May 2006 - Society of Southwest Archivists

Page 10Southwestern ArchivistFate of Religious Archivists in New OrleansSubmitted by Sister Dorothy Dawes O.P.The members of the Religious Community Archivists of Greater New Orleans have finally surfaced in the cyberworld.Having missed their fall and spring meetings, they are looking forward to reconvening in September 2006. Membershave sustained varying degrees of loss and damage.Sr. Jane Aucoin of the St. Joseph sisters in New Orleans has moved the entire archives to Baton Rouge. The sisterswere forced to abandon their beautiful home base on Mirabeau Avenue in Lakeview due to flood damage. BrotherAlan Drain, archivist for the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, is displaced to Rhode Island. His community was so badlyhit in New Orleans and Bay St. Louis, Mississippi that there was not even residential space. Brother Drain was amongthose sent on mission to the brothers in the Northeast. What remains of his archives is in a New Orleans building thatonce served for hospitality, in boxes mixed with the records of the province, and is waiting to be addressed. The extentof the damage is unknown. Brother Alan Drain is not alone other members of the Religious Community Archivists ofGreater New Orleans are still unaware of the extent of the damages to their archives. There has been no report as yeton what may have been the most devastated archives in our group The Sisters of the Holy Family, who were locatedin New Orleans East. The Religious Community Archivists of Greater New Orleans is hoping there is grant fundingstill available.The small group of Dominican Sisters of Cabra, Ireland (see www.dominicansisters.com), whose archival collection,documenting their life and work since their arrival in New Orleans in 1968 was “drowned” by Hurricane Katrina andthe subsequent flooding. Their archivist was in Ireland and the sister historian, feeling responsible, was grateful toreceive a grant from the Emergency Disaster Assistance Grant Fund of SSA/SAA. The same fund helped the SistersServants of Mary (see www.sisterservantsofmary.org), a group of sisters who have done private duty night nursingfree of charge in New Orleans since the 1920s. Both archives were picked up on short notice by Pat and Scott Williams,twin brothers who specialize in disaster recovery as an adjunct of their bindery. These two collections werefrozen as the first step in the recovery process. As one sister said, “At least we will know we did our best to save thehistory.”Sister Martha Gonzales, archivist for the Teresian Sisters in Covington, Louisiana did her own salvaging, manually,and without help from any source. She is pleased with what she was able to accomplish. A few of us escaped “highand dry,” and they have been kept busy trying to care for evacuees, the new homeless, and to adjust to a dysfunctionalcity, struggling to recover, and hoping to catch up.SSA Call for Membership DuesAnnual membership dues of $10 run on the calendar year.Please send dues & any contact information updates to:Ms. Gerri SchaadSSA TreasurerPO Box 700761San Antonio, TX 78270Thank you!