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Catholic Archives 1998

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Catholic Archives 1998 Catholic Archives 1998 Number 18 THE JOURNAL OF The Catholic Archives Society CATHOLIC ARCHIVES NO 18 CONTENTS 1998 Editorial Notes Address to the Catholic Archives Society ARCHBISHOP MARCHISANO 3 The Archives of Mount Saint Bernard Abbey J. GELL, OCSO 13 The Archives of the Daughters of the Heart of Mary P. VAULK, DHM 18 National Archives of Ireland 27 The Human Face of Archives P. O'BRIEN, RSM 30 The Presentation Sisters in Madras C. LOUGHRAN, PBVM 35 The Catholic Church and the 1944 Education Act: Material in the Public Record Office J. DAVIES 43 Book Review 55 The Catholic Archives Society 56 Conference, 1997 Illustrations Cover of the new Vatican Document 4 Mount Saint Bernard Abbey 15 Annette Doyle 24 Ada Caroline Vertue 24 The Famine in Kilrush 33 1 EDITORIAL NOTES For the Catholic Archives Society thehighlights of the past year were two-fold. Firstly, the visit to England in the spring of Archbishop Marchisano, President of the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church; and secondly, the Society’s own visit to Ireland in the summer. Accompanied by Dr Carlo Stella, Archbishop Marchisano at­ tended the Annual Conference at Upholland and, in the presence of the Archbishop of Liverpool, addressed the members of the Society on the Commission’s recently-issued document, The Pastoral Function of Church Archives. This talk is reproduced as the first article in the present edition of Catholic Archives. The Society’s visit to Ireland is recalled by a summary of the holdings of the National Archives in Dublin, as well as by further contributions of Irish interest: Sister Pius O’Brien’s charming reflections on the archives of the Mercy Convent in Ennis, and Sister Christine Loughran’s account of the Presentation Sisters' educational work in Madras. The variety of religious life in the Church is represented by Brother fonathan Gell’s article on Mount Saint Bernard Abbey and its archival holdings, a contribution followed by that of Patricia Vaulk on the Daughters of the Heart of Mary, an altogether different expression of the consecrated state which owes much to the circumstances of the Church in Revolutionary France. Lastly, fohn Davies offers a summary of archival material in the Public Record Office relating to the Catholic Church and the 1944 Education Act. Each of the contributions to this year’s journal will widen our appreciation and knowledge of the world of Catholic archives and archivists. Indeed, it is the Editor’s sincere hope that the variety of content and style represented in Catholic Archives 18 will appeal to the ever-increasing readership of this publication: clerical and religious, lay, Catholics and those from other Christian traditions, professional archivists and those who work on a voluntary or part-time basis. On behalf of the Officers and members of the Catholic Archives Society I wish to thank all those who have written for this edition of the journal. Each and every such contribution serves to deepen our understanding of the value and importance of the cultural heritage of the Church, and as the Conclusion to the Pontifical Commission's document states, Archives, as part of the Church’s cultural heritage... can really bring about a valid contribution to the process of new evangelization.’ Father Stewart Foster 2 ARCHBISHOP MARCHISANO'S ADDRESS TO THE CATHOLIC ARCHIVES SOCIETY Given at the Annual Conference, Upholland, 28 May 1997 I want to thank whole-heardtedly the Chairman, Mr Robin Gard, and each member of the Society for inviting me here today to take part in this important Annual Conference, as well as my brother bishops in Christ who honour me with their presence. I am particularly glad to be here with you because it gives me a chance to see many of you again after your visit to our Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church in Rome. This time I am in your lovely country of which I have fond memories dating back to when I was working at the Pontifical Congregation for Catholic Education. Just like the previous occasion, this is also quite a memorable event for me since it gives me the opportunity to express to you all our gratitude for your work and dedication. It allows us to learn more from your expertise and to work together on special concerns in an area of the Church's cultural heritage - viz. church archives - which is truly fundamental to her very existence and her mission of evangelization. But there is also another reason why I hope we will look back to our meeting today as a significant landmark in our day-to-day work. As you know, the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church has just issued a specific document on archives (The Pastoral Function of Church Archives) and I am here to present it to you. I will give some background information on how it evolved, and will present its major points, what we hope it will mean for the particular churches in every nation, and its general significance within the context of the activities and projects - past, present and future - of the Pontifical Commission. Let me begin by saying that this document could not have been conceived without your precious contribution and that of those who have gone before you and who have kept alive, through generations in time, this important vocation to search out, collect, protect, conserve, and pass on historical records and documents as part of a written and oral tradition which is embedded like a foundation-stone in every ecclesial community and family. Indeed, it is your daily and often tedious work, carried out in silence and often unnoticed, your loving care and concern, as well as your patience and timely efforts, which has permitted us to even address this issue. 3 T h e Po n tif ic a l C om m ission cor t h e C u ltu r a l H er ita q e o r t h e C hurch Circular Letter THE PASTORAL f u n c t io n OF CHURCH ARCHIVES Va t ic a n C ity, F ebruary 2 , 1 9 9 7 COVER OF THE NEW VATICAN DOCUMENT But why has the Holy See decided to address the topic of the role of archives with a specific document at this particular moment in time? Some will say that in a worldwide society where so many countries are facing major economic crises, and some serious political instability, social issues should be at the centre of attention. Yet we know from our forefathers in the Faith that there is a proper time for everything, a Kaiios born from the development of human events and from divine supervision of our spiritual beings. Beaming in mind that numerous reminders have been issued through the ages by the Church regarding 4 the mandatory and fundamental task of diocesan bishops and their community to look after their archive collections in an adequate way - as reported in our document - 1 believe that developments and attitudes in recent years within our contemporary society have now prompted the Holy See to underline a special concern for this area as a vital part of the Church's pastoral mission. I do not want to sound over-critical of modern society, but I think we can observe objectively one major fault with it: a general lack of knowledge of history which leads to a very superficial interpretation of political and social events. Mass media and technological developments have contributed to shading our daily reality with the ephemeral, the spectacular, a 'use and throw away' mentality. In a society where reproductions of all kinds (forgeries, recyclable materials) are invading a fast-growing and demanding mar­ ket, where has the value of the authentic and genuine gone? We who have experienced the joy of receiving a handwritten letter from a distant family member or a dear friend, especially during time of war when communications were difficult, are, I am sure, wondering how these manuscripts will be considered fifty years from now in view of the fast spreading instantaneous messages travelling through our polluted ozone atmosphere and onto our computer screens. What is to become of that pleasure we have all felt as researchers find that lost clue to our quest in the pages of a dusty old volume or by unrolling a precious yet forgotten manuscript? And I am sure that some of you have also experienced finding a parchment or document whose value was completely ignored and saving it from total destruction. With this in mind, I think we can say that there is a real need to strengthen an overall consciousness of the intrinsic value of learning about, conserving, and protecting historical documents, records, and manu­ scripts within our society in general. And many goverments, I am glad to say, are beginning to strengthen their efforts with regard to the conservation and promotion of their national archive collections (as for example in France, Italy and Spain). Within the Church, the tradition of this kind of attention to archival material is also based on theological considerations, some of which I will just briefly mention. Following the mystery of the Incarnation (the Word made Flesh) whereby God the Father has wanted to entrust His Truth to a history, an experience, a Revelation, the concept of Mem ory hasassumeda very special significance within the Church. Through the words and deeds of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the source of mankind's Redemption, 5 and as recounted by our forefathers in the Faith and the first Christian communities, man has been called to be a witness of His Memory: 'Do this in memory of m e.
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