Archives and Special Collections – Page 3

Seton Hall University Libraries Digitized Collections Technology Plan

Seton Hall University Libraries has just posted its Digitized Collections Technology Plan: 2016-2012.

Our strategic plans goals point to the need for more robust digital collections services, including a digital preservation program to share “selected Seton Hall assets to highlight the University, mission, and depth of resources.” This document addresses the requirements needed to achieve these goals, with the long-term aim of ensuring that born- and created-digital information is accessible and preserved for future access.

“We share with all libraries the responsibility of preserving the cultural and intellectual legacy of human endeavor and knowledge for current and future use, particularly those materials that speak to the University’s history, Catholic mission and tradition of service.”

Second Vatican Council Event Thursday, November 21 in the Chancellor’s Suite

Vatican 2 entrance pass for Msgr. Oesterreicher, mss0053_b53_15_01

50 years after the Second Vatican Council, scholars, clergy, and Catholics all over the world are still considering the impact of one of the major Church events of the last century. For those with an interest in religious studies or Church history, this is an important time of discussion, analysis, sharing, and review.

The Department of Catholic Studies has put together the event “Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Second Vatican Council: Celebrating the Decree on Ecumenism,” taking place tomorrow, November 21 2013. This afternoon event will feature speakers and a panel discussion on Unitatis redintegratio, the Council’s document on ecumenism. The full program linked above lists the speakers, topics, and timeline, and the main portion of the event will take place from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m in the Chancellor’s Suite.

The Archives and Special Collections Center is participating in this special event with a display of collection materials related to the Council. Including materials from the John M. Oesterreicher papers, the George Shea papers, the Martin W. Stanton papers, the Walter W. Curtis papers, and the Mrs. Frank Whitrock scrapbooks, this selection highlights the involvement of some of those from the Archdiocese of Newark who participated in the Council, as well as how those at home saw it unfold. This display shows photographs, Council documents, writings, pamphlets, newsclippings, and invitations from these five collections and is just a small sample of related materials held at the A&SCC. More information can be found in the flyer put together by the Department of Catholic Studies. For more information on research materials related to the Second Vatican Council held by the A&SCC, consult our LibGuide page on Vatican 2 collections.

The A&SCC wishes to thank Dr. Ines Murzako and the entire Department of Catholic Studies as well as Dr. John Buschman, Dean of University Libraries, for inclusion in this event.

Seton Hall contributes to the Newark Archives Project

The Archives and Special Collections Center at Seton Hall University is excited to be a part of the Newark Archives Project (NAP), a comprehensive online database of primary source material related to Newark co-sponsored by the Newark History Society and Rutgers University-Newark.

http://blogs.shu.edu/archives/2013/07/seton-hall-contributes-to-the-newark-archives-project/

The Thomas and Margaret Melady papers in Archives and Special Collections: a Window to Africa of the ’60s and ’70s.

Thomas and Margaret Melady papers, Mss 0072

Ambassador Thomas P. and Dr. Margaret B. Melady have been involved in diplomatic and international affairs since the 1950s, particularly on the continent of Africa. Ambassador Melady has held multiple diplomatic posts for the United States, including Ambassador to Burundi, Ambassador to Uganda, and Ambassador to the Holy See, and is the new Interim Dean of the Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations here at Seton Hall University. Dr. Melady is an alumnus of Seton Hall, a former President of the American University in Rome, and is now the President of Melady Associates, a firm specializing in public affairs and educational counseling. The couple have written multiple books on politics in Africa, including Ten African Heroes: The Sweep of Independence in Black Africa, published in 2011.

The correspondence and personal papers that formed the core of the research for that book are a part of a new archival collection held at the Archives and Special Collections Center, the Thomas and Margaret Melady papers, 1959-2010 (bulk 1960-1975). The collection is the gift of Ambassador and Dr. Melady, and documents their involvement with many of the individuals responsible for the vast political changes that took place over the whole continent of Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. In addition to the ten men featured in the book, who feature prominently in the collection, there are letters from dozens of other individuals and organizations, photographs, and newsclippings documenting that turbulent time.

