Archives

Society of Saint Edmund Archives
Local Administration
England
1934-1988

Size
2 cu. ft. (4 boxes)

 Arrangement
This collection is arranged into series.  Folder List

History
In 1934, the Society of Saint Edmund began a canonical house in Whitton, England, not far from Hitchin, where they worked from 1902-1925.  Rev. Louis Cheray and Rev. Joseph Weston worked with parishioners to build a church and St. Edmunds School.  By the mid-1950’s their apostolate was so successful that they added two more works, the administration of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Stock, and the Brentwood Traveling Mission, in which priests travelled to a number of different sites.  From 1970-1976, after ceasing work in Stock and Brentwood, the Society was entrusted with a new undertaking.  The All Saints Church in Stevenage was an interesting experiment in which the building itself was both a community center and a church   shared by three major denominations, Church of England, Roman Catholic, and Methodists.  It was the first parish church in the country to be constructed under the same roof as a community centre, and the first purpose built church to be shared by three denominations.  The Society of Saint Edmund continued to work in Whitton until July 1988, when the Society decided to consolidate efforts in the United States.

Scope/Contents
The records of  local administration in England are arranged alphabetically into series.  The large series are correspondence, Superior General correspondence, financial reports, and mission reports.  Also included are published items, clippings, account books, legal records and some miscellaneous items.  The records encompass the entirety of the society’s involvement in the area, which is quite unique for most houses of the community.  Of particular interest are the earliest letters, particularly those from Fr. Cheray and those from  Fr. Weston and Fr. Berrell.  These document not only the earliest years of the apostolate, but also the years of World War II.   During the war the Church was bombed, the Priests were refused permission to leave England, and one, Auguste Berrell actually completed his scholasticate and was ordained  in England.  (Fr. Berrell pronounced his perpetual vows the morning after a bomb destroyed the Parish Church of Whitton, on Oct. 29, 1940.)  The correspondence is arranged by author.  The Superior General (SG) Correspondence is arranged by Superior General term, and then further subdivided by correspondent. 

Related Terms
Brentwood (England)—Church History
Whitton (Middlesex, England)—Church History
Stevenage (England)—Church History
Stock (England) –Church History
Monasticism and Religious Orders—Whitton (Middlesex, England)
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Folder List         
BOX 1                
1          Account Book                                                                          1934-1939
2          Account Book                                                                          1945-1950
3          Clippings                                                                                  Nd, 1947, 1962, 1969
4          Correspondence           Weston                                                1934(?)-1935
5          Correspondence           Cheray re: est. of house                        1934-1935
6          Correspondence           Cheray re: income tax                           1934-1935
7          Correspondence           Cheray                                                 1935-1945
8          Correspondence           Langlois                                                1947
9          Correspondence           Corbett                                                  1959-1965
10        Correspondence           McMahon                                            1964-1975
11        Correspondence           Plouffe                                                  1974-1976
12        Correspondence           Misc. personnel                                    1978-1987
BOX 2
1        Financial reports             Brentwood/Stock                                   1954-1968
2        Financial reports             Whitton                                                  1935-1969
3        Financial reports             Whitton                                                  1970-1988
4        House governance                                                                        1975/76, 1985-88
5        Legal documents                                                                           1930s-1990s
6        Mass intentions                                                                             1934-1948
7        Miscellaneous published items                                                    1940s-1988
8        Miscellaneous typewritten items                                                    n.d.
9        Mission reports               Brentwood/Stock                                   1960s
10      Mission reports               Whitton                                                  1951-59
11      Mission reports               Whitton                                                  1960-69, 1974-75, 1985
12      SG Correspondence       SG Nicolle to priests                               1933-35
13      SG Correspondence       SG Nicolle(1936-46) to Berrell              1940-43
14      SG Correspondence       SG Nicolle(1936-46) to Cheray             1936-46
15      SG Correspondence       SG Nicolle(1936-46) to Johnston           1939
16      SG Correspondence       SG Nicolle(1936-46) to Langlois            1938-46
BOX 3
1        SG Correspondence       SG Purtill(1946-52) to Berrell                 1946-52
2        SG Correspondence       SG Purtill(1946-52) to Cheray                1946-1948
3        SG Correspondence       SG Purtill(1946-52) to Corbett               1947-1951
4        SG Correspondence       SG Purtill(1946-52) to Langlois              1946-1949
5        SG Correspondence       Sg Purtill(1952-58) to Berrell                  1953-1958
6        SG Correspondence       Sg Purtill(1952-58) to Corbett                1954-1956
7        SG Correspondence       Sg Purtill(1958-64) to Berrell                  1958-1963
8        SG Correspondence       Sg Purtill(1958-64) to Corbett                1958-1964
9        SG Correspondence       Sg Purtill(1958-64) to Grace                  1958-1962
10      SG Correspondence       SG Galligan (1964-1970) to Corbett      1964-65
11      SG Correspondence       SG Galligan (1964-1970) to DiTucci      1965-68
12      SG Correspondence       SG Galligan (1964-1970) to McMahon  1965-70
13      SG Correspondence       SG Galligan (1964-1970) to Plouffe        1964-65
14      SG Correspondence       SG Galligan (1964-1970) Re: Traveling Missions          1964-67
15      SG Correspondence       SG Galligan (1970-74) to Farrell            1970-74
16      SG Correspondence       SG Galligan (1970-74) to priests            1970, 1974
17      SG Correspondence       SG Galligan (1970-74) to McMahon      1970-1973
18      SG Correspondence       SG Gokey (1974-78) to Farrell              1974-76
19      SG Correspondence       SG Gokey (1974-78) to Plouffe             1974-76
20      SG Correspondence       SG Gokey (1974-78) to McNiece          1976-78
21      SG Correspondence       SG Leary (1978-1982) to Farrell et.al.   1978-1982
22      SG Correspondence       SG Leary 1982-1986 to Priests              1982-85
23      SG Correspondence       SG Myhalyk (acting 10/11/84-1/13/85) 
24      SG Correspondence       SG McLaughlin (1986-90)                     1987-88
 

Created by:    Elizabeth B. Scott              June 28, 2004

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Maintained by Elizabeth Scott, last update - Thursday April 13, 2006