PARISH ARCHIVES MSGR VICTOR G. BONNELL
PARISH ARCHIVES MSGR VICTOR G. BONNELL
The concern to archive parish documents motivated me to consider forming a parish archives center. For, more than ever, the archives of a parish are important (see Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church, the pastoral function of ecclesiastical archives).
This Commission states: “Archives are places of ecclesial memory that must be preserved and transmitted, revived and enhanced because they constitute the closest link with the heritage of the ecclesial community. The prospect of arousing a renewed interest in them benefits from the sensitivity that has emerged within many particular Churches with regard to cultural assets, especially with regard to the memory of local events or facts.” The Commission continues by saying: “Archiving contemporary documentation is as important as collecting documents from the past and preserving historical archives.” In fact, the historical archives of tomorrow are already in embryo within the archives of today, whether those of the various ecclesiastical and religious curias, episcopal and provincial, of parish services or of the secretariats of each of the ecclesiastical institutions. These archives serve to document, from day to day, the life of the ecclesial community in the course of its continual development, in its diversified organization and the multifaceted activity of its members. Finally, it says this: "A poor establishment of current archives or even a simple delay in this, can seriously compromise historical memory and, consequently, the pastoral activity of the particular Churches themselves."
Our parish has existed since 1972. If we do not keep the Parish Annual Financial Reports - Bulletins - Correspondence with the Diocese - Films - Homilies - Newspapers - Ledgers - Marriage Preparation Files - Mass Intention Books - Minutes of Meetings - Parish Census - Parish Directories - Parish Histories - Parish Newspapers/Bulletins - Photographs - Pulpit Announcements - Reports - Sacramental Registers - Albums, future generations or even those of today will not know the life of this parish.
Today with the digitization of documents or archives, we will have something to present to the young people, to the parishioners of today and tomorrow. This is how we thought of having our Parish Archives Center. To honor the memory of the first pastor of our parish, we gave his name to this center.
Father Sébastien SASA, PhD, MPA
Pastor of Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church
West Valley City, UT
Tuesday, July 8, 2025