ROGERS — In 2007, Jean Pappas volunteered her efforts to recreate the history of St. Vincent de Paul School in Rogers for its 50th anniversary. It was through these efforts and a great deal of her time that she learned how to navigate through the research and documentation necessary to tell the story of the school.
“It is difficult but not impossible to recreate the history of a parish church or school once it is lost,” said Pappas, the volunteer historian. “Just as in a family when a generation passes away, they take with it their stories and first-hand accounts. The history of a parish church or school is the history of a parish family. It is a story that can inspire appreciation for the hard work, sacrifice and dedication that made the parish possible. It is a story that motivates us to continue that work as good stewards of this gift.”
“Fortunately, several people had the foresight to preserve and document much of the history of St. Vincent de Paul Church. One of the original parishioners, now deceased, had written a first-hand account of the early years of our parish. Our most valuable information came from two scrapbooks that had been kept by the church’s Altar Society. These books chronicled the history of the church and school as well as local and national events,” Pappas said.
However, she believes there needs to be a consistent method for documenting and preserving parish life.
“Ideally, there would be a parish employee or volunteer who would be responsible for this. Storing all of the information in a central location in an organized fashion would be helpful as well,” she said.
Marilyn Collins, a Rogers author of three books on regional history, recognized the need for a step-by-step guide to preserving the history of family, region and special groups, such as churches. It is in her new book, “Write History Right,” that she outlines the tools necessary to successfully create a written history.
“The purpose of creating the history of a church is to bring the people together and to the church,” Collins said.
In a recent workshop, she encountered a participant who commented about the necessity of preserving personal history.
“This person’s motive for saving the story of her family was to preserve their religious heritage,” Collins said. “She had noticed that with each subsequent generation the religious faith of family members seemed to weaken. Extended families used to live just down the street or on the next farm and often went to the same church together. Families are now scattered around the world and this person sensed a disconnect in family relationships as well as shared beliefs and values. A history of church and family involvement could strengthen the faith of upcoming generations.”
In her book, Collins has mapped out the steps to follow in order to produce a history of a church, beginning with the research and documentation. This often means working within the structure of a committee. She said a committee is a good place to brainstorm ideas.
“It is important to show a clear picture of each person’s responsibilities in order to avoid conflict, save time and make the experience more enjoyable for everyone,” Collins said. She also pointed out the need for one person on the committee to have editorial approval and factual control of the project.
With her project, Pappas did most of the work with the help of one other person.
“Working along with a friend as a partner made the project even more enjoyable,” she said. “Collecting all of the addresses of the past students was very time consuming.
If this work could have been divided among committee members, it could have been less tedious. We were helped along with the way by several key parishioners who were willing to spend the time helping us collect data for each decade. I used one of the databases on ancestry.com.”
Collins emphasizes in her book the need to obtain authorization for the scope of the project, a budget and a deadline for the completed project. If possible, the deadline might coincide with a major anniversary or celebration at the church. She suggests a simple letter of agreement detailing the project to be signed by an authorized person, such as the pastor, and committee members. It is an important step to take in avoiding misunderstanding or conflict later on, she said.
Sorting stacks of information will be easier if the organization of the project is decided first — chronological, topical or pictorial. In other words, how will the story be told?
Announcements through the church bulletins or newsletters as well as from the pulpit are chances to encourage participation by the congregation. It could also include a request for materials, photographs, memorabilia or anything related to the parish.
On the diocesan level, Deacon Bo McAllister, chancellor for canonical affairs, has responsibility for the archives kept at St. John Center in Little Rock. He said different heritages are represented in the churches around the state.
“The history of a particular church community over the years is very important,” he said. “It is part of our Arkansas history as well as the Church history. For example, we had many churches formed around the communities that were brought over to work on the railroads. Many in the German community who came over brought their own priest with them, and they built their own church here. Over the years they became a part of the American culture, but they still have their own heritage.”
Individuals can request access to the diocesan archives, which include many sacramental and other parish records.
“What I usually do is to look at the books I have available, such as the records of the old Arkansas Catholic, known as The Guardian, which is put together up to 1925,” Lazeth Novak, McAllister’s secretary, said. “We usually require that the request for information be put into writing, explaining how the information will be used.”
McAllister said, though, that the archives are not public records.
“They are private records so we need to know who is getting the information and what they are going to use it for,” he said. “Secondly, we don’t have an archivist — someone who can do the research. If a parish book has sacramental history over a 100 years old, it is supposed to come to the diocesan archives so we don’t lose that information.”
When these documents arrive, they are transferred to microfilm as funds become available. The documents are stored in acid-free boxes after they are processed.
In addition to the documents, many artifacts are stored there as well.
“We have many items besides the documents — items that belonged to former bishops such as chalices, candelabras, different types of sacred vessels,” McAllister said.
Today the materials acquired through the efforts of Pappas and other volunteers in 2007 are stored in the church.
“The scrapbooks, which are the most fragile of all of our documents, are now stored in archival boxes purchased from Light Impressions,” Pappas said.
They are stored in a closet at church which is a heated and cooled space. The director of communications for the parish has access to them and can make them available by request. Because of their age and somewhat fragile condition, they probably should only be handled when wearing gloves and only on a limited basis, Pappas said.
For more information about “Write History Right,” contact Collins at www.writelocal history.wordpress.com.
