Sharing Archives for the Future
February 11, 2025
This article appears in the February Issue of Reflections and Connections
A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Heritage and Research Center (HARC) at Saint Mary’s, which will house the rich histories and collections of at least nine congregations of women religious, took place on Friday, July 26, 2024, on Saint Mary’s campus, Notre Dame, Indiana.
HARC is set to open in late 2025. The life stories of thousands of Catholic sisters will now be in one place where all can come together to study, research, and apply initiatives and models to lead communities, parishes, organizations, schools and centers. The extensive collection will shine a light on the sisters’ models of leadership and organization and their processes for growing community development and advancing social justice. These approaches to living justly can serve humanity well, and the archives will ensure that they can be shared more broadly.
“We’re excited for this opportunity because our collections will complement and be complemented by the archives of the other member congregations,” said CSA Archivist Jenny Lukomski. “Future researchers will benefit from the wide scope of primary source materials available in this one location.”
HARC will feature storytelling, artifact exhibits, archival preservation and digitization. Learning rooms, group dialogue and classes will also share the history of women religious. Together, these resources will present role models of women that can help guide others—today and in the future.