Thomas Melady first went to Africa in the 1950s while working for the Foreign Service. He and Margaret Badum married in 1961, and the couple spent a great deal of their time in Africa throughout the 1960s and 1970s, deeply involved in diplomatic and political events all over the continent. Thomas Melady also started the Africa Service Institute, an organization dedicated to the education and advancement of students and leaders in Africa. The materials in the Thomas and Margaret Melady papers cover 36 nations and areas from Angola to Zimbabwe, and cover a range of topics from the intensely personal to the course of nations. Correspondents include political leaders, such as Léopold Sédar Senghor, William V.S. Tubman, and Kenneth David Kaunda; Catholic officials such as Archbishop Jean Zoa of Yaoundé and Archbishop Luc-Auguste Sangare of Bamako; fellow diplomats from and to the United States or the United Nations; students, academics, priests, and many others. Topics include political events in Africa and the United States, the role of racism in politics of the day, requests for assistance from the Africa Service Institute, personal notes of thanks and updates, and a wide variety of conversational subjects.

This rich collection was described in detail by the Meladys before coming to the Archives, and that original description forms the majority of the finding aid. While no materials from the collection have yet been digitized, the entire original collection is available at the Archives and Special Collections Center, on the first floor of Walsh Library. Please see our Plan Your Visit page to find Hours and Directions, or Contact Us to make an appointment.

The book Ten African Heroes is also available in the Archives and Special Collections Center.

Trina Padilla de Sanz Collection Exhibit

http://blogs.shu.edu/archives/2011/10/trina-padilla-de-sanz-collection-exhibit/

BOOK DETAILS SESQUICENTENNIAL HISTORY OF UNIVERSITY’S IMMACUALTE CONCEPTION SEMINARY

Author captures events, individuals and spirituality that have marked the growth

(South Orange, NJ) – On Wednesday, April 13, 2011, Monsignor Robert James Wister will mark the publication of his new book, Stewards of the Mysteries of God: Immaculate Conception Seminary, 1860 – 2010, with a signing in the Dean’s Suite of Walsh Library at 3 p.m.

With this new narrative, Wister has provided a detailed, scrupulously researched and well-written historical treatment of the University’s Immaculate Conception Seminary.

“The story of the Seminary is a fascinating study of the religious, political, social, and ethnic history of New Jersey,” says Wister. “No aspect of regional or local history has failed to have an impact on the Seminary, and through its graduates, the Seminary has had a great and positive effect on society in general.”

The major seminary of the Archdiocese of Newark is currently in the midst of celebrating 150 years of forming priests for God’s people, with Sesquicentennial festivities continuing through December 2011. For a complete list of dates and events, visit theology.shu.edu.

“We are approaching a great time in the history of Immaculate Conception Seminary,” says Monsignor Robert Coleman, Rector and Dean. “As one of the very few seminaries founded before the Civil War which continues to serve the Church’s mission today, we rejoice in the great history of these 150 years and are filled with hope and confidence for a future of continued growth and service.”

Founded in 1860 by Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Immaculate Conception Seminary was first known by many as the “Diocesan Seminary” and the “Ecclesiastical Seminary.” A staple of Seton Hall College, its first class consisted of nine enrolled seminarians. Today, its rich and diverse student body represents such countries as Nigeria, Poland, Nicaragua and the United States. Its various academic offerings include a Master of Arts in Theology and a Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry, in addition to its Master of Divinity. In 2007, the Seminary also added a Bachelor of Arts in Catholic Theology to its repertoire, which enrolled 95 students as of last fall.

Though Immaculate Conception Seminary continues to evolve over the passing years, its core focus remains unchanged: to provide the human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral formation needed for priests to serve the Catholic Church.

“It is important to recognize that in the midst of so many challenges in the life of the Church, that the Seminary is a strong and healthy institution that will contribute to moving the Church forward, and bringing God’s Kingdom into the hearts of more people,” says Wister.

During the event, Wister will deliver a slide presentation with images and excerpts from this volume, and copies of the book will be available for purchase and autographs. Light refreshments will be served.

