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U.S. Province of the Society of St. Sulpice Archives
Collection Description The records in this collection are arranged in the following record series:
Access Policies Every effort is made to open Province records for research as expeditiously as possible. Federal, state, and Province policies require that some of these records be closed to researchers for varying lengths of time. Placing restrictions on the research use of records for specified lengths of time is a standard archival procedure which is part of the policy of most archival repositories. While the Associated Archives at St. Mary’s Seminary and University is responsible for administering the records restriction policy, the policy itself is determined by the administrators of the Province who produce and use the records in the course of their activities. Restrictions are placed on the use of records in order to protect the rights of privacy of individuals and institutions. Restrictions of reasonable length facilitate research by ensuring the survival and completeness of the historical record.
The artifact collection is limited to a small collection of commemorative items, sacred objects, including relics, class banners from St. Charles College, and portrait paintings of prominent Sulpicians and other individuals connected to the Society.
Size: 7 records storage boxes; date span: c. 1935-present. The audio/visual collection is made up of audio recordings, 8mm and 16mm films (transferred to video), and videos taken of Sulpician institutions and events, including the Christmas albums of St. Mary’s Seminary Choir and early footage of the campuses of St. Edward’s Minor Seminary and St. Thomas’s Major Seminary, Kenmore, St. Charles College, Catonsville, and St. Mary’s Seminary, Roland Park.
Size: 10 records storage boxes; date span: 1811-1989. This series is made up of both primary and secondary records relating to special projects and programs sponsored by the U.S. Province, including preparations for the tercentenary anniversary of the founding of the Society of St. Sulpice in 1941 and the bicentennial celebration of the Sulpicians’ arrival in the U.S. There are original correspondence, copies of original correspondence found in other archives, and commemorative publications.
Size: 50 records storage boxes; date span: c.1762- present. This series is made up of primary and secondary records that document the history of the U.S. Catholic Church, highlighting Sulpician connections to prominent events, people, and places, including the seven Provincial Councils and three Plenary Councils held in Baltimore, Mother Seton and the Daughters of Charity, Mother Lange and the Oblate Sisters of Providence, and photocopies of records in the Sulpician Archives in Paris, France. Also found in this series are a large number of unidentified manuscripts and sermons dating back to the eighteenth century.
The U.S. Province of the Society of Saint Sulpice has founded numerous major and minor seminaries across the country. The open collections for these institutions vary from place to place, with the institutions in Maryland being better documented. Documentation consists of student records such as rosters, yearbooks, rules of conduct, publications, and histories, in addition to correspondence, faculty notes, and official documents. The holdings also contain records on early Sulpician missions, including Bohemia Manor and Pigeon Hill, as well as records for other Sulpician institutions founded in this country. Open collections are listed alphabetically first by state, second by city/town. Please note that photographs, 8mm and 16 mm films, artifacts, video and audio recordings for Sulpician institutions are catalogued separately. Please see the appropriate records series description for information on the holdings for each institution.
Menlo Park St. Patrick’s Major and Minor Seminary (est. 1898). Size: 2 records storage boxes; date span: c. 1898–1933. St. Patrick’s was opened in 1898 for the Archdiocese of San Francisco and originally offered a major and minor seminary program. In 1924 the decision was made to move the minor seminary to Mountain View. The minor seminary took the name St. Joseph’s College at this time. Forty-four years later, the major and minor seminary programs were united under the same administration again and the minor seminary’s name was changed back to St. Patrick’s, although it remained at Mountain View. In 1981, when Mountain View is included in the territory for the newly created Diocese of San Jose, the college resumes the name of St. Joseph. The Sulpicians withdrew from the college at this time. This collection contains correspondence, student and faculty lists, house diaries, files regarding administrative, curriculum, and financial matters, handbooks, programs, publications, and history files. A partial set of course catalogs and yearbooks are also available. Mountain View St. Joseph’s Minor Seminary and High School (1924-1992). Size: 2 records storage boxes; date span: c. 1924-1933. St. Joseph’s came into being in 1924 when the decision was made to move St. Patrick’s minor seminary program from Menlo Park to Mountain View. The seminary was named St. Joseph’ High School and College at this time. Forty-four years later, in 1968, St. Joseph’s and St. Patrick’s were united again. The college’s name was changed back to St. Patrick, but the high school remained named St. Joseph. In 1975, the Sulpicians withdrew from the high school, but maintained the college division. In 1981, when Mountain View was included in the territory for the newly created Diocese of San Jose, the college resumed the name of St. Joseph. When the college building was damaged in the earthquake of 1989, students were sent to St. Patrick’s Seminary. The college was closed in 1992. This collection contains publications, and student lists. A partial set of course catalogs and yearbooks is also available. Student and insitutional records are maintained by the Diocese of San Jose.
