This site generally tells the stories of the Indiana Catholic church in the 19th century — the earliest days of the Diocese of Vincennes and sometimes up to the present day. That is what we are doing with this post, featuring two individuals who have made a mark in Indiana Catholic History by their lives.

March 12th marks the sixteenth anniversary of the death of Sister Ann Kathleen Brawley SP who served as Archivist of the Sisters of Providence and as the Archivist of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. Sister Ann Kathleen was a kind and gentle soul who never sought the limelight. If you were to “google” her today, you would get the following:

AI Overview
Sister Ann Kathleen Brawley SP, played a crucial role in the canonization process of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin by assisting with the preparation of the Cause.

As a long-time archivist for the Sisters of Providence, she organized historical records and served as a consultant on the congregation’s history.
Key details of her role included:

Archival Work: She served as general secretary and later as archivist from 1976 to 1991, organizing 136 years of congregation history.
Canonization Assistance: She dedicated many hours to preparing the documentation required for Mother Theodore Guerin’s canonization cause.
Consultant: She served as a consultant to the Archives and to anyone researching the history of the Congregation.

I mentioned that she served as the Archvisit for the Archdiocese. In fact she had the title of “Assistant Archivist” since Msgr. John J. Doyle held the title of Archivist. This was a bit of a misnomer. Msgr. Doyle probably didn’t know a great deal about archival theory or how an archives worked. He was a college professor and a historian. We mentioned his book, “The Catholic Church in Indiana – 1686-1814″ in our last post. He used the Archdiocesan Archives considerably, and Sr. Ann Kathleen was always there to help him find what he was looking for.

Sister Ann Kathleen died in 2010. Here, is a copy of her obituary from the Sisters of Providence website:

“Sister Ann Kathleen said that her greatest joy had been her opportunity to assist those who came to the Archives seeking materials in order to tell the story of the Congregation.”

Preserving the Congregation’s history was extremely important to Sister Ann Kathleen Brawley. “As archivist, Sister Ann Kathleen renewed the presentation of Community History classes, enriching the newer members of the Congregation in their knowledge and appreciation of our past,” said Sister Mary Roger Madden in her commentary for Sister Ann Kathleen, who died March 12.

Born June 18, 1919, in Chicago, Mary Kathleen Brawley was the daughter of John and Noreen (Doherty) Brawley. She and her two brothers attended St. Mel Grade School, Chicago. Sister Ann Kathleen graduated from Providence High School, Chicago. She entered the Congregation July 22, 1937, and professed first and perpetual vows Jan. 23, 1940, and 1946, respectively. Sister Ann Kathleen earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and a master’s degree in European history from Indiana State University.

Sister Ann Kathleen began her teaching ministry in 1940 at St. Patrick, Fort Wayne, Ind. Her pedagogical ministries also included St. John, Robstown, Texas; Our Lady of Sorrows, Chicago; and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Village Grade School.

“For the next 12 years from 1954 to 1966, Sister Ann Kathleen worked quietly and humbly as assistant to the general secretary of the Congregation. Those of us who belong to a certain generation remember how in the summer vacation time, as we advanced upon Tile Hall 800 strong, with our many and varied needs, she was ever ready to respond to us in her gracious and generous manner. Whatever the problem confronting us we knew Sister Ann Kathleen would solve it quietly and efficiently. She always made each one feel that she was known, loved and appreciated. Those were turbulent years for many of us, but Sister Ann Kathleen was a soothing presence,” said Sister Mary Roger.

For the next 10 years, Sister Ann Kathleen served as the general secretary. Through her position, “she assembled and organized the Congregation’s archival documents,” continued Sister Mary Roger. “She was guided in this work by Sister Eugenia Logan (RIP) who, in her later years, had been named archivist/historian of the Congregation. After the general election, Sister Eugenia suggested that the title of archivist be given to Sister Ann Kathleen. In telling this, Sister Ann Kathleen admitted that it did not make a great deal of difference since she and Sister Eugenia continued to work together. …”

Sister Ann Kathleen served as the archivist from 1976 to 1991, and after her retirement she continued as a consultant to the department. It was under the leadership of Sisters Ann Kathleen and Eugenia and a cadre of volunteers that 136 years of Congregation history were organized and archived.

