General Historical Archives
of
the
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
The
General Historical Archives of the Congregation
of the Most Holy Redeemer preserve, classify and
catalogue all the documents of the Congregation
that have historical value, beginning with the
writings of our Founder, Alphonsus Maria de Liguori,
and including all official documents of the General
Government and the Provinces, Vice-provinces,
Regions and members of the Congregation. It also
preserves any other documentation that refers
or pertains to the Congregation or any of its
members.
The
organization of the General Archives began already
in the time of the Founder who was careful to
insure that important documents were preserved
in the local communities’ archives.
 The
General Archives were first established and
organized in Pagani during the 19th century
and the first archivist was Fr. Giovanni Giuseppe
Sabelli who gathered and organized all the
documentation produced from 1747 to 1848.
The
General Archives were first established in Rome
in 1856 under the direction of Fr. Edward Schwindenhammer
and, after the reunification of the Congregation
in 1869, the greater part of the Pagani archives
were transferred to Rome.
Fr.
Schwindenhammer was succeeded by Fr. Michael
Ulrich in 1862, Fr. Fredrick Kuntz in 1879,
Fr. Edward Bührel in 1903, Fr. Jean Baptiste
Raus in 1924, Fr. Louis Arnold in 1943, Fr.
Philip Hoffmann in 1946, Fr. Maurice Meulemeester
in 1949, Fr. Andrea Sampers in 1951, Fr. Hernán
Arboleda Valencia in 1986 and Fr. Raúl
Campos in 2004.
In
1986 there were 590 dossiers dating from 1725
to 1954, organized in seven sections. The Alphonsian
documents are marked with the acronym SAM (Sancti
Alfonsi Manuscripta).
In
1989, using the computer program LIDOS, the
electronic or digital organization of the documentation
was begun. The archivists are presently working
with ARBOR, a database designed especially for
the General Archives by Fr. John Vargas. Fr.
Stephen Rehrauer collaborated in transferring
the data to this new program. Currently 100,000
documents, 11,292 books, 2,428 magazines, 6,283
documents of General Chapters, 2,543 articles,
16,200 photos, slides and other pictures and
1,273 architectural designs have been catalogued
in digital form. More than 24,012 items from
the file of Fr. Andrea Sampers have also been
digitized.
Nevertheless,
the work yet to be done is enormous. The amount
already organized and catalogued is quite small
compared to all that remains to be processed.
Each document is given an identification number,
then marked with the seal of the General Archives
and covered with paper before being placed
in a protective folder. All directions for
its location and use are stored in the computer
database.
Traditionally,
all units of the Congregation send Fr. General
three copies of their publications, such as
books, magazines, brochures, albums, newsletters,
etc. In these is preserved the historical memory
of our life and ministry.
The Historical General Archives are open to
researchers except during July and August and
the Christmas holidays, and on feast days and
Saturdays.
The
Archivists
(archivio.gen@cssr.com)
 Fr.
Raúl Campos (rcampos@cssr.com)
Fr. Campos was born May 26, 1928 in La Cumbre,
Province of Córdoba, Argentina. He professed
vows on February 2, 1946 and was ordained a priest
on July 29, 1951.
He worked with minor seminarians in La Paz, Uruguay
and Villa Allende, Córdoba. For some years
he was engaged in preaching parish missions in
various parts of Argentina. He was assistant pastor
in Las Victorias, Buenos Aires and pastor in the
parish of St. Alphonsus in Salta. He also served
as Provincial Superior of the Province of Buenos
Aires and was also a General Consultor in Rome.
Since July 1989 he has worked in the General Archives
cataloguing books, General Chapter documents,
magazines, brochures and newspaper and magazine
articles relating to the Congregation, as well
as architectural designs. He succeeded Fr. Hernán
Arboleda Valencia on March 15, 2004.
Fr.
Jean Beco (jbeco@cssr.com)
Fr. Beco, the Vice-Archivist, is a Belgian Redemptorist.
He was born October 10, 1938 in Charleroi, diocese
of Tournai. He professed vows on September 15,
1958 and was ordained a priest on March 19, 1964.
He has served as a professor and in various other
capacities in several communities. From 1983
to 1993 he was procurator for the foreign missions
in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire), Haiti
and Brazil.
Since 1988 he has been the chronicler and provincial
archivist of the Belgian Province. In 1993 he
came to the General Archives where he has digitized
the documents of the Belgian province and has
prepared a publication of the correspondence
of Fr. Friedrick von Held, official Visitor to
Belgium.
Fr.
Angelo Conflitti (aconflitti@cssr.com)
Fr. Conflitti is Italian, born in Campoli, Appenino
March 26, 1931. He professed vows on September
29, 1954 and was ordained a priest on October
25, 1959.
He served as a professor in the minor seminary
at Scifelli for five years and later preached
parish missions and was a parish priest. On September
20, 1994 he was called to Rome to serve as Prefect
of the Church of St. Alphonsus next to the General
House.
In October 1995 he began to work in the General
Historical Archives, cataloguing and digitizing
Italian documentation.
Fr. Emilio Szopinski (eszopinski@cssr.com)
A naturalized Argentine, Fr. Szopinski was born
on April 24, 1937 in Woliczka-Rzesów, Poland.
He was professed August 31, 1953 and was ordained
a priest August 27, 1961.
He preached parish missions in Poland, Argentina,
Paraguay and Bolivia. He served in different offices
in the Vice-province of Resistencia, Argentina.
Since 2000 he has worked on the documentation
of various Units founded by the Galo-Helvetica
Province.
Fr. Angel Berra Merlo (aberra@cssr.com)
Fr. Berra is a Mexican Redemptorist, born on November
28, 1962 in Atlixo, Puebla State. He was professed
August 1, 1983 and ordained priest July 15, 1990.
After his ordination he first served as an assistant
pastor. He was then sent to study Canon Law in
Rome. He has served as a provincial consultor
and professor of Canon Law in the house of studies
in Mexico. He was a member of the Commission for
missions in the Province and was intensely dedicated
to this apostolic work. Presently he serves on
the Commission for Culture and Tradition in the
municipality of Segusino, in the Province of Treviso,
responsible for the pastoral-religious aspects.
Since November 2002 he has worked in the General
Archives cataloguing and digitizing photographs,
pictures, slides and compact disks (cd-rom) pertaining
to the houses and members of the Congregation.
Other confreres who merit recognition for work
done in the General Archives include: Antoni Bazielich,
Costanzo Dijkman, Marian Brudzisz, Robert Boucher,
Anthony Mulvey, Conrado Gagliardi, Gilbert Humbert,
Walter George, John Gauci, Domenico Capone, Dionisio
Ruiz, José Vogt, Theo de Caluwe, Carl Hoegerl,
Neil Karunaratne y Porfirio Tejera Martín.
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