District of Columbia - See entry for Washington, D.C. Kaneohe St. Stephen’s Minor Seminary (1948-1976). Size: 1 document case; date span: c. 1948-1994. St. Stephen’s was founded in 1948 for the Diocese of Honolulu. The minor seminary was closed by the Diocese in 1976. This collection contains catalogs, commemorative publications, and a history file. Student and insitutional records are maintained by the Diocese of Honolulu.
Louisville St. Thomas’s Minor Seminary (1952-1970). Size: 1 records storage box; date span: c. 1952-1998. St. Thomas’s Minor Seminary was established in 1952 for the Archdiocese of Louisville. The minor seminary was closed by the Archdiocese in 1970. This collection contains catalogs, programs, publications, including the Pioneer, yearbooks, and history files. Student and insitutional records are maintained by the Archdiocese of Louisville.
Baltimore St. Mary’s Seminary and University (est. 1791). Size: 6 records storage boxes, 40 document cases, and 175 volumes; date span: c. 1791-1933. St. Mary’s Seminary was established in 1791 and holds the distinction of being the first Roman Catholic seminary founded in the United States. The status of pontifical university was conferred on St. Mary’s in 1822. The original campus was located on Paca Street in downtown Baltimore, where it maintained a presence until 1975. In 1929, the Sulpicians opened a new and larger seminary building in the Roland Park section of the city. The Roland Park campus housed the Theologate until 1975, when the Paca Street campus was closed and the two campuses consolidated. This collection contains the records of the Seminary from its founding in 1791 to 1968 and includes official correspondence, records regarding administrative, financial, legal, and curriculum matters, student and faculty lists, faculty meeting minutes, student registers, and publications, including the Voice of St. Mary’s Seminary. A complete set of course catalogs is also available. Records after 1968 are found in the Archives of St. Mary’s Seminary and University. Please see their collection description for more information. St. Mary’s College [aka the French Academy] (1799-1852). Size: 5 records storage boxes, .5 document case, and 2 ledgers; date span: c. 1799-1852. St. Mary’s College was opened in 1799 as a school for boys without religious affiliation. When the college received its charter in 1805, it was the only active college in the state. Its contributions to the development of higher education in the state over the course of its 53-year history are considered significant. This collection contains official correspondence, records regarding administrative, academic, legal, and financial matters, including the college’s charter, account books, commencements, lists of degrees conferred, faculty meeting minutes, regulations, rules, and student lists. Other financial records can be found with the records for St. Mary’s Seminary and University Collection. See also papers of Abp. Louis V. William Du Bourg, S.S., founder and president of St. Mary's College, 1799-1812. U.S. Province Solitude (1911-1977). Size: 2 records storage boxes; date span: c. 1920-1937. The first U.S. Sulpician Solitude, novitiate or House of Studies, opened in 1911 at St. Austin’s College (1901-1919), Washington, D.C. Up to this time all Sulpician candidates made their Solitude at Issy, France. The U.S. Solitude operated until 1914 when the first World War disrupted program. The U.S. Solitude did not reopen until 1921 and was located on the campus of St. Charles College in Catonsville, Maryland. The Solitude operated at St. Charles’ until 1940 when the decision was made to transfer the program to the campus of St. Mary’s Seminary, Paca Street. The Solitude remained at Paca Street until 1955 when it was transferred to the Roland Park campus of St. Mary’s. The last Solitude closed in 1977. This collection contains official correspondence, Superior’s diaries, student registers, and rule. St. Charles' College and High School (1848-1977). Size: 13 records storage boxes and 20 financial and administrative ledgers; date span: c. 1848-1933. St. Charles' College and High School was established in 1848 from a bequest by Charles Carroll of Carrollton and was the first successful minor seminary program established in this country. The college, also known as Le Petit Seminaire, was located in Ellicott City, MD, from its founding in 1848 through 1911, when the campus was destroyed by a fire. Unfortunately, most of the college's records were lost in the fire as