Welcome to the Passionist Historical Archives,
Union City, New Jersey:
Step Forward Historians, Researchers, and Grand Inquisitors!
An essay in memory of Father Morgan Hanlon, C.P. (1925-2001)
by Rob Carbonneau, C.P.
When Father Morgan Hanlon died on November 18, 2001 the pulse of Passionist history and understanding changed. In February 1998 illness required that he leave his day to day assignment and residence at the Passionist Historical Archives in Union City, New Jersey and move to West Hartford, Connecticut. Physically, life got tougher for Morgan. By the time he died at St. Joseph's Residence, Brockton, Massachusetts he had lost both of his legs as a result of chronic diabetes. At the same time, visitors of Morgan said that during his last years he acquired emotional and spiritual peace. He loved the detail of military, naval history, and biography. A life time dream, which he started to pursue in the 1980s, was to write a biography of Father Fidelis Kent Stone, C.P. Morgan possessed a missionary spirit. He ministered as military chaplain and missioner in the Philippines. He never tired of exploring. One of his favorite activities was to take the short trip to The Meadowlands Environment Center, 2 DeKorte Park Plaza, Lyndhurst, NJ 07071. Located in the Meadowlands area by the New Jersey Turnpike, it was home to a recycling museum which described how trash or garbage was part of the environmental process. Still, he had a life long interest in the spiritual life, in particular the spirituality of Saint Ignatius Loyola. And, without a doubt, Morgan had a practical side which somtimes made him stubborn. This same practical desire made him deeply feel the frequent lament voiced by all archivists: "We are always behind with accessions." To be honest, this spirit often prevented him from actively seeking new Passionist archival material. He felt keenly the burden and responsibility to operate and maintain a sound archives. For me personally, Morgan Hanlon was always encouraging. He had a strong commitment to education and saw the value of making sure that the Passionist archives had a secure home and vision for the future. His love of Passionist history will be missed. Out of respect and honor to Father Morgan Hanlon, C.P. it is appropriate to reflect on the history of the Passionist Historical Archives, and those who have taken care of the archives and chronicles of St. Paul of the Cross Province.
Back before acid free boxes and paper, computer data bases, secure fire proof vaults and rules of access, the Passionists had to learn how to chart and maintain their history. The 1940 Regulations: Congregation of the Passion states in notation 132: "Each Provincial shall appoint a suitable religious to fulfill the office of chronicler of his Province according to the prescribed norms." The 1964 Regulations of the Passionists notes in notations 45 and 56 that a record of those who take vows should be sent to the archives. Notation 89 extolls the value of artifacts: "Anything in our churches or houses which is very valuable either by reason or artistry or antiquity shall be carefully preserved and listed in a twofold inventory, one of which shall be kept by the archives of the house and the other by the archives of the Province." Unfortunately, the tendency during the last half of the twentieth century was to pay less heed to this directive.
During the first one hundred years of the Passionist experience in the United States the Province Archives and the Chronicles were very different, though oftentimes they were kept in one central place in the Province - where the Provincial was located. A simple explanation is that an archives consisted of the legal material produced by a Province - deeds, contracts, financial records, etc. Chronicles recorded the day to day life and ministry. This included preaching assignments or community meetings where Passionists discussed the quality of their life and prayer. It was presumed that each Passionist monastery would keep their own archives and chronicles. If the monastery closed, the material was then sent to the Provincial Archives. We will see that by the 1960s it was deemed necessary to coordinate the documentation in the Passionist monasteries and bring them to one location at the Provincial Archives. It might be helpful to remember the Passionist archivists, chroniclers, historians and how the Passionist Historical Archives ended up in Union City, New Jersey. More investigation is needed. This is a start.
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