This reflection originally appeared in the Fall 2018 Archivists for Congregations of Women Religious (ACWR) Newsletter. Thank you to Sister Mary Ann Kuttner of the Central Pacific Province for sharing it with us.
In 2017, the School Sisters of Notre Dame consolidated their eight former provincial archival collections into one archive – the School Sisters of Notre Dame North American Archives, located at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was hired as their first lay archivist. I know the sisters were uncertain how things would work with me in charge of their collections. On the flip side, I understood how important these collections were to the sisters, and I worried they wouldn’t trust me to do what was best for the archives.
After attending my first ACWR conference I realize that the SSNDs and I are hardly alone in traveling this path. It was great to connect with other archivists, both lay and religious, and to learn more about the challenges of working in archives for congregations of women religious. The conference was especially illuminating as I sat through various discussions of consolidations similar to what I recently experienced and learned more about congregations that are coming to completion.
I was most affected by Sr. Ray Maria McNamara’s keynote address on opening night. She said that lay archivists have a vocation for the work we do, and many of us consider our work to be our ministry. She also said that for lay archivists and sister archivists to succeed together, we needed to be humble enough to ask for assistance and to have an open heart to give help.
These statements really resonated with me as I reflected upon my first year with the SSNDs. I have gained immeasurable respect for the sisters and the things they have accomplished. I consider my work to be an extension of their charism and ministry; to preserve their history and to educate the public about their legacy of education in North America. We have learned to trust and rely on each other, and as a result we have built an archives program that we can all be proud of.
The sessions I attended provided me with information I need to build my “ministry” by conducting oral history projects and connecting with the larger world through initiatives like the Catholic Research Resources Alliance. What I enjoyed most, however, was meeting people and learning more about other congregations. Sr. Ray Maria said in her keynote that archivists are passionate about stories, and that was clear listening to the other archivists tell stories of their sisters.
I really enjoyed the conference and I appreciate the scholarship I received to make the trip possible. Now that I am settled, I hope to increase my involvement in ACWR and I look forward to the next meeting in 2021.