Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Archives conducted specialized tours for the orientation program for new Motherhouse and sponsored ministry employees.
Preserving Our History
In Every Circumstance By Veronica Buchanan, Archivist
D
uring the 2019-2020 year, the Archives and its dedicated team of 14 Sister and Associate volunteers continued their mission to convey, preserve, and share the rich legacy of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. This year’s focus was on adding and enhancing our digital outreach, which proved to be quite timely! In discussions with our new Leadership Team, a goal was set to enhance our digital presence for the Archives over the next four years. The first project outlined was to digitize a collection of microfilm created by current and past Sister volunteers, preserving more than 100,000 pages of the most vital records in the collection. Necrologies, records from early missions, and portions of the Community admission ledger will be made publicly available in the coming months. Having this project and our existing digital resources made the transition to working from home during the pandemic much easier and allowed us to continue to make progress on existing projects and answer research requests without significant interruption. During the shutdown months, the Archives team continued to work to instill a sense of A n n u al R eport 2 0 2 0
connectivity to Sisters and Associates through collaborations with the Communications team to release educational resources on the SC website as well as weekly challenges to identify Sisters and places in photographs from the collection. Although we were unable to provide many of the tours normally scheduled in the last quarter of the year, our Sister and Associate docents were still able to conduct 21 tours for more than 250 visitors this year. Highlights include providing tours for nine sections of the Freshmen Orientation course at Mount Saint Joseph University, welcoming a group from Bayley’s Adult Day Program, and conducting specialized tours for the re-invigorated orientation program for new Motherhouse and sponsored ministry employees. We look forward to the day when we can continue to further the Community’s commitment to hospitality by again welcoming visitors to the Motherhouse! Servant of God Blandina Segale continues to be a beacon of hope and inspiration for the Archives. This year, we assisted Petitioner Allen Sanchez with research and supplemental documentation from the collection to aid in
In February 2020, the first Shrine was dedicated in Servant of God S. Blandina Segale’s honor at St. Pius X High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
the advancement of her Cause to Veneration. In February 2020, the first Shrine was dedicated in S. Blandina’s honor at St. Pius X High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This year, we hosted two students from DePaul Cristo Rey High School’s Corporate Work Study program. Senior Emily Ann focused on creating new records for Sisters buried at Mount St. Joseph Cemetery on the website Findagrave. Freshman Nadia digitized photographs from the College of Mount St. Joseph for its centennial anniversary and assisted in re-designing or freshening up displays in the Rose Room and St. Mary’s Hall. The Archives has forged new paths in this crisis and found solace in the spirit of Elizabeth Seton, who met each challenge with grace and the conviction of her beliefs. In every circumstance, we continue to illuminate the past in the hopes of developing a brighter future. 7
