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Leadership Conference of Women Religious of the United States Records (LCW), University of Notre Dame Archives (UNDA), Notre Dame, IN 46556
Records, 1956-[ongoing], of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), including correspondence (1958-1983); meeting material from the national board and executive committee (1962-1979); papers from the group's national assembly (1961-1983); extensive subject files (1957-1984); correspondence and minutes (1964-1979) relating to joint committees of LCWR and the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the United States Catholic Conference; records (1958-1979) of the Sister Formation Conference (now the Religious Formation Conference); printed material and tape recordings.
The records of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), 1957-1992, reflect the diversity of the group's interests and activities. From its inception in 1956 the Conference has helped define the role that women religious play in the church and in secular society. The collection documents these wide ranging activities and the affect they have had on the lives of women religious.
Information on the administration of LCWR is provided by minutes, reports, memoranda and similar meeting material for the national board, executive committee, and other administrative committees. The Conference's close relationship with other national Catholic organizations is documented in the records of liaison committees with such groups as the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the United States Catholic Conference. The documents from the administrative and liaison committees provide the clearest indication of the thoughts and actions of the LCWR administrators and staff. The correspondence files, though useful, cover a more limited range of subjects and a smaller time period. Further evidence of the group's administration can be found in the records of its regions, which include correspondence and reports on regional activities.
The collection also includes papers from the LCWR national assemblies and other conferences. The national assemblies, held annually, constitute the legislative body of the Conference; the documents produced at these meeting shed light on the attitudes and direction of the general membership. The remainder of this series relates, primarily, to the Inter-American Conferences of Religious Superiors, sponsored in part by LCWR. These records document LCWR's international interests, while revealing the concerns of religious men and women from North and South America.
The subject files constitute the largest series in the LCWR Collection and provide the most complete documentation of the Conference's activities. The project files include records from an extensive study of the health of women religious, a report on tax laws, a law suit resulting from the ERA boycott, and the publication of a guide to the records of religious orders of women in the United States (Women Religious History Sources, New York, 1983). Studies of religious conducted by Sister Marie Augusta Neal, SNDdeN (formerly boxes 89-157 and 165-177) may now be found in the Sister Marie Augusta Neal Papers (CNEA). The organization files reflect LCWR's attempt to fulfill its priorities by working with a wide variety of religious and secular organizations. The files document an interest in approximately 125 organizations, including the National Organization of Black Catholics, the National Organization of Women, Serra International, Sisters Uniting, International Union of Superior Generals, Catholic Hospital Association, National Women' Political Caucus, National Council on Aging, and the Presbyterian Task Force on Women.
The next series in the collection documents the changing relationship between LCWR and the Sisters Formation Conference (the SFC, now called the Religious Formation Conference). LCWR has maintained close ties with SFC through a variety of administrative arrangements. The records in this series, including correspondence and minutes, offer much information on SFC and its relationship with LCWR. This relationship is also documented in the correspondence with apostolic delegates which is filed in the correspondence series (box 1).
The final series in the collection consists of financial and legal records, cases and publications, including "Legal Counsel" files, finance reports, Legal Bulletins, and Finance Committee Minutes.
The character and direction of LCWR are evident from its records. The Conference has maintained an interest in the day to day welfare of its members, as demonstrated by its studies on social security, health, and personnel issues; but the energies of LCWR have also been directed at changing the role of women in the Catholic Church and in society at large. Some of the stands taken by LCWR have been controversial, such as the papal greeting offered by LCWR president Sister Theresa Kane RSM to Pope Paul II during his visit to the United States in 1979. Sister Kane took the opportunity to express her hopes for an expanded role for women in the church; the correspondence she received in response to her speech offers ample evidence of the sensitive nature of questions surrounding women's issues and the authority of the hierarchy. Many of these questions were also part of the renewal that took place within many religious communities following Vatican II. LCWR's interest in these changes in Canon Law and their effect on women religious is documented in the studies, committees, and reports which the Conference produced.
