Mission Strengthed by Welcoming Presentation Lantern Center Into Our Home

In a spirit of welcome and shared mission, the Sisters of the Presentation have opened space within their home at Mount Loretto to welcome the Presentation Lantern Center. Moving from its downtown Dubuque location to Mount Loretto marks a new chapter for the Lantern Center, creating opportunities to deepen and expand a ministry that has supported immigrant women and their families for more than two decades.   

Renovations to prepare the new space are currently underway, with the Lantern Center anticipating a move-in date of early summer.

In a world often marked by division and exclusion, the sisters continue to offer a countercultural witness rooted in the Gospel: radical hospitality. For generations, they have embraced the transformative power of welcome — not as a passive gesture, but as an intentional commitment to love, inclusion and shared mission.

“This decision is far more than a logistical shift — it is a profound act of mission,” said Sister Carmen Hernandez, congregational leader for the Sisters of the Presentation. “At the heart of our Presentation mission is a call to respond to the needs of the times, to stand with those on the margins and to foster a community where all can thrive. By making space for the Lantern Center ministry to grow, we reaffirm our belief that mission must always lead, even when it requires sacrifice.”

Since its founding in 2002 by the Sisters of the Presentation, the Presentation Lantern Center has been a place of learning for immigrants from around the world. Over the past two decades, this remarkable center has opened its doors and hearts to more than 2,500 newcomers from six continents and 85 countries, helping them to make Dubuque and surrounding areas their home.

Offering a place of welcome, one-on-one English tutoring and compassionate companionship for adult immigrants striving to better their lives, the center has embodied Presentation values the sisters hold dear: hospitality, education and advocacy.

“In a time when many are building walls, we believe our call is to build bridges,” said Sister Carmen. “And in doing so, we are showing the world what love looks like when it is lived boldly, generously and without reservation. This move is one small but meaningful way we can continue to live that mission.”