well. A list of the students who entered St. Charles for the years 1848-1897 was published prior to the fire and is the most complete information we have on enrollment for these years. The college was relocated to Catonsville, where it remained until 1969 when the decision was made to close the high school department. The junior college division was united with the philosophy department of St. Mary’s Seminary at this time and renamed St. Mary’s Seminary College. This institution was closed in 1977. The property, excepting Our Lady of the Angels Chapel and the Sulpician cemetery, was sold and developed into the Charlestown Retirement Community. In 1996 the chapel was designated a parish and serves the residents of Charlestown. This collection contains official correspondence, files and registers regarding administrative, academic programs, and finance matters, including alumni files, brochures, building plans, chapel records, class lists, commemorative publications, faculty lists, faculty manuals, faculty meetings, house diaries, publications, including the Borromean, sodalities, and student lists. A complete set of course catalogs and yearbooks are also available. St. Mary’s Seminary College (1969-1977). Date span: c. 1969-1977. St. Mary’s Seminary College came into being when the junior college division of St. Charles’ College was united with the philosophy department of St. Mary’s Seminary. The college was located on the campus of St. Charles’ and was closed in 1977. A complete set of course catalogs and yearbooks are available for researchers to work with. Ellicott City St. Charles College and High School (1848-1977) - See entry for St. Charles’ College, Catonsville, for description of holdings.
Mt. St. Mary’s College and Seminary (est. 1808). Size: .5 document case; date span: c. 1808-1976. Mt. St. Mary’s College and Seminary was established initially as a minor seminary by the Sulpicians. Within a few years it was operating as both a minor and major seminary and secular college. Its affiliation with the Sulpicians ended in 1824. This collection contains records concerning the institution’s founding and early years, including correspondence between Rev. John Dubois and members of the Sulpician community in Baltimore, and history files. See also photocopies of correspondence on deposit in the Sulpician Archives in Paris regarding the founding of Mt. St. Mary’s. Brighton St. John’s Major Seminary (est. 1884). Size: 2 records storage boxes; date span: c. 1884-1993. St. John’s was founded in 1884 for the Archdiocese of Boston. The Sulpicians administered and staffed the seminary until their withdrawal in 1911. This collection contains the records for the years the Sulpicians maintained a presence at St. John’s, including official correspondence, faculty meeting minutes, constitution and rule, student and faculty lists, internal reports, and history files. Plymouth St. John’s Provincial Seminary (1949-1988). Size: .5 document case and volumes; date span: c. 1952-1988. St. John’s was founded in 1949 for the Archdiocese of Detroit and its suffragan dioceses. The Sulpicians administered and staffed the seminary until their withdrawal in 1971. The seminary closed in 1988. This collection contains a history file on the seminary. A complete set of course catalogs and a partial set of yearbooks are also available. Student and insitutional records are maintained by the Archdiocese of Detroit. Dunwoodie St. Joseph’s Seminary (est. 1896). Size: 1 document case; date span: c. 1896-1993. St. Joseph’s Major Seminary was founded in 1896 for the Archdiocese of New York. The Sulpicians administered and staffed the seminary until their withdrawal in 1906. This collection contains the records for the years the Sulpicians maintained a presence including, official correspondence, faculty meeting minutes, student lists, Trustee meeting minutes, administrative files, and history files. Pigeon Hill Our Lady of Pigeon Hill Minor Seminary (1806-1808). Size: 1 document case; date span: c. 1806-1947. Our Lady of Pigeon Hill was established in 1806 and was the first minor seminary established in the United States. This collection contains official correspondence, administrative, and finance records, as well as history files. Kenmore St. Edward’s Major and Minor Seminary (1931-1976). Size: 9 records storage boxes, one document case, and one flat storage box [kept with the records for St. Thomas’]; date span: c. 1931-1977. St. Edward’s was founded in 1931 as both a major and minor seminary for the Archdiocese