The Sisters of Providence record group documents the sister personnel and the administration of the religious community in the western United States. The records are arranged in three administrative subgroups: Sacred Heart Province (1856-1999), St. Ignatius Province (1891-1999) and Mother Joseph Province (2000-present). (On January 1, 2000, the sisters of Sacred Heart Province and St. Ignatius Province joined to form Mother Joseph Province.)
Record series for the administrative subgroups include history; chronicles; administration; spirituality; formation; publications; and personal papers. In-house finding aids are available. Some materials are confidential and access is restricted.
Among the most important series open for research is the Personal Papers of Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart (Esther Pariseau), 1823-1902, and records relevant to the installation of her statue in National Statuary Hall, Washington, D.C. This series includes original French correspondence, 1856-1902 (English translations available); her diary of the 1856 voyage to the Pacific Northwest; and the statue nomination, selection, and dedication process.
Several ancillary subgroups complete the Sisters of Providence record group. Among these is the Mother Emilie Gamelin collection, which documents the life and legacy of the founder of the Sisters of Providence religious community.
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