The LCWR collection was acquired by the Notre Dame Archives in 1981. Subsequent additions have been incorporated into the collection, but not interfiled, as can be seen by the many different box locations of each series. Restrictions apply to portions of the collection. As of April 1993 the collection includes 191.9 linear feet. Published items, including both LCWR publications and books collected by the Conference, have been transferred to the LCWR Printed Collection (PLCW). Audio-Visual material has been transferred to the LCWR A-V Collection (ALCW), and photographs and scrapbooks to the LCWR Photo Collection (GLCW).
LCWR was founded in 1956 as the Conference of Major Superiors of Women; the current name was adopted in 1971.
The founding of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) can be traced to the General Congress of the States of Perfection, a meeting held in Rome in 1950. During the next few years a series of meetings furthered the idea of a conference for women religious. In 1952 the Holy See established a commission of General Superiors of Orders of Men and Women, a National Congress of Religious USA was held in South Bend, and the First World Congress of Mothers General was held in Rome.
The first statutes of LCWR were adopted in 1956 at a meeting in Chicago (the name initially adopted for the group was the Conference of Major Superiors of Women, which was changed to LCWR in 1971). The founding convention recognized the important contribution of established groups, such as the National Catholic Welfare Conference and the movement that later became the Sisters Formation Conference, to the growth and work of religious communities. This recognition was later formalized in liaison committees with other national Catholic organizations. The founders of LCWR also considered the formation of a joint conference of religious men and women, but the idea was abandoned and separate conferences were formed. A final point of deliberation was the question of a regional or national structure. The decision seemed to favor regional groups, with national meetings planned for every five years, an executive committee composed of regional chairwomen, and regional meetings planned around themes established by the national executive committee. Through the years this emphasis on regional governance has been modified to support a stronger national organization. In 1959 the Holy See gave the Conference final approval.
Membership in LCWR is open to the chief administrative officer of all institutes, provinces, and regions of women religious in the U.S. and territorial possessions. The membership grew from 392 in 1957 to 650 in 1970. According to the bylaws (11.1) the primary purpose of LCWR is to assist members "personally, collectively, and corporately in developing creative and responsive leadership and in undertaking those forms of service consonant with the evolving Gospel mission of women religious in the world through the Church." The priorities of LCWR, as stated by Sister Mary Daniel Turner SNDdeN (executive director 1972- 1978) include "the development of an apostolic spirituality which sees religious as vitally involved in the mission of the Church; action for justice; the fullest participation of women in ecclesial and civic life; the promotion of leadership; and collaboration with other groups of similar orientation."
In 1969 a survey of CMSW by Booz, Allen, and Hamilton, Inc. proposed changes in the group's structure, which led to the approval of revised bylaws and a change in name (to LCWR) in 1971. LCWR is divided into fifteen geographic regions. Annual assemblies bring the general membership together and constitute the legislative body of the Conference. The group is governed by an executive board made up of five national officers, one representative from each region, and the executive director. The national office is located in Silver Springs, Maryland. A list of national officers (1957-1991) can be found in the 1992 LCWR Directory (LCWR records, box 163/folder 30). Information on the duties and responsibilities of LCWR officers and committees can be found in the Handbook of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious of the U.S.A., 1975 (box 16/folder 22).
Correspondence, memoranda, and form mailings to the general membership, including correspondence of the LCWR executive director with members, officials of the church hierarchy in Rome and the U.S., and officers of other organizations. Correspondents include Elio Gambari, Bernard Ransing, and Apostolic Delegates Jean Jadot, Luigi Raimondi, and Egidio Vagnozzi. Topics discussed include the administration of LCWR, activities of religious orders, and LCWR committees and projects. The correspondence also includes files of letters written in response to the controversy surrounding the papal greeting offered by Sister Theresa Kane RSM (LCWR president) to Pope John Paul II during his visit to the U.S. in 1979. The form mailings include memoranda to members from LCWR officers, questionnaires, reports and LCWR publications, lists of officers, and membership directories. The mailings report on the activities of LCWR officers, agenda for annual meetings, and LCWR committees and studies.
