The Abbey was Founded in 1847 by five Loretto Sisters from Ireland who brought Mary Ward’s vision to Toronto. The Abbey’s early days began on Duke Street and grew to a permanent home on Wellington Street in 1867. We have a proud history of sisterhood where students support one another and thrive. As we prepare for the school's new wing in the near future, we created a student-led Archives Committee. This group of students are passionate about keeping the legacy of the Loretto Sisters alive and visible to our community. They have successfully applied for and received three Ministry Experiential Learning Grants to create an digital archives of the physical artifacts in the school building, create and build a History Wall on the school's main floor, and develop an escape room orientation activity for all Grade 9 students to learn about the history of our school.

Every year, the Archives Committee in partnership with the Leadership class plant and host a history-themed Escape Room for the school's newest community members.  The Escape Room is an orientation activity for all Grade 9 students so they can learn about the school’s rich history and community in a creative and fun manner. It features an introductory video from Sr. Evanne, former principal and lead for the Loretto Sisters. Over several years, student members of the Archives Committee created challenges and group-building activities for grade 9 students to become more familiar with our school community and learn about past students and history. For example, challenges focus on the work of the Loretto Sisters and Loretto schools around the world, historical school traditions and the school’s historical building features. This is a spirit-building activity that brings together junior and senior students as well as ensures the legacy of the Loretto Sisters carries on to each Grade 9 class. Congratulations to Ms Ponissi's Grade 9 Phys Ed class for winning the inaugural Escape Room in 2025/2026 and Mr Vu's Grade 9 French class for winning the 2026-2027 Escape Room!