“In the early 1980s, the administrative offices were moved to Owens Hall where one wing of the ground floor was given to the Archives. For the first time the Archives Department, as we know it today, began to take shape,” said Sister Mary Roger.

“During the past 10 years as her strength declined — although she would never admit this fact — Sister Ann Kathleen served as a consultant to the Archives and to anyone else who had a question to ask relating to the history of the Congregation. She lived to take part in the great celebration of the canonization of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin, so meaningful to her in light of the many hours she had spent assisting with the preparation of the Cause,” said Sister Mary Roger.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated March 17, with the Rev. Daniel Hopcus presiding. She is survived by one brother, Robert, of Arlington Heights, Ill.

The following day, March 13 marks the birthday of Msgr. John J. Doyle. Msgr. Doyle was born in Indianapolis on March 13, 1898. He attended St. Joseph’s Parish, which was then located on the corner of North Street and College Avenue. He attended St. Meinrad and was ordained on May 17, 1921 Msgr. Doyle, known to many as the “Mons” spent most of his career as a professor at Marian College in Indianapolis. After his retirement, Monsignor Doyle became the Archivist and Historian of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. He contributed much to the understanding of Indiana Catholic Church History. In 1976 he published “The Catholic Church in Indiana 1686-1814“. In 1978 he published “Genealogical Use of Catholic Records in North America” for the Indiana Historical Society. Msgr. Doyle’s love of history, especially his love of history of the Church in Indiana always showed through.

We have mentioned the Monsignor numerous times on this websitee.

All of this boils down to the importance of Diocesan Archives. These two individuals contributed to the excellent Archdiocesan Archives that we have today!

For a number of years the archives of the Archdiocese, for lack of a better word, sat somewhat ‘dormant’. This was probably true of most Catholic archives. There were “keepers” of the archives, but it usually consisted of someone in the Chancellor’s office, which is the office responsible for diocesan archives. It was probably a person who had no inclination toward archival theory or maybe even history. In the case of Indianapolis, a lot of the historical archives were stored in the Cathedral Rectory.

The archives can consist of many things, including, for example, the notes and paperwork of one of the diocesan offices. This is commonly called “Records Management”. That’s not what this site is all about. We are interested in the “historical” aspects of the archives. That is, those documents that tell us of the history of the diocese and or persons involved in that history.

There was a movement that began in the mid 1970’s, and probably even earlier, that began to take the notion of diocesan archives more seriously. In the early 1970’s “The upcoming American bicentennial provided the impetus for the United States National Conference of Catholic Bishops to issue in November, 1974, “A Document on Ecclesiastical Archives”. The bishops lamented that the American Catholic Experience had not been “penetrated to the heart” because of the lack of care given the historical records.” ¹ This belief became part of the new Code of Canon Law in 1983. In Canon #486 it was written:

Can. 486 §1. All documents which regard the diocese or parishes must be protected with the greatest care.

§2. In every curia there is to be erected in a safe place a diocesan archive, or record storage area, in which instruments and written documents which pertain to the spiritual and temporal affairs of the diocese are to be safeguarded after being properly filled and diligently secured.

§3. An inventory, or catalog, of the documents which are contained in the archive is to be kept with a brief synopsis of each written document.

Larger dioceses began hiring professionals to organize their archives. Religious Orders too, began to take their collective history seriously. In Indiana, one of the congregations of women religious, the “Sisters of Providence of St. Mary of the Woods” appointed Sister Ann Kathleen Brawley as their archivist in 1976. Much of the work of the SPSMW archives was to help with the work of canonizing their foundress, Saint Theodora Guerin.

While continuing in that job, Sr. Ann Kathleen was asked by the Archdiocese to help organize their archives. This would have been about 1978. At that time, Msgr. John Doyle was listed as the Archdiocesan Historian and Archivist. Sr. Ann Kathleen was listed as his assistant. But, as mentioned above, it is unlikely that Msgr Doyle did much in the way of an archivist — he was a historian. But, it was a good arrangement. Msgr Doyle and Sr. Ann Kathleen worked well together, however, Msgr. Doyle passed away in March of 1985 and Sister Ann Kathleen continued as the archivist, traveling between St. Mary of the Woods and Indianapolis about once a week. She was assisted by other sisters from “The Woods”.

1. History of the Association of Catholic Diocesan Archivists – History of ACDA [↩]