The University Archives and St. Frances Cabrini Collection: St. Frances Cabrini Collection

Mother Cabrini, 1880.  Foundress of the Institute

The St. Frances Cabrini Collection contains materials relating to the history of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the life of Foundress, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. The materials with a particular emphasis on the Italian - American experience in the United States are valuable resources for the Missionary Sisters and other religious, and for students of ethnic and immigration history.  The primary and secondary sources found in the collection also enable serious scholarship for research related to women’s history, church history, and American Catholicism.

The materials in the Collection consist of print materials, audio and video taped narratives and personal memorabilia.

Books

• Biographies of Mother Cabrini in English, Italian and Spanish Translations
• “Cabrini Letters” and “Travels” in English, Spanish and Italian
• Retreat Notes, “Journal of a Trusting Heart”

Italian Language Manuscripts

• Memorie from the House of Providence
• Convent diaries
• Correspondence from 1870 to 1917 (13 volumes)

Theses

Newspaper articles

Photo albums and photos

Pamphlets

Artifacts

• Clothing and textiles
• Copy of teaching certificate
• Facsimile of naturalization papers

The St. Frances Cabrini Collection is located on the second floor of the Holy Spirit Library. The materials in the Collection include letters, diaries, reports and clippings dating from 1889.  Areas covered by these materials include New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Scranton, Chicago, New Orleans, Seattle, Denver and Los Angeles.  The documentation is mostly in Italian, though some of the material is in English.