About the Archives

When the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth became a Pontifical Institute in 1910, their new Constitutions established the office of Secretary General. Sister Marie Menard was the first to hold this office. Among her record-keeping responsibilities was the preservation of local church and community history. This responsibility continued under her successors until, in 1969, the first Archival Center was established and Sister Mary Ramona Mattingly was appointed as archivist.

Visit Us

The SCN Archival Center is located in O’Connell Hall at the west end of the second floor.

Office Hours for Visitors/Researchers

Monday through Friday
Mornings: 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Afternoons: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Open all other times by appointment only.

Phone: 502.348.1548 | Fax : 502.348.1546

Hours are subject to change. Researchers are advised to call ahead to confirm the hours. Advance notification of your visit and research topic will also enable the staff to prepare for your visit and to provide better service, however it is not required and drop-in visitors are always welcome.

The Archival Center is the official repository for all documents, records and photographs which pertain to the internal development of the SCN Congregation, the personal histories of individual members, and the history of the apostolic ministries of the Congregation, including noteworthy facts about the persons served. Some records related to the Church and to national, state and local history, though not directly related to official Community history are retained for their general historic and informational value. The Archival Center is responsible for the preservation of these materials and for making them available to researchers.

Marie Menard Committee

The Marie Menard Oral History Committee (MMC) was created in 1999 to gather the treasured stories of our Sisters’ lives. The MMC is named after Sister Marie Menard, the Community’s first historian.

READ

Letters of Mother Catherine Spalding

In 1813, when no education for girls, no private health care, and no organized social services existed on the Kentucky frontier, Catherine Spalding, aged nineteen, was elected leader of six women forming a new religious community, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. On January 6, 2003, the Louisville Courier-Journal named her the one woman among sixteen “most influential people in Louisville/Jefferson County history.”
READ

Letters of Sister Emerentiana M. Handldovits

The History of the American Establishment

READ

African American Exhibit

The History of African Americans
and the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth

VISIT

Kathy Hertel-Baker

Archival Director

Kathy Hertel-Baker came to Nazareth in summer of 2009 to take on the role as Archives Director, following the retirement of the previous archivist, Sister Bridget Clifford. In addition to her duties at Nazareth, Kathy also serves as Secretary for the Archivist for the Congregations of Women Religious (ACWR). Before coming to Nazareth, Kathy served as the Archivist for the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center in Anchorage, Alaska. She is very glad to be back in the “lower-48” and to be continuing the work of caring for the treasures in the Archives of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.

Kelly McDaniels, CA

Assistant Archivist

Kelly McDaniels came to Nazareth in September, 2015. Prior to coming to Nazareth, she served as the lead Archivist and Records Manager for Indiana University Recreational Sports as well as a Special Collections Assistant at the Lilly Library. Kelly received her bachelor’s degree in History from Bellarmine University in 2011. In May 2015, she graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington with a Master of Library Science degree and an Archives and Records Management Specialization.
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