Minutes, correspondence, reports, and agenda from meetings of the LCWR National Board and Executive Committee. Topics discussed include the work of LCWR committees, finances, personnel, national meetings, liaison work with other organizations, and LCWR studies and surveys. Starting in July of 1972 each National Board and Executive Committee meeting was assigned a number in a sequence that coincided with the fiscal year. The minutes and other documents from a meeting were then labelled and filed according to the number assigned that meeting. So N.B. 1 refers to the first National Board meeting of the fiscal year, while Exec. Comm. 1 refers to the first Executive Committee meeting.
Minutes, memoranda, correspondence, reports, reprints of articles, surveys, and agenda from LCWR committees concerned with accounting and financial practices, membership credentials, nomination and election of officers, personnel, and the history and current structure of the LCWR organization.
Correspondence, minutes, newsletters, reports, and other material relating to organizations that have established liaison committees with LCWR, including Conference of Major Superiors of Men, National Sisters Communication Service, National Catholic Coalition for Responsible Investment, National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Network, U.S. Catholic Conference, National Sisters Vocation Council, and the National Catholic Vocation Council.
Minutes, correspondence, reports, notes, and newsletters from committees formed to study and act upon specific issues of interest to LCWR. Topics under study include alienation of property, revisions in Canon Law as a result of Vatican II, the role of women in the church, education, pastoral concerns, and social security. Also included are records from LCWR's National Peace and Justice Desk (NYC), which was established in 1976 to coordinate the activities of LCWR members, the Pluralism Task Force, Global Concerns Committee, NMWC, SCARP, and EROWC.
Scrapbooks consisting of photographs and clippings which were collected during assemblies and conferences can be found in the LCWR photograph collection (GLCW). Included are 1971-1982 assemblies, InterAmerican conferences, and some committee meetings.
Programs, lists of participants, reports from committees and the LCWR president, financial reports, resolutions, assembly newsletters, and minutes of business meetings. The files also contain correspondence, memoranda, and drafts of documents relating to planning the national LCWR assemblies, which began as workshops in the early 1960s. Also included are records relating to national meetings held jointly with the Conference of Major Superiors of Men (a meeting with CMSM is called a convergence).
Correspondence, memoranda, working papers, programs, newsletters, press releases, and financial reports from conferences and workshops in which LCWR participated. The majority of the records relate to the Inter-American Conferences of Religious Superiors attended by religious from Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and other Latin American countries. Inter-American Conferences have been held in Mexico City (1971), Bogota (1974), Montreal (1977), Santiago (1980), and Marriotsville, Maryland (1985).
Correspondence and issue oriented files of those who served as Assistant to the Executive Director (ie. Rita Hofbauer, GNSH, Margaret Nulty, SC) and records and publications from the Communications Office, which the Assistant to the Director heads. Issues include the ERA, National Assemblies, women's issues, and other topics. Copies of LCWR Newsletters (1970-1984), LCWR Newsbriefs (1973-1977), and Update (1979- 1984); press releases; correspondence; newspaper clippings; mailing lists; and press kits from national assemblies. The Communications Office, established in late 1973, was directed by Sister Mary Louise Lynch ACMM from 1971 to 1973 and by Sister Marian Carr PBVM from 1973 to 1976. Also included are copies of LCWR's printed documents, including membership directories (1971-1978), LCWR Handbook (1975), LCWR by-laws, and convention proceedings. Other publications produced by LCWR have been transferred to the LCWR Printed Collection (PLCW).
Correspondence between regional officers and the national office, questionnaires, memoranda to regional chairwomen, reports on regional activities, and mailings from regional officers to members. LCWR was divided into seven geographic regions until 1970 when the group reorganized into 15 regions. Until 1970 the regions were identified as northeast, midwest, etc.; after the reorganization the 15 regions were assigned numbers (I, II, III, etc.). The folder list of boxes 18-20 gives the states included in each regions as they were listed in the LCWR Membership Directory (1973). This breakdown remained essentially the same into the 1980s.
