Archivists for Congregations of Women Religious ACWR

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Archivists for Congregations of Women Religious ACWR Assisting archivists in the management and preservation of the historical record of women religious.

The ACWR blog is back! We’re thrilled to launch our new blog, where we’ll be sharing articles about our members, archiva...
10/16/2026

The ACWR blog is back! We’re thrilled to launch our new blog, where we’ll be sharing articles about our members, archival finds, organization updates, and more!

Check it out here: archivistsacwr.org/members/blog
* Members, you will need to be logged in to view the blog! *

Do you have a suggestion for a blog article? Contact the Publications Committee!

Day might be over, but we’ve still got plenty of wisdom to share throughout the rest of the month! Today, we’re sharin...
10/15/2026

Day might be over, but we’ve still got plenty of wisdom to share throughout the rest of the month! Today, we’re sharing two archives-related book recommendations from Sr. Ancilla, Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George: The Archive Thief, by Lisa Moses Leff and The Pope and the Devil: The Vatican Archives and the Third Reich by Hubert Wolf.

A huge, heartfelt thank you everyone who participated in Day! We hope you enjoyed learning a little more about our mem...
10/15/2026

A huge, heartfelt thank you everyone who participated in Day! We hope you enjoyed learning a little more about our members, their collections, the wonderful world of women religious archives.

Still got questions? No problem! Leave your comments below, and we’ll continue to answer them all month long!

What was the most surprising thing you found in the archives? “The original architectural drawings for the 1873 propose...
10/15/2026

What was the most surprising thing you found in the archives?

“The original architectural drawings for the 1873 proposed Motherhouse, showing what the architect proposed as five story building that would be built in five segments. It is all hand drawn, color coded, complete with inches for every different element of the building: windows, doors, floor space, stairwells, etc. It is a real treasure.”- Sister Caritas Strodthoff, Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity

In ten words (or less), how would you describe being an archivist? “Being an archivist is respecting the heritage of m...
10/14/2026

In ten words (or less), how would you describe being an archivist?

“Being an archivist is respecting the heritage of my community, loving it and sharing it with others.” - Sr. Mary Shimo, Archives of the Sisters of Bon Secours

What's your favorite archives-related movie, book, or TV show? “A really fun scripted podcast is Archive 81. It’s the ...
10/14/2026

What's your favorite archives-related movie, book, or TV show?

“A really fun scripted podcast is Archive 81. It’s the closest thing to an action movie starring an archivist! They also made it into one season of a show on Netflix (and then canceled it – justice for Archive 81!).” - Sarah Aisenbrey, Sisters of the Precious Blood

What is the oldest thing in your collection? “Prior to the official founding of the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Ch...
10/14/2026

What is the oldest thing in your collection?

“Prior to the official founding of the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, four women were housed in the little house. They went on to found our community. The little house they lived in was eventually demolished, but one of our Sisters went out to the little house and took the glass, the door handle and the pegs used to hang their clothes on, and brought them to the Motherhouse. One of our Sisters then took the glass and made a replica of the original house. The glass, pegs, and handle are our oldest pieces in our archives collection.” - Sister Caritas Strodthoff, Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity

What advice would you give to researchers? “I would suggest to researchers to always chat with the archivist re: resear...
10/14/2026

What advice would you give to researchers?
“I would suggest to researchers to always chat with the archivist re: research requests and interests rather than just reading finding aids online alone and assuming you'll be able to discern what you need from them without asking for reference help.”
- Rachel French, Congregational Archivist, Franciscan Sisters of the Poor

What’s the oldest thing in your collection? “The oldest thing in our collection is an 1824 copy of the Sisters of St. ...
10/14/2026

What’s the oldest thing in your collection? “The oldest thing in our collection is an 1824 copy of the Sisters of St. Joseph’s constitution, written in French in LePuy, France, where the Sisters of St. Joseph were founded in 1650. Our community came to Concordia, KS in 1884. So this copy is older than we are and I have no idea how we came into procession of it. But it is priceless to me.” - Sr. Jean Ann Walton, CSJ, The Sisters of St. Joseph, Concordia, Kansas

What's your favorite community story to share with visitors? “[We have] way too many stories but one that I love: Livi...
10/14/2026

What's your favorite community story to share with visitors?

“[We have] way too many stories but one that I love: Living in the first two wings of our five story Motherhouse put up in 1873 and 1879 with no electricity or plumbing. Imagine that!! For 17 years they had neither...to my knowledge. Kerosene lamps and candles were the lighting in the darkness.” - Sister Caritas Strodthoff, Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity

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5900 Delhi Road
Cincinnati, OH
45051

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+15133474080

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