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Sister Joan Gannon, OSB papers

 Collection
Identifier: OSBCHI-D-GANNJOAN

Scope and Contents

This collection contains 1 hanging file of biographical and personal data, as well as 1 box of personal papers arranged into three series entitled Community life, Correspondence, Academic papers, and Ministry. The three series housed in Box 1 contain materials related to Sr. Joan Gannon’s life in community, including letters she sent to the community from St. Paul’s University in Ottawa, Canada where she studied pastoral ministry. There are several graduate papers, including her Mundelein College masters’ thesis "Parish Ministry in the Black Community" (1981) which presents a plan she put in practice once she was at work in Chicago parishes, including Our Lady of Lourdes on South Keeler. A collection of her resumes and notes on the process she followed, and her contracts with the Archdiocese of Chicago give insight into seeking work now that jobs were no longer assigned by the prioress.

Dates

  • Creation: 1940-2020

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Sisters' papers are restricted for 50 years after the Sister's death, until May 6th, 2070. Photographs, previously published, and widely distributed materials are unrestricted.

Biographical / Historical

Sr. Joan Gannon (1923-2020) grew up in Saint Jerome Parish in Rogers Park. She entered the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago in 1940 and served as a teacher in both grammar school and the high schools in Chicago and Colorado. Sr. Joan moderated the Young Christian Students (YCS) at Saint Scholastica Academy – Chicago and went on to develop her passion for church renewal, energizing lay people, and social justice in her pastoral ministry in parishes, nursing homes, and jail. Sr. Joan died peacefully of natural causes at Saint Joseph Court of Saint Scholastica Monastery in Chicago on May 6, 2020.

Extent

.26 Linear Feet (1 box and 1 hanging file)

Language of Materials

English

Metadata Rights Declarations

  • License: This record is made available under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Creative Commons license.
Title
A Guide to Sister Joan Gannon, OSB papers
Author
Virginia Jung; Clara Finkelstein
Date
2025-09-08
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago Archives Repository

Contact:
Archives
Benedictine Sisters of Chicago
7430 N. Ridge Blvd.
Chicago Illinois 60645 United States
(773) 764-2413 ext. 203