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Situated in the John Cardinal O’Connor Memorial Library is the typewriter of Dorothy Day, whose cause for canonization is now open. Surrounding it are books and papers documenting the history of the Archdiocese of New York. Down the hallway in the exhibition area, a small part of the original structure of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral on Mott Street is displayed, saved from a fire that destroyed the church in 1866.
Those are just a few of the treasures contained in the Archives of the Archdiocese of New York, which is comprised of the Archbishop John Hughes Archival Center, the Exhibition Hall and the John Cardinal O’Connor Memorial Library, all located in one building on the campus of St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie.
Speaking Nov. 19, the day of the blessing and dedication of the exhibition hall and library, Father Michael Morris, archivist of the archdiocese, said in his welcoming remarks, “Today, thanks to the generosity and magnificent support of His Eminence, Cardinal Dolan, himself a professionally trained and published historian, Cardinal O’Connor’s dream of a modern repository for the historical patrimony of the Church in New York and the nation has come to fruition.”
Before his blessing, Cardinal Dolan, clearly relishing the moment, told those gathered, “What’s important for the Church is both memory and dreams…It’s going to stoke our memories and inspire our dreams.”
Among those present were local historians from colleges and universities. Cardinal O’Connor’s sister, Mary Ward-Donegan, and her husband, Frank Donegan, also attended.
Cardinal O’Connor dedicated the Archbishop John Hughes Archival Center in 2000, just four months before he died, Father Morris said. Archbishop Hughes was the first Archbishop of New York. This year marks the 150th anniversary of his death.
The building that houses the archives center is also home to the offices of the archdiocesan Vocations and Youth Ministry offices.
The archives contain correspondence between prelates, books and newspapers on church history, documentation on papal visits and much more. Father Morris explained that the archives contain items, mostly paper documents, from Bishop John Dubois up to and including Cardinal Dolan. The archives do not hold sacred items.
“We get a wide range of historians using the material,” said Kate Feighery, archival manager. “The bishops and cardinals are at the center of the Church and also play an important role in New York City. The documentation we have allows people to see that history,” she said. That brings in both Catholic and non-Catholic researchers and historians, she noted. The archives are not open to the general public.
To do research, researchers must fill out an application. Inside, there are meeting rooms, a computer room and an area for research. The library is bright and modern, with crosses adorning the wooden walls. An Angelus Striker sits like a giant musical box in one corner of the library reminding one of times gone by.
One historian who has used the archives is James Carroll, professor of history at Iona College in New Rochelle. He is researching the history of Catholic education for papers, articles and a book he is writing. He said that the “collection is impeccable and the sources are remarkable.”
He told CNY that one can’t consider U.S. history or the history of any urban area without considering the Church and how it meets the needs of the faithful.
“It’s a rich collection for historians who study Church history and it gives us another lens to study U.S. history,” he said.