Correspondence, membership applications, newsletters, questionnaires, reports, and other documents relating to an archival survey; a study of women in the ministry; a law suit resulting from the ERA boycott; an extensive health study of women religious, conducted with LCWR support; tax information for members of religious orders; a White House conference on aging; and other activities of interest to LCWR. There are records relating to the Archival Study Project (ASP), which resulted in a published guide to the records of religious orders of women in the U.S. (Women Religious History Sources, New York, 1983), Constitution Task Force, fund development, retirement survey of religious, he Contemplative Theology project, survey of membership skills, and religious life study or "Quinn Commission". The bulk of the project series are records from studies conducted for LCWR by Sister Marie Augusta Neal, a well-known sociologist. These studies include the Contemplative Orders Survey and the Sisters' Surveys of 1967, 1980, and 1989. Code sheets and other explanatory material regarding these studies can be found in the finding aid cabinet.
Correspondence, newsletters, by-laws, reports, minutes, and other material relating to a wide variety of organizations of interest to LCWR, including the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, U.S. Catholic Conference, Church Women United, Canadian Religious Conference, Catholic Hospital Association, Center for Concern, Sisters Uniting, Union of Superior Generals, International Union of Superior Generals, Women's Spirituality Task Force, Peace and Disarmament Task Force, and U.S. Catholic Mission Council.
Correspondence, reprints of articles, reports, newsletters, and other material relating to abortion, ERA, International Women's Year, women religious, Canon Law revisions, papal visit, Central America, boycotts, and other topics. Most of the files focus on women's issues.
Minutes, correspondence, and agenda and reports from SFC workshops. The Conference was formed in 1957 to improve the education of sisters. Over the years the SFC has maintained close ties with LCWR through a variety of administrative relationships. In September of 1976 the SFC changed its name to Religious Formation Conference.
Correspondence, minutes, publications, and case studies dealing with financial and legal issues. Included are files on tax issues and "Legal Counsel" cases, finances, finance reports, Legal Bulletins, and Finance Committee Minutes.
LCWR DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT ARCHIVES: Box 1: PIONEERS, POETS AND PROPHETS INFO; Old brochures and envelopes; Old introductory binder (Black binder); Copy of Manual of Museum Exhibitions edited by Barry Lord and Gail Deter Lord; Planning notes from 2005 2006; Prospectus; Archives from Cincinnati Exhibit from Sr. Barbara H. (originally sent to Sr. Jane Burke). Box 2: Design Info; Layout of museum space; Women and Spirit brochures; Women and Spirit 8-page brochures; Seruto; Budget; Newsletters; Fact Sheet; Development Committee; Artifact info sheet. Box 3: Opening info; Cincinnati Material; Smithsonian Material; Dallas Material; Maltz Material; NYC Material; Publicity; Direct Mail campaign info; Letters; Responses; Cost of printing; Results Plus; Donors; Reports; Postings. Box 4: Grants; Hilton; Sunday Visitor; Catholic Health; CMI; Bon Secours; CHA - ACCU; Donor info; Christmas Cards; Potential Donors; Tax ID Form; Grants denied. Box 5: RECENT: Correspondence; Thank you letters; DVD Production; Cincinnati info; Dallas info; Potential Venue info; Copies of checks posted; Donation info.
LCWR Update newsletter 1994-1999; LCWR Occasional Papers 1994-1998; LCWR Conference Reports 1994-1995; Conference of Major Superiors of Men Bulletin, September 1994.
Executive Committee Files, 1992-2000; National Board and CMSM Joint Board, 1992-2000; Alphabetical Subject Files; LCWR Update, 1998-2000; LCWR Assemblies, 1996, 1999-2002; Press Clippings, 1992-2003; other organizations including NCCB; LCWR Regional Chairs Meetings; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; LCWR Finance Committee; Benchmark Project.
Press releases, resolutions, updates, and position papers, most of them distributed as attachments to email messages or posted on the LCWR website. Also transcriptions of oral history interviews with women religious and bishops conducted by Lora Ann Quinonez, CDP, and Mary Daniel Turner, SND, in 1988.
Chiefly photographs from LCWR assemblies; with some photographs and negatives from Jeanean Merkel, LCWR Communications; also Region VI slides; photos from exhibits; and photos of LCWR Past Presidents, Pope John Paul II, the Executive Committee, and a trip to Rome.
Books, pamphlets, and periodicals produced or collected by LCWR, including material describing life in various religious orders.