The event is free, and is open to the University community, as well as the general public. For more information, please contact

About Seton Hall University

For 154 years, Seton Hall University has been a catalyst for leadership, developing the whole student, mind, heart and spirit. Seton Hall combines the resources of a large university with the personal attention of a small liberal arts college. Its attractive suburban campus is only 14 miles by train, bus or car to New York City, with the wealth of employment, internship, cultural and entertainment opportunities the city offers. Seton Hall is a Catholic university that embraces students of all races and religions, challenging each other to better the world through integrity, compassion, and a commitment to serving others. For more information, visit: www.shu.edu.

Salt Letters Home To Setonia

The Seton Hall University Libraries is proud to announce the acquisition of the Father William Salt Letters. This large collection of approximately 500 original letters (along with a small amount of ephemera) from the estate of Father William Salt (1837-1890), Catholic priest and renowned figure at Seton Hall University will be housed in the Archives & Special Collections Center and made available to researchers upon request. The letters date from 1808-1901, with the majority from 1840-1880. Approximately 140 of the letters were written by Father Salt with the balance written by members of his family. These letters were consolidated into a single collection by Mr. Jim Martin, a history expert and resident of Bath, New York, which coincidentally is where Father Salt was raised during the mid-nineteenth century.

William Salt was born in Brooklyn, New York, the eldest of nine children. His parents were Baptists, but Father Salt joined the Protestant Episcopal Church in 1859, when he also decided to enter the ministry. He later taught at a parish school in Van Buren, Arkansas, and letters from the 1860-61 period provide details of the many events during this important period in American history. One of these letters is an illuminating narrative of the Confederate occupation of Ft. Smith during the early days of the Civil War. These Arkansas-era letters show that the Reverend Salt’s sympathies rested with the Confederate cause. Additional Civil War-era letters exist from his family members, including one from his sister Elinor discussing the Emancipation Proclamation. On the advice of his Bishop he entered the Theological Seminary at Camden, South Carolina, in 1861 from which he was drafted into the Confederate army, and served for nearly three years. He eventually made the journey home to Bath on foot, where he was ordained a deacon and assigned to a local church in Sodus Point, New York.

Later letters include Father Salt’s time in Sodus Point, a letter to his father announcing his conversion to Catholicism, descriptions of his studies in Rome, Italy, and a great many letters from Seton Hall University, with early stationery and envelopes dating from shortly after the school was founded in 1856. Father Salt studied philosophy at Seton Hall, and was sent to study at American College in Rome, until his health failed and he was obliged to return to New Jersey before completing his theological studies. He returned to Seton Hall, continued his course of studies and was ordained a priest on June 3, 1871. Soon after ordination he was appointed Professor of Logic at the school and held various positions at the school throughout his career until he retired in 1889. He passed away on Oct. 7, 1890, and was buried from Seton Hall Chapel. Father Salt’s remains were laid to rest, as he had requested, in the Cemetery of the Holy Sepulchre in East Orange.

Overall this collection provides a rare and detailed perspective on the life of an important Seton Hall pioneer.

For more information please contact:

Alan Delozier
University Archivist
Alan.Delozier@shu.edu
(973) 275-2378

News from Archives & Special Collections

* The first set of cataloged books from the recently acquired John Concannon Irish Collection are available for research request via the Archives & Special Collections Center. Mr. Concannon previously served as the National Historian for the Ancient Order of Hibernians and a freelance writer for various newspapers and magazines including the Irish Echo, Newsweek and others. More information on individual titles is available via our catalog, SetonCat.

* The New Jersey Catholic Historical Commission which is headquartered in the Archives & Special Collections Center has a new Facebook page for view and posting of ideas related to Church History in the Garden State.

* Updates have been made to the display cases in the hallway adjacent to the Walsh Gymnasium within the Seton Hall Recreation Center which features historical memorabilia, images and text from the Archives & Special Collections. These exhibits can be viewed during operational hours for the Recreation Center located across from Walsh Library.

* Starting Tuesday, September 7th, the Archives & Special Collections Center will go back to its traditional semester hours of operation: Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00-5:00 p.m. We welcome the chance to help you with your research projects throughout the fall semester and beyond.

For further information see: http://www.shu.edu/news/article/298585