Communications Office Records, 1921-2013 | Maryknoll Mission Archives
Arrangement
Materials are arranged into eight series, some with subseries:
1. Administrative Materials: a. Financial; b. Operations; c. Resources
2. Collaborations: a. Maryknoll; b. External Organizations
3. Correspondence
4. Events and Exhibitions
5. Publicity & Promontion - Print: a. Mission Locations; b. Topics
6. Publicity & Promotion - Media: a. Radio; b. Television; c. Film
7. Books: a. Same Fate as the Poor; b. Women in Mission; c. Other Books
8. Reference Materials
Abstract
Administrative/Biographical History
The Communications Office is one of the Development Department's five offices.
In 1937, Sister Mary Eunice Tolan established the Promotion Department. As Second Councilor, she was responsible for developing new sources of income for the Congregation. In conjunction with this, she recognized the basic need of good public relations and of sound, vigorous publicity.
World War II opened the way to nation-wide publicity. The Maryknoll Sisters, serving in countries involved in the war, were "big news." This sharpened the focus on publicity as a necessary tool of both fundraising and mission education.
In 1938, Sister Tolan called upon Sister Victoria Francis Larmour, who had some experience in publicity, to develop a news service which became known as the Publicity Department. Having returned to the USA from detention in Los Baños, Philippines, Sister Maria del Rey Danforth directed the work of the office from 1947-1970. After a lapse, it was re-activated by Sister Pauline Frei in 1972.
In 1968, the Publicity Office was renamed to Communications, and in the late 70's the Communications Office was incorporated into the Development Department. This office furthers the public relations, mission education and fund raising aims of the Department by providing news releases, articles, photographs, information and any other forms of cooperation with the Society Social Communications Department as well as with outside media outlets.
Administrative InformationOffice of Social Concerns
Development Department
Same Fate as the Poor
Oral Histories
Creative Works
El Salvador Martyrs
MFBA Maryknoll World Productions
MFBA Social Communications Office
This collection comprises approximately 9.6 linear feet of documents contained in 23 Hollinger boxes. Besides records of daily office and department business, these materials include: news releases and magazine articles both by and about Maryknoll Sisters and their works; radio, TV and film projects of the Communications Office as well as those done in collaboration with the Maryknoll Society Social Communications Department and with outside media.
In addition, the collection includes extensive material on media coverage of the deaths of our Sisters Maura Clarke and Ita Ford, Ursuline Sister Dorothy Kazel, and Cleveland Diocese Lay missioner Jean Donovan in El Salvador. Also included are materials concerning the book Same Fate as the Poor by Sister Judy Noone, the book Women in Mission, and the Heritage Exhibit.
The first series, Administrative Materials, 1931-2009, includes records of daily office and department business, as well as departmental policies. The first subseries, Financial, primarily consists of invoices but includes other financial documents. The second subseries, Operations, includes records documenting department business and features meeting minutes, operational reports, policies, and job descriptions. The third subseries, Resources, consists of reference materials Sisters would have used regularly during the course of their work. Notable materials include guides, handbooks, and historic overviews of the Congregation, Society, and Lay Missioners.
The second series, Collaborations, 1979-2007, includes correspondence between the Communications Office and other affiliated groups. The first series, Maryknoll, features collaborations between the Communications Office and other Maryknoll Sisters Offices, as well as offices within the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers Society. The second series, External Organizations, primarily features Catholic media organizations that the Communications Office collaborated with on a regular basis.
The third series, Correspondence, 1965-2007, includes correspondence to and from the Communications Office. Folders are labeled by the primary correspondent, however, Sisters working in the office are featured throughout the series. See ComminicationsOfficesStaff_1947 - Jan 2010 for a more complete listing of office staff.
The fourth series, Events and Exhibitions, 1953-2010, includes files related to the planning and publicity of both internal and external events, such as a video project for the 75th Anniversary, the Heritage Exhibit, and the Mollie Rogers Centennial Celebration at Smith College.
The fifth series, Publicity & Promotion - Print, 1921-2013, consists of print publications by and about Maryknoll Sisters. There is also a small amount of correspondence directly related to the publication of articles. This series contains two subseries, Mission Locations and Topics. Searching across the series by dates, locations, and topics is highly recommended, as no individual subseries has a comprehensive scope.
The sixth series, Publicity & Promotion - Media, 1960-2007, includes files related to projects by and about Maryknoll Sisters. This series contains three subseries, Radio, TV, and Film, which overlap occasionally due to the presence of multimedia projects. Folders discussing multiple media projections are labeled with media types present. The series primarily contains correspondence related to the planning and execution of these projects.
The seventh series, Books, 1975-2001, includes files related to the composition and publication of books by and about Maryknoll Sisters. The bulk of the files relate to Same Fate as the Poor by Sister Judy Noone, and Women in Mission. The third subseries, Other Books, includes files on projects such as encyclopedia entries about Maryknoll and the Catholic Children’s Treasure Box.
The eighth series, Reference Materials, 1948-2003, includes records used by the Communications Office. These records would have been referenced infrequently, however, they would have been useful in confirming historic information. Records of note include lists of Sisters by mission location, profession, and Diocese of origin prior to joining Maryknoll.
Content Warning:
This collection contains materials which include topics that readers may find disturbing.