Belgium sent him church goods, seeds, and plants. Word of Nerinckx's efforts reached the Holy See and in 1808, the Pope sought to appoint him Bishop of New Orleans, but Nerinckx refused the honor. Soon after the arrival of Bishop Flaget in Bardstown, in June, 1811, a conference of the five secular and four Dominican priests serving in Kentucky was held for the purpose of distributing diocese territory into missionary districts. Nerinckx was assigned practically half the state, with residence at St. Charles in a little one room log cabin. With a focus on Catholic education, Nerinckx founded the Loretto sisters as a teaching order in 1812. It was formally designated the Friends of Mary at the Foot of the Cross. During a trip to Europe to obtain supplies, he persuaded Pierre-Jean De Smet to join the American mission. Nerinckx died at Ste. Genevieve, Missouri on 12 August 1824. Legacy and honors Nerinx Hall, a private secondary school for girls, was founded by the Sisters of Loretto in 1924 in Webster Groves, Missouri and named in honor of Nerinckx. References Further reading Herbermann, Charles G., LL.D. Life of Rev. Charles Nerinckx: Book Review in Historical Records and Studies: Volume 9, by United States Catholic Historical Society. New York: United States Catholic Historical Society (1916) at pp. 227–236. (A review of Howlett's book which gives roughly detailed outline of Nerinckx's life) Howlett, Rev. W.J. Life of Rev. Charles Nerinckx, Pioneer Missionary of Kentucky and Founder of the Sisters of Loretto. (8 vo.) (1915) also known as Life of Rev. Charles Nerinckx: pioneer missionary of Kentucky and founder of the Sisters at the Foot of the Cross 447pp. Mission Press S.V.D. (1915) Maes, Rev. Camillus Paul. The life of Rev. Charles Nerinckx: with a chapter on early Catholic missions of Kentucky; copious notes on the progress of Catholicity in the United States of America, from 1800–1825; an account of the establishment of the Society of Jesus in Missouri; and an historical sketch of the Sisterhood of Loretto in Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, Etc. (full title) 635pp. Cincinnati: R. Clarke & Co. (1880). 1761 births 1824 deaths People from Flemish Brabant Old University of Leuven alumni Roman Catholic priests of the Austrian Netherlands Belgian Roman Catholic missionaries Sisters of Loretto Roman Catholic missionaries in the United States