Library & Information Services

History
In 1954, Alys E. Enders conveyed to the Society of Saint Edmund a 12-acre island near Mystic, Connecticut. This island, which is now known as Enders Island, was given to the Edmundites for use as a novitiate and a retreat center.* On November 2, 1954, Rev. Eymard Galligan arrived on the island as the first Superior.
Although the island had a mansion as well as outbuildings, the Edmundites undertook a number of improvements to make it suitable for the novitiate. By August 1955, a new chapel was completed and a causeway linking Enders to nearby Masons Island was begun. Other additions have been completed over the years, with a new chapel dedicated in Dec. 2002.
Members of the House worked at St. Bernard’s School in New London, CT, and administering St. Thomas More and Sacred Heart parishes in North Stonington and Groton, in addition to running a novitiate. For a time, the island was the home base of the Edmundites Seminary Guild, a fund-raising wing of the society. The Society of Saint Edmund, Connecticut, Inc. is the temporal branch of the Mystic works. Management of fiscal and legal affairs is usually conducted under its auspices.

From 1976 to 2003, the Society ran the Edmundite Apostolate Center on the island. The Center was the home of successful retreats and spiritual programs including spiritual development, adult education and sacred art programs. Saint Michael’s Institute of Sacred Art was launched in 1998 and has offered workshops in Early Christian Iconography, Traditional Iconography, Gregorian chant, Stained Glass, Manuscript Illumination & Gilding, and Fresco. In January 2004, control of most programs on the island reverted to the Diocese.

Scope
The Mystic collection is arranged alphabetically. It consists mainly of files related to either the physical property or to the canonical house. Materials related to the Saint Edmund’s Novitiate are not found here—they are located with other Houses of Formation.(See Note) The materials include correspondence, records related to the Apostolate Center and yearbooks from the years Edmundites taught at the school.

Note
Although the Novitiate files are not here, many individual items may contain the word “novitiate,” as the island and property were referred to as Novitiate for some time, both formally and informally. Materials that are directly related to the Edmundite Formation are filed with Houses of Formation.

Related terms
Apostolate Center
Saint Edmunds Novitiate
Seminary Guild
SSE of Ct., Inc.
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Folder List
Box 1
1                    Alys Enders last will and testament, Obituary
2                    Apostolate Center Financial Reports and Budgets 1982-1985
3                    Apostolate Center Financial Reports and Budgets 1986-1990
4                    Apostolate Center Activity Summary 1977-1980
5                    Apostolate Center Programs, Guides, Brochures
6                    Apostolate Center Fundraising appeals
7                    Apostolate Center Clippings, News Articles, Press releases
8                    Apostolate Center Reports
9                    Chapel Dedication Dec. 6, 2002
10                Clippings
11                Correspondence Corbett
12                Correspondence Galligan
13                Correspondence Galligan re: Causeway
14                Correspondence Galligan (with Diocese)
15                Correspondence LaCharite
16                Correspondence McQuillen
17                Encounter Programs 1970-1972
18                Facility Audit 1985
19                Fundraising 1960’s
20                History Enders Island
21                House Chronicle 1986-87
Box 2
1                    House Minutes 1955-1968
2                    House Minutes 1971-1983
3                    House Minutes 1984-1989, 1994-95
4                    Parishes St. Thomas More (N. Stonington)
5                    Parishes Sacred Heart (Groton)
6                    Programs Brochures
7                    Property Appraisal 1992
8                    Property Construction 1970’s-1980’s
9                    Property Construction Improvements 1950’s-1960’s
10                Property Dining Room Addition 1977
11                Property Insurance Information
12                Property Ragsdale Agreement
13                Property Sea Wall
Box 3
1                    Saint Bernard’s High School General
2                    Saint Bernard’s High School Yearbook St. Bernard’s H.S 1966
3                    Saint Bernard’s High School Yearbook 1967
4                    Saint Bernard’s High School Yearbook 1969
5                    Saint Bernard’s High School Yearbook 1970
6                    SSE Inc. of CT Board Minutes
7                    SSE Inc. of CT budgets and financial reports 1991
8                    SSE Inc. of CT By-laws
9                    SSE Inc. of CT Correspondence
10                SSE Inc. of CT Legal Documents
Box 4
1    SG Correspondence     SG Purtill 1952-58 to Mystic House
2    SG Correspondence     SG Purtill 1958-64 to Mystic House
3    SG Correspondence     SG Purtill 1958-64 to St Bernard’s H.S.
4    SG Correspondence     SG Galligan 1964-70 to Mystic House members
5    SG Correspondence     SG Galligan 1964-70 to Mystic House Superior
6    SG Correspondence     SG Galligan 1964-70 to St. Bernard’s H.S.
7    SG Correspondence     SG Galligan 1970-74 to Mystic House members
8    SG Correspondence     SG Galligan 1970-74 to Mystic House superior
9    SG Correspondence     SG Galligan 1970-74 to St. Bernard’s H.S.
10 SG Correspondence     SG Galligan 1970-74 to SSE of CT., Inc
11 SG Correspondence     SG Gokey 1974-78 to Mystic House
12 SG Correspondence     SG Gokey 1974-78 to Mystic House (LaCharite)
13 SG Correspondence     SG Gokey 1974-78 to Mystic Parishes St. Thomas More
14 SG Correspondence     SG Gokey 1974-78 to Mystic Parishes Sacred Heart
15 SG Correspondence     SG Gokey 1974-78 to St Bernard’s H.S
16 SG Correspondence     SG Leary 1978-82 to Edmundite Apostolate Center
17 SG Correspondence     SG Leary 1978-82 to Mystic House
18 SG Correspondence     SG Leary 1978-82 to Mystic Parishes St. Thomas More
19 SG Correspondence     SG Leary 1982-86 to Edmundite Apostolate Center
20 SG Correspondence     SG Leary 1982-86 to Mystic House
21 SG Correspondence     SG Leary 1982-86 to Mystic Parishes Sacred Heart
22 SG Correspondence     SG Leary 1982-86 to Mystic Parishes St. Thomas More
23 SG Correspondence     SG McLaughlin 1986-90 to Edmundite Apostolate Center
24 SG Correspondence     SG McLaughlin 1986-90 to Mystic
25 SG Correspondence     SG McLaughlin 1986-90 to Mystic Parishes Sacred Heart
26 SG Correspondence     SG McLaughlin 1986-90 to Mystic Parishes St. Thomas More
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* The SSE were never given clear title to the Island. Instead, the Edmundites have use of the island for as long as they are engaged in the activities laid out above—Training priests or using it for retreats. If they should cease using it for these activities, title reverts to other beneficiaries of Alys Enders’ will. For a full discussion of the topic, see the subject files of Superiors General Hart and Myhalyk, under “Future of Enders.”