Learn about the people who helped shape us into who we are today—now 19 programs and services, serving 10,000 people annually across Onondaga and Cayuga Counties.
Bishop John Grimes—The Visionary Founder
Bishop John Grimes provided the vision that led to Loretto's creation as a home for older adults.
Loretto was established by the Syracuse Diocese in 1926, and Loretto's history credits the fundraising and construction of the original home to the Diocese in fulfillment of the vision of Bishop Grimes. The original Loretto Rest opened in 1927 serving 100 residents
Bishop Daniel Joseph Curley
The Most Rev. Daniel Joseph Curley was the third bishop of the Syracuse Roman Catholic Diocese and worked to complete Loretto Rest Home for the Aged, the first diocesan home for the aged in North America. Loretto Rest, now called The Heritage, was said to be “a magnificent building which will always remain a monument to Bishop Curley’s memory.”
The Sisters of St. Francis: The Women Who Built the Heart of Loretto
When Loretto opened its doors in 1927, the Sisters of St. Francis were there. For nearly five decades, they provided the daily oversight and personal care that transformed Loretto from a new home for older adults into a community rooted in compassion, dignity and service. Their Franciscan tradition became part of Loretto's DNA—shaping not only how residents were cared for, but how Loretto understood its responsibility to the community. Long after the Sisters' formal operational role ended in the early 1970s, their legacy continued to influence Loretto's mission and its commitment to serving older adults with purpose, wholeness and dignity.
Monsignor Charles Fahey
Msgr. Fahey is considered the founding father of the Loretto system. As the director of Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Syracuse, Monsignor Fahey helped open five diocesan nursing homes and created the Christopher Community, a nonprofit organization affiliated with Catholic Charities that developed specialized housing for the elderly and disabled. He served for decades on the Loretto Board of Directors and was a lifelong volunteer.
John “Bud” Costello
John was a board member of Catholic Charities, helped establish the Loretto nursing home board, and worked on financing for two nursing homes and apartment complexes both as Loretto board secretary and as the attorney for Loretto.
Beginning in the 1960s, Bud played a key role in the development of the St. James Apartments. The model developed there allowed Fr. Charles Fahey, Bud, and their associates and friends to establish the Centers at St. Camillus, Loretto Geriatric Center, the Nottingham, and the many projects of the Christopher Community. As his friend of more than 60 years, Msgr. Fahey noted, "Many of these facilities and the thousands of people they serve and have served over the decades would not exist, at least, in their present configurations, without Bud's singular contributions."
Amelia Greiner
Amelia Greiner was the chairwoman of the Loretto Geriatric Center Board of Trustees in 1992, succeeding Charlotte "Chuckie" Holstein who stepped down after holding the position since 1979.
Amelia Greiner helped shape Loretto's commitment to serving older adults beyond the walls of a traditional nursing home. As founder of Home Aides of Central New York and a longtime advocate for older adults, she brought a deep understanding of community-based care, independence and the needs of vulnerable populations to Loretto's board leadership. Her service helped strengthen Loretto's connection to the broader network of organizations working to improve the lives of older adults throughout Central New York.
Martin Kendrick
Martin F. Kendrick was a prominent Syracuse, New York attorney whose firm, Smith Sovik, serves as longstanding legal counsel for Loretto Health and Rehabilitation, defending the healthcare system and its foundation in corporate matters, liability cases, and structural appeals in Onondaga County.
Norman Harper
Norman Harper was the first official president of Loretto, marking a major leadership transition for the organization. His appointment formally transferred operational oversight of Loretto from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse which originally founded the organization in 1926 to an independent mission-based nonprofit organization.
John Clancy
John "Jack" Clancy was the first chairman of the Loretto Board of Trustees, serving from 1975 to 1979. Jack had a lifelong concern for the aging population and served in a leadership role with the Bernardine Apartments and Loretto Rest Nursing Home. He succeeded Martin J. Kendrick as Loretto Board President.
"John was associated with Blue Cross Blue Shield and it was that connection, I’m sure, that brought him onto the board. He was very active for Loretto, a great spokesman for Loretto in the community during those years." - Bishop Costello
Charlotte “Chuckie” Holstein
Chuckie was the first woman to serve on our Loretto Board, which she subsequently chaired for 13 years. Serving on the Loretto Board for 17 years, she helped develop the facility’s comprehensive network of health, residential, and social services, and she played an integral role in developing The Nottingham, the first independent living retirement community in New York State. She also helped secure state and federal funding for The Heritage Memory Life Community, the first residential program in Central New York, to provide affordable, dedicated memory care for those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
James Introne
James Introne served as Loretto president and CEO for over 20 years, leading the nonprofit through a major period of growth that resulted in Loretto being Central New York’s largest nonprofit provider of nursing home care, housing, and long-term care for the elderly.
Leading Loretto into its modern era, under his leadership Loretto accumulated a long list of area innovations: the first Long-Term Home Health Care Program, the first Enriched Housing Program, the first continuing care retirement community, the first Medicaid Assisted Living Program, the first residential setting for sufferers of Alzheimer’s and other dementia, and the first PACE CNY-Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, among others.
Sharon McAuliffe, the current Chair of the community-based Loretto Board of Trustees, said, “Jim is a visionary. He is never satisfied to merely maintain the status quo, but always thinking about and planning for the future, trying to create programs and policies that improve the lives of seniors in our community.”
Dr. Kimberly Townsend
Dr. Kimberly Townsend is the president and Chief Executive Office of Loretto. Townsend has overseen the continued development of Loretto as one of Central New York's largest and most comprehensive post-acute healthcare systems.
Dr. Kimberly Townsend's tenure has been defined by transformation. Since becoming Loretto's President & CEO in 2014, she has expanded Loretto's continuum of care, championed innovative models for dementia and post-acute care, invested in workforce development, increased access to services for vulnerable populations, guided the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic and positioned Loretto for its next century of service. Under her leadership, Loretto has grown into a 19-program nonprofit healthcare system serving more than 10,000 people annually while becoming recognized for innovation in workforce development, memory care and specialized post-acute services.
