Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Collection

The collection if the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary contain materials dated from the founding of the BVMs in 1833 to the present day. Holdings include materials related to the congregation, files for more than 200 missions (primarily elementary and high schools) in 21 states and three foreign countries, manuscripts, photographs, audio‐visual materials, books, paintings, musical scores and artifacts.

The Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) were founded on November 1, 1833, in Philadelphia by Mother Mary Frances Clarke and four other Irish women who had originally come together in Dublin to establish a school. At the invitation of a bishop, the community relocated to Dubuque, Iowa in 1843, where they became the first women religious in the territory and established what would grow into an extensive educational network. Education remained the congregation's core charism throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, with the sisters eventually founding two colleges — Clarke College in Dubuque and Mundelein College in Chicago — and operating schools from Hawaii to Latin America. Following the Second Vatican Council in the late 1960s, the BVMs expanded their mission beyond education to include healthcare, pastoral services, and social justice advocacy, with sisters participating in the Civil Rights Movement and ongoing human rights campaigns. As of their 190th anniversary in 2023, the congregation comprised more than 200 sisters with an average age of 85, continuing their work across nineteen U.S. states and three countries.

For those interested, you can find additional information about the members of the congregation by checking the Names Database.