Ohio diocese to open archives center preserving church records dating back centuries

The Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio, broke ground Sept. 15 on the All Saints Diocesan Archives Center, a comprehensive archive center that will ensure that centuries of vital Catholic history is not lost.

“This facility has been needed and has actually been discussed for generations,” said Joan Lawson, chancellor and archivist for the diocese, according to The Business Journal Daily. “It’s finally coming to fruition now.”

Parish records — which are crucial not just to the lives of the faithful, but also to historians and genealogists — have previously been held in various locations across the diocese, Lawson explained. Many records have been kept in basements, which can expose the records to poor conditions and deterioration.

The new center will have precise controls for temperature, humidity, and lighting in a 4,900-square-foot building next to the former Saints Cyril and Methodius Church. The historic church is being repurposed as a public programming and exhibit space. The center will be open to the public, with a research and reading room.

In order to preserve the records, the center will be undertaking a project to digitize its materials, which include documents from 116 parishes. The center will keep the original records of sacramental materials for parishes that are closed, though parishes that are still in use will maintain their records.

Bishop David Bonnar has indicated that the new center will make the diocese’s work easier. When he became bishop of the diocese five years ago, there was no centralization of records.

“This is the beginning of a realization of a dream,” said Bishop Bonnar, according to The Business Journal Daily.

The diocese has been working to make the center a reality for three years. This has included hiring staff and developing archival policies.

“I feel good about our future,” he said.

Mayor Jamael Tito Brown said he was grateful that the diocese chose a site close to the central business district and that it was “investing in that process to continue to make that connection for family and the community,” according to The Business Journal Daily.

Lawson says that the center will help people to understand their communities better.

“It will preserve not only the history of the church as an organization,” she told The Business Journal Daily, “but also the individuals, families, social activities, schools, religious orders and cultural traditions that define each parish community.”