross mentions using female intuition and female nature as a part of the Spirit of Loretto. They also discuss a stamp that could be used to commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the Sisters of Loretto.
Date of Interview
9-21-2010
Length of Interview
38 minutes
Listen to the Interview
Tape Number
No. 1696
Transcript Number
No. 1696
Length of Transcript
15 pages
Transcriber
Jessica Molinar-Muñoz
Interview Number
No. 1696
Terms of Use
Unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Interview with Frances Ratermann S. L. by Eva Antone Ross, 2010, "Interview no. 1696," Institute of Oral History, University of Texas at El Paso.