Archives
Presentation Archives house, collect, preserve, and make available the historical records of the first foundation of the Sisters of the Presentation in the United States. The collection dates from 1854 when five sisters arrived in San Francisco from Ireland. Although most of the records of the Sisters of the Presentation in San Francisco, for the period from 1854 to 1906, were destroyed in the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, there are some historical materials and photographs, as well as secondary sources, which record those early years. Historical materials are available for the years following 1906 to the present.

Presentation Archives
2340 Turk Boulevard
San Francisco, CA 94118-4340
Tel: 415-751-0406
Fax: 415-751-1932
Open: Monday - Friday, Appt. Required

Archives Staff

Archivist
Chris Doan, cdoan@pbvmsf.org

Holdings

Materials housed in Presentation Archives relate to the life and ministry of the sisters from 1854 to the present. The major record holdings include the following:

• Foundation and early history
• Government and administration of the congregation
• Minutes of General Councils, Chapters, and various committees
• Records dealing with spirituality and formation
• Manuscripts and personal papers of sisters
• Correspondence, annals, reports
• Reports of convents and schools
• Reports of sponsored ministries
• Records of sisters' ministries in education, pastoral work, social work, and foreign missions
• Photographs spanning the 1890s to the present
• Other visual resources include artifacts, film, video tapes, and slides
• Oral histories, books, and ephemera

Restriction

Some materials are confidential and access is restricted.

Research Requests

If you are conducting research and need assistance from the Sisters of the Presentation Archives, please submit an e-mail to Chris Doan at cdoan@pbvmsf.org with the subject line "Research Request." Please be very specific with your request and provide as much information as possible about your research. Research will be provided according to available records and in as timely a manner as possible.