Digitizing America’s First Citizen Saints Project

FAIN: PW-277473-21

Cabrini University (Radnor, PA 19087-3623)
Anne Schwelm (Project Director: July 2020 to present)

Digitization of 292 items related to the first naturalized American citizen elevated to sainthood, Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917), an Italian-American Roman Catholic nun. 

The Digitizing America’s First Citizen Saint Project is a three-year project that will provide digital access to the papers and artifacts of the first naturalized American citizen elevated to sainthood, Frances Xavier Cabrini. The output of the project will be digitized images of approximately 290 items, which include manuscripts, volumes of bound materials and scrapbooks, photographs, as well as a publicly accessible online OMEKA exhibit. This collection and exhibit have high research value as they document the life and work of this significant figure and reveal the history, religious landscape, and immigrant milieu of the 19th century United States. Once completed, this project will contribute significant content and context to understanding Cabrini’s life and contribution to American history and America’s religious history and allow for new scholarship relating to issues of immigration, education, social services, anti-Catholicism, and women’s leadership.

Associated Products

Digitizing America's First Citizen Saint (Article)
Title: Digitizing America's First Citizen Saint
Author: Chelsea Frank
Author: Lawrence T. Greene
Author: Anne Schwelm
Abstract: The ongoing digitization project of the St. Frances Cabrini project recognizes a progressive figure in late nineteenth century Catholicism.
Year: 2023
Primary URL: https://bluetoad.com/publication/?m=30305&i=786398&p=1&pre=1&ver=html5
Primary URL Description: ArchivalOutlookMarchApril2023
Access Model: open
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Archival Outlook
Publisher: Society of American Archivists

National Endowment for the Humanities Grant Funds New Mother Cabrini Exhibition (Blog Post)
Title: National Endowment for the Humanities Grant Funds New Mother Cabrini Exhibition
Author: Cabrini University
Abstract: A federal grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) will fund the next phase in a Cabrini-led effort to digitize and exhibit artifacts telling the life story of University namesake Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini. Totaling nearly $150,000, the grant affords access to critical hardware, software, and data storage tools, as well as professional photography, supporting the creation of an online exhibition titled “America’s First Citizen Saint: The Saint Frances Cabrini Collection.”
Date: 6/15/2021
Primary URL: https://www.cabrini.edu/about/media-hub/news/2021/national-endowment-for-the-humanities-grant-funds-digital-mother-cabrini-exhibition
Primary URL Description: Cabrini University Press Release NEH grant
Blog Title: Cabrini News
Website: Cabrini News

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