of Seattle. A larger facility necessitated the construction of a separate building for the major seminary, which was named St. Thomas and opened in 1958. St. Edward’s continued to operate as a high school and college until 1976 when the high school was closed by the Archdiocese. The college was united with St. Thomas’ Major Seminary at this time. One year later, in 1977, St. Thomas’ was closed as well. This collection contains history files, publications, including the Harvester, scrapbooks, and yearbooks. A complete set of course catalogs is also available. Student and insitutional records are maintained by the Archdiocese of Seattle. St. Thomas’s Major Seminary (1958-1977). Size: 9 records storage boxes, one document case, and one flat storage box [kept with the records for St. Edward’s]; date span: c. 1935-1977.St. Thomas’s was founded in 1958 as a successor to St. Edward’s Major Seminary (1931-1958). A larger facility necessitated the construction of a separate building for the major seminary. In 1976, when St. Edward’s was closed by the Archdiocese, the college division was united with St. Thomas’s program. One year later, St. Thomas’s was closed as well. This collection contains history files, scrapbooks, and yearbooks. A complete set of course catalogs is also available. Student and insitutional records are maintained by the Archdiocese of Seattle. St Austin’s College (1901-1919). Size: .5 document case; date span: c. 1901-1919. St. Austin’s was the first U.S. Sulpician solitude (house of studies for Sulpician candidates). It was established at the Catholic University of America in 1901 under the direction of Fr. Francis Havey, S.S. The college was closed after the founding of the Sulpician Seminary in D.C. (now known as Theological College) in 1917. This collection contains the Superior’s diary, scrapbook, and terms of agreement between the Sulpicians and the Catholic University of America.
When the Sulpician Seminary in Washington, D.C., opened in 1917, it was intended to be an extension of St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, offering a program for Sulpician candidates and for students in their final year of priestly training. Two years later, it became a full theologate and by 1924 it had attained its independence from St. Mary’s when it agreed to staff Basselin College, which was housed at the seminary. In 1940, at the request of the Vatican, the seminary’s name was changed to the Theological College of the Catholic University of America and became part of the university system. Sulpicians continue to staff the seminary. This collection contains official correspondence, Superior’s diaries, student registers, constitution and rule, publications, including the Quadrangle. A partial set of course catalogs is also available. Basselin College Established through the bequest of the New York lumber magnate, Theodore B. Basselin (1851-1914), Basselin College funded a program of studies for training seminarians in homiletics and included a three-year program in philosophy. The Sulpicians were placed in charge of the program at the request of Mr. Basselin. This collection contains house diaries, programs, publications, and student lists. A complete set of course catalogs is also available. Photographs Individuals Individuals Collection, A-Z. Size: 6 records storage boxes and oversize; date span: c. 1800-present. Institutions St. Mary’s Seminary and University Collection. Size: 3 records storage boxes, 2 document boxes, and oversize, including Paca Street and Roland Park campuses, class photographs, and portraits of prominent individuals; date span: c. 1891-present. St. Charles College and High School/St. Mary’s Seminary College Collection. Size: c. 1890-1977; date span: 2 records storage boxes, and oversize, including Ellicott City and Catonsville campuses, class photographs, and portraits of prominent individuals. Other Sulpician Foundations Collection. Size: 2 records storage boxes, and oversize, including campuses of St. Patrick’s, Menlo Park, and St. Stephen’s, Kaneohe; date span: c. 1920-present. Shutterbugs This series is comprised of the scrapbooks, photograph albums, and photograph and slide collections that have been donated to the archives over the years by individual Sulpicians and the alumni of Sulpician institutions, including Rev. Vincent Eaton, S.S., Rev. Carlton Sage, S.S., Rev. John Bowen, S.S. Size: 15 records storage boxes and 50 albums; date span: c. 1890-1980. Holy Card Collection
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