Exploring the archives of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend feels a bit like time traveling. Boxes upon boxes contain photos of ordinations, baptisms, and holy days from more than a century ago. In the Archbishop Noll Catholic Center in Fort Wayne, records, some nearly 200 years old, are stored. Photos, journals, and vestments of priests line the walls, with some originating from before both world wars. Janice Cantrell is the archivist for the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend and spends her days preserving the history of the diocese. To mark American Archives Month in October, which is celebrated to raise public awareness about the importance of preserving historic documents and records, Cantrell sat down with Today’s Catholic to explain the purpose of the diocesan archives as well as highlight some pieces within the collection. Photos provided by Diocesan ArchivesDignitaries process near the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne for Archbishop John Francis Noll’s golden jubilee in 1950. Archbishop Fulton Sheen, in the second group from the right, was among the attendees. “The point of the archives is to maintain, collect, and preserve the history of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend and any groups that are in the area that function under the umbrella of the diocese,” Cantrell explained. “We have the earliest sacramental records from about the 1830s to the present.” She enjoys taking inquiries, as they typically reveal new information.  “I get the weird questions,” Cantrell shared. “I’ve had so many people through the years call in and ask about churches we didn’t know existed at one point.” She explained there was once a St. Michael Church on the northeast side of Fort Wayne. It had no resident pastor but rather was cared for by the priests from nearby St. Vincent de Paul Parish. In 1912, St. Michael shut its doors for good. When parishioners find important documents, records, or liturgical items relating to the local Church, they have the opportunity to donate the items to the archives of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. Cantrell collects these items, identifies as much information as possible, and then preserves them. “I have scrapbooks from the Catholic Women’s Business Group, which doesn’t exist anymore. It was really cool that a lady’s mother was really involved in it, and she had all these scrapbooks,” Cantrell shared.  Seminarians shovel snow on Lake Wawasee in order to play hockey in the winter of 1952. Another donation was a collection of scrapbooks from Our Lady of the Lake Seminary on Lake Wawasee. “Another one of my favorite things I just got not too long ago: A priest’s niece took all of his old scrapbooks and called me and asked me if I was interested. There are pictures of him ice skating on the lake. It was at Our Lady of the Lake Seminary.” One picture shows seminarians shoveling snow on Lake Wawasee in order to play ice hockey. The next photo captures the hockey game. The photos were taken in the winter of 1952, about 20 years before the seminary closed. The archives also contain a plethora of photos of Archbishop John Francis Noll and his time in the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. One example includes his jubilee celebration. “Bishop Noll’s anniversary celebration was in 1950, and it was celebrating his 25 years as a bishop and 50 years as a priest,” Cantrell said as she was sorting through the boxes of old prints and pictures. “It’s a picture of the cake made for the ceremony, and it has this teeny, tiny little altar on it. It’s the most elaborate cake.” The next picture shows Archbishop Noll and Pope Pius XII meeting in Rome. Cantrell then explained the significance of Noll’s title of archbishop. “He has the title of archbishop because the pope gave him that title shortly before his death for his work starting Our Sunday Visitor. Our Sunday Visitor kept our diocese afloat during the depression and built a lot of things around our area.” She then specified: “The pope gave him the honorary title of archbishop because, technically, you’re not … an archbishop unless you are the head of an archdiocese. We obviously are not an archdiocese. We’re just a diocese.” The archives also have records of a visitor who came to celebrate Bishop Noll’s golden jubilee: Archbishop Fulton Sheen. The picture shows a number of priests and archbishops, including Archbishop Noll and Archbishop Sheen processing out of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Fort Wayne. Many clergymen traveled to the diocese for the anniversary celebration.  In the end, the diocesan archives preserve more than just the photographs and records of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, but also its history and identity, including the stories of thousands of Catholics who lived and worshipped here, who helped to build its churches and schools, and who have made the diocese what it is today. For more information about the Diocesan Archives contact Diocesan Archivist Janice Cantrell at [email protected]. The post Diocesan Archives Preserves Memories from Past Ages appeared first on Today's Catholic.