Missouri Province Archive | JESUIT ARCHIVES

Province History

In 1823, seven Belgian novices, two brothers, and two priests traveled down the Ohio River and across Illinois to establish a mission in, what had been until 1821, the Missouri Territory. The original Jesuit Missouri Mission extended from the Alleghenies to the high plains, with principle outposts in St. Louis and Florissant. Upon their arrival, the Jesuits began to minister to the Osage, Kickapoo, and Potawatomi tribes. In 1829, they assumed responsibility for Saint Louis College, the future Saint Louis University. The Missouri Mission became a vice-province in 1840 and a province in 1863.

The second province to be established in the United States, Missouri served as a home province for many missionaries and explorers of the American west, including Father Pierre-Jean De Smet who mapped much of the western United States, including the Oregon Territory. The Missouri Province also staffed several missions outside North America, including in Belize and Puerto Rico.

New Orleans became an independent mission in 1847 and later a province with Jesuit ministry in Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas. As the Church grew in the center of the country, three provinces developed out of the Missouri Province. In 1928, the Chicago Province was granted independent control of the governance of the Society in Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky. Likewise, in 1955 the Province of Wisconsin was formed to administrate the Society in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North and South Dakota.

Reconfiguration of the American provinces led to the joining of the Missouri and New Orleans Provinces into the USA Central and Southern Province on July 31, 2014.

Collection Summary

Consisting of the records of the Missouri Province and its missions since the founding of the original Missouri Mission in 1823, the Missouri Jesuit Province Archive was established in 1941. The archives were first housed at the Missouri Province office at 4511 West Pine Boulevard. In January 1961, some of the archival records were transferred to Saint Louis University’s Pius XII Library, while other materials remained in the Archives Room at the Province Office. In 1972, the Missouri Province archival records being stored at Pius XII Library were moved to Fusz Memorial Hall. While today Fusz Hall is a dormitory on Saint Louis University’s campus, in 1972 it was the property of the Missouri Province, housing the House of Studies. The archival records moved once again in 1983 to a building adjacent to the Missouri Province office. This space was renovated in 1996-1997 to accommodate the arrival of records from the Chicago, Detroit, and Wisconsin Provinces. Together, the records of these four provinces constituted the Midwest Jesuit Archives, which officially began on October 16, 1997. The Midwest Jesuit Archives was later renamed the Jesuit Archives: Central United States. The collections within the Jesuit Archives: Central United States, including the Missouri Province Archive, were relocated to their current home at the Jesuit Archives & Research Center in November 2017.

The collection contains the administrative records of the Missouri Province, as well as Jesuit houses, schools, and seminaries. The collection also includes the personal manuscripts of Jesuits who were members of the province.

Collection Arrangement

The Missouri Province Archive is arranged in nine record groups:

RG 1: General History of the Society of Jesus

This record group includes resources regarding the general history of the Society of Jesus. RG1 includes the records of the Society’s General Congregations, published letters of the Superior General, as well as resources such as pamphlets, Society-wide celebration materials, and sketches of the Society.

RG 2: History of the Missouri Province of the Society of Jesus

This record group includes the history of the Missouri Mission, Vice-Province, and Province. RG2 includes the records of the Provincial and Missouri Province Offices, various ministries within the Province, Provincial congregations and events, as well as resources such as publications, maps, photographs and art, artifacts, and scrapbooks.

RG 3: Locations of Ministries of the Society of Jesus

This record group includes the history of Jesuit ministries in the Missouri Province. RG3 includes the records of Missouri Province houses and communities, schools, seminaries, and universities, missions, and parishes.

RG 4: History of the Society of Jesus in Provinces other than Missouri

This record group includes material documenting the history of the Society of Jesus in Provinces other than Missouri. RG4 includes materials from provinces in the United States and around the world. Correspondence from other provinces is particularly represented in this record group.

RG 5: Biographical Material of Members of the Society of Jesus

This record group includes the personnel files and personal papers of members of the Missouri province. Due to the presence of restricted material, personnel files are closed for fifty years from the year of death for deceased Jesuits. In the future RG5 will contain only the personnel files, and personal papers will be housed in RG8. This is an ongoing project!

RG 6: History of the Society of Jesus in Education

This record group includes material about the history of the Society of Jesus in Education, particularly in the Missouri Province. RG6 includes material related to the Jesuit Educational Association, the Jesuit Secondary Education Association, and the Association of Jesuit College and Universities.

RG 7: Varia (Miscellaneous)

This record group contained miscellaneous documents acquired by the Missouri Province Archives. This record group has been disassembled, and the material has been dispersed to more appropriate record groups.

RG 8: Manuscript Files of Members of the Society of Jesus

This record group will contain the personal papers of members of the Missouri Province, as well as other materials related to specific Jesuits that do not fall within the personnel files (RG5). Some materials have already been arranged into RG8, and additional materials will be moved here as RG5 is processed. This is an ongoing project!

RG 9: De Smetiana

This record group contains material related to Jesuit Missionary, Pierre-Jean De Smet, including De Smet’s personal papers. Other materials include books, essays, oral histories, and art about De Smet added to the collection by members of the the Missouri Province Archives’ staff. Please note: this record group has historically been identified as record group 9, with the roman numeral IX being used to label many items within the record group. When first posted on this website, it was identified as RG8, and assigned the collection number MIS.8.001. We are in the process of updating the numbering to be consistent as RG9. We appreciate your patience as we make this shift, and are happy to answer any questions that arise regarding how to cite this material.

RG 10: Non-Jesuitica

This record group contains material related to the history of American Catholicism, Catholic priests in the military, Native Americans, the St. Louis Archdiocese, and general St. Louis history.