Women Religious Archives Collaborative

09/07/2026

🇺🇸 Happy Labor Day! 🇺🇸

This Labor Day, we celebrate the skilled hands and dedicated people who are bringing the WRAC Heritage Center to life.

We are grateful for the many crews and project partners whose hard work continues to move our project forward. Among them, we give a special shoutout to Regency Construction Services, Inc., Pioneer Cladding & Glazing Systems LLC, Gallagher Plumbing, Einheit Electric, and OCP Contractors for the craftsmanship, commitment, and dedication we see taking shape throughout the building.

Today, we honor their work and all those whose labor builds and strengthens our communities.

09/04/2026

✨ PARTNER SPOTLIGHT ✨
CLARITY EVALUATION PARTNERS

What do people want to see and experience at the WRAC Heritage Center?

We turned to Clarity Evaluation Partners for answers! This summer, we spent two days exploring the findings from 40 interviews and 222 surveys that Clarity conducted during its audience research and evaluation process. We reviewed all the data and used it to develop plans for how we identify and share stories from our members’ collections.

We are grateful to everyone who participated in this research. Your input, along with Clarity’s guidance, is helping shape our future exhibit spaces, online resources, and programming.

👇 Read the full story to learn more!
https://mailchi.mp/archivescollaborative/aug26-partner-spotlight

09/02/2026

✨ Let the light shine in! ✨

The curtain wall continues to transform the Heritage Center as second-story glass installation is underway. The sawtooth panels are taking shape, creating a unique architectural feature across the front of the building. With each new panel, a little more light and a little more of the center’s collaborative vision shine through.

Follow along from the ground up at
https://archivescollaborative.org/construction/

Photo credits: Bostwick Design Partnership, Regency Construction Services, Inc., Medford Design

08/28/2026

Happy Feast Day to the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine !

Hail! great Augustine, sainted friend and guide,
Whose heart the ever ancient beauty thrilled.
In faith, in hope, in love didst thou abide;
Pray thou our souls with virtues true be filled.
In omnibus caritas, in omnibus caritas!

- From the song, “Hail, Great Augustine.” Music by Sr. Francis Borgia, OP and words by Sr. M DeSales, CSA

08/27/2026

✨ OUR TEAM IS GROWING! ✨

This summer, we welcomed four new archivists to our team: Kaitlyn Hartman, Aly Nahra, Sierra Rios, and Laurel Wilson!

After coming together in Cleveland for orientation, they hit the road to work with local archivists at our partner congregations and monasteries. These visits provide invaluable opportunities to learn about their historic collections, share best practices, and deepen the relationships that make our collaborative mission possible.

We're excited to have them on the WRAC team as we continue working to preserve and share the stories of Catholic Sisters!

08/25/2026

✨ MEMBER HIGHLIGHT ✨
Please join us in welcoming the Sisters of St. Benedict, St. Paul's Monastery to the Women Religious Archives Collaborative! Here's a quick look at their history:

📅 Founded: June 22, 1948

📍 Origin: Saint Paul, Minnesota

🙏 Early Ministry: Education and serving the spiritual needs of German immigrants

🌟 Ministry Today: Education, childcare, retreats, and spiritual direction

🏫 Benedictine Center: Founded in 1983 by Sister Veronica Novotny, OSB, to share the wisdom of the Rule of St. Benedict through retreats, spiritual direction, education, and contemplative experiences.

From their beginnings as St. Paul’s Priory to its present-day ministry, St. Paul’s Monastery continues a tradition of Benedictine hospitality, welcoming people of every background.

Read their full story at: https://archivescollaborative.org/st-pauls-monastery/

08/23/2026

Happy Founders’ Day to our partners, the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago. You have been an amazing presence and influence in the “Windy City” and beyond.

08/13/2026

Our Summer News & Notes celebrates a season of growth and momentum! Explore exciting construction progress and campaign updates, relive the inspiring People of Hope event, including a feature on Women of Hope, and discover how collaboration with Clarity Evaluation Partners is helping shape the future visitor experience at the Heritage Center. You’ll also meet our newest member, welcome four new archivists to the WRAC team, and enjoy stories from behind the scenes of the archives, including a fascinating look at oversized collections and a thoughtful reflection from one of our interns.

This issue of News & Notes celebrates a season of growth and momentum. Explore exciting construction progress and campaign updates, relive the inspiring People of Hope event, including a feature on Women of Hope, and discover how collaboration with Clarity Evaluation Partners is helping shape the fu...

08/12/2026

Many congregations cut an album at some point in their history. Thanks to the Boerne Benedictines sharing this one for National Vinyl Day! If your community recorded an album,
Please share it here!

Happy National Vinyl Record Day!!

Head over to the https://boernebenedictines.org/album/ to listen to the Benedictine Twenty original album.

08/03/2026

Congratulations to the Benedictine Sisters of Erie who stood up to false voter fraud accusations and were recognized by the National Association of Secretaries of State in January. Today, the PA Secretary of State was on hand to recognize the voting records of some of the Sisters.