Sister Bernadette Harrison, OSB papers
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of biographical information and personal papers. Biographical information includes degrees, personal data sheet, nearest of kin, ministry lists, teaching certifications, and an obedience. Also included are photographs, jubilee and funeral materials, her community obituaries, and her cousin's obituary, Sr. Carolyn Harrison of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, as it includes a family history. Personal papers include teaching contracts, evaluations, and examinations, transcripts, correspondence, news articles, and workshop and certificates.
Highlights of the collection include a news article in which Sister is mentioned as former Chicago mayor Jane M. Byrne's favorite teacher at Queen of All Saints. Also included is her correspondence with Atlanta Archbishop James Lyke, once the nation's highest ranking Black clergyman and a former St. George's student of Sister Bernadette.
Dates
- Creation: c.1935-2007
Creator
- Harrison, Bernadette, 1914-2007 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Sisters' papers are restricted for 50 years after the Sister's death. Photographs, previously published, and widely distributed materials are unrestricted.
Biographical / Historical
Sister Bernadette Harrison, OSB (also known as Sister Mary Bernard) was born Josephine on January 8th, 1914 in Chicago, Illinois. Her mother was Bohemian and her father English, and she had four sisters who were all devoted to the church. Sister attended St. Scholastica High School before entering the community on January 8th, 1934. She said her final vows on August 16th, 1938.
Sister attended St. Francis Xavier College for Women, Mundelein College, and earned a Ph.B from De Paul University. She served as a teacher in various schools in Chicago, including St. Scholastica, St. George, Queen of All Saints, and St. Hilary. She also taught at vacation schools in Colorado and Tucson, Arizona. Sister primarily taught grades 1-8, and was especially known for her unique method of teaching history: beginning from the present day's events and moving backwards.
Sister Bernadette was interested in the charismatic movement, and was invested extradordinary minister of the Eucharist. She also spent many Thursday afternoons carrying tapes/record players to local nursing homes for Communion service.
Sister died on April 2nd 2007 at the age of 93. She is buried in All Saints Cemetery in Illinois.
Extent
.1 Linear Feet (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 Bernadette Harrison, OSB papers
- Author
- Clara Finkelstein
- Date
- 2025/10/20
- 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
Archives
Benedictine Sisters of Chicago
7430 N. Ridge Blvd.
Chicago Illinois 60645 United States
(773) 764-2413 ext. 203
archives@osbchicago.org