The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland is proud to be a founding funder of WRAC, a nonprofit organization serving women religious in preserving their congregations’ unique histories and charisms for future generations—work that has become increasingly urgent.
The Women Religious Archives Collaborative (WRAC) will establish a Heritage Center in Cleveland, Ohio, that will preserve and celebrate the unique histories and contributions of more than 35 congregations of Catholic Sisters.
The Ursuline Sisters of Louisville Archives contains invaluable records showing the remarkable impact our Sisters have had in the communities they’ve served for the past 165 years. As archivist, I receive dozens of requests each year from scholarly researchers, former students of Ursuline schools, family genealogists related to an Ursuline Sister, and others who have been touched by the Ursulines in some way and who are seeking information only our records can provide.
The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate completed a study on Women Religious Archives in 2022 and published its findings as a Special Report in 2023.
The need is both large and pressing: Nearly four in 10 congregations of women religious surveyed in the United States are in the process or have plans to merge or close in the next decade, but only about one in three have long-term plans for their archives.
The Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland is proud to be a founding funder of the newly established Women Religious Archives Collaborative, which honors the past accomplishments of women religious through preservation and education and will inspire future generations to think, dream and serve.
Welcome to our newest partner, The Ursulines of Brown County, Construction Update, Campaign Update and more!
Welcome to our Benedictine Sisters, Sister Jeanne Weber as a new Board Member and Margaret Eigsti as Managing Director of WRAC.
Learn about WRAC’s new location, new members, and Catholic Sisters Week.
Happy New Year! Our website is now live and we are happy to announce that we now have 24 congregations who will call WRAC home.
Women Religious Archives Collaborative
2475 E. 22nd Street
Cleveland, OH 44115
info@archivescollaborative.org
216.287.5176
Stay up to date on all of WRAC’s news and updates by subscribing to the monthly newsletter.
