The Daughters of Charity Archives collects, preserves, and interprets records, artifacts, and materials reflecting the complex history and legacy of the Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph's, the Daughters of Charity, and the Sisters of Charity Federation in North America.

The Archives of the Emmitsburg Province is a private collection that establishes a link with the past and contributes to maintaining the continuity of the spirit of the Company of the Daughters of Charity through preservation at all levels—local, provincial, and general.

Since Vatican II, the importance of archives to the history of religious communities has been increasingly emphasized. Renewal in a religious congregation necessitates delving into the wellspring of its origin in order to understand the spirit and history of its founders. Archival materials provide a source for this heritage and at the same time arouse an appreciation of the dedication and sacrifice of those who preceded us. 

In the mens of the church, archives are places of memory of the Christian community and storehouses of culture for the new evangelization . . . The papers of memory are a living, cultural good because they are offered for the training of the Church and civil community and handed down for generations to come. Therefore it becomes our duty to protect them carefully.

The Pastoral Function of Church Archives
(Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage
of the Church, 1997, 7, 35)

This history augments an understanding of the life commitment in the past, in eras of transition, and in the future. The cultural aspects of yesterday and today depict the sisters individually and collectively as a community, as well as the transcendent values of the unique with which they are gifted as spiritual daughters of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, and as members of the Company of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul.

Saint Louise asked Saint Vincent to give her copies of the outline of his instruction because she wished the sisters"to be able to remember it forever." Louise realized the value of original records:

I hope that our sisters will make good use of the instruction that your Charity gave us Sunday [on the virtues of country girls]. Their hearts are filled with the desire to do so. They would like to be able to remember it forever. This causes me to ask you most humbly to send me the outline of the principal points which you had with you. I think that it would enable me to recall the better part of what our good God said to us through your words.

Louise de Marillac (1643)

One of the earliest sisters, Elisabeth Hellot, a secretary to Saint Louise, transcribed the conferences of Saint Vincent gave the sisters based on her notes, thus creating a record for future generations that is now published in English as Spiritual Writings Louise de Marillac (New City Press, 1991). As superior general of the Congregation of the Mission, Saint Vincent understood the value of creating a collection as an historical record of the life of the Company. His writings are published in English as Correspondence, Conferences, Documents (New City Press, 1985-2006).

In the future, please keep the letters written to you and to the members of your house, no matter from whom they may come, whenever they contain any noteworthy details that may be important or may be instructive for the future.

Vincent de Paul to the Superiors (1660)
Vincent de Paul to the Superiors

Rev. Simon Gabriel Bruté preserved the Seton papers for posterity and instructed the early Sisters of Charity in their conservation. Thanks to his foresight this valuable collection has been preserved for almost two hundred years and is now published in Elizabeth Bayley Seton Collected Writings (New City Press, 2000-2006).

This Collection of Papers contains a number of important documents for the Early history of the Sisters and of Mrs. Seton . . . they ought not to be destroyed . . . such papers contain occasionally parts, lines, or expressions that ought to remain sufficiently a matter of trust and special confidence, they should be kept locked in a private place, and only a proper person engaged to prepare them for use.

Simon Bruté (1834) 

For More Information

For detailed information on our archival resources, please visit our Library of Congress web page.

Access to the Archives

The Daughters of Charity regret that the Archives at Saint Joseph’s Provincial House (ASJPH) are temporarily closed to the public for an extended period of time during 2008. We are in the midst of reviewing and updating collection inventories of archival holdings, computerizing finding aids, and simultaneously doing research for projects related to the upcoming bicentennial of the foundation of the Sisters of Charity by Elizabeth Ann Seton. Please completely review the guidelines for archives requests before contacting us.