The following microfilm collections were acquired by Vincentian scholars from other archives. Their importance lies in the fact of their being fundamental materials to the study of Vincentian history in the United States, and of Saint Vincent de Paul himself. Researchers can view the reels of microfilm by visiting DePaul University Library Special Collections and Archives. Please consult the Library’s hours and the Special Collections and Archives Plan Your Visit for information about location and availability.

“Archives of the General Curia: American Correspondence” contains letters and reports from the Vincentian mission in the United States from the beginning, about 1816 through 1935. The originals are in the Archives of the General Curia, Rome, Italy.

“DeAndreis General Writings: Early Correspondence Documents to 1840” are the writings (letters, spiritual writings, and historical accounts) of Felix DeAndreis, C.M., founding Superior of the Vincentians in the United States, gathered together in Rome at the archives of the Roman Province, Collegio Leoniano, Rome, Italy. These volumes were submitted to the Holy See as part of the process leading to his possible beatification, and Congregation for the Causes of the Saints restored them to the Roman Province. The first volume also contains other correspondence from his time, but from the other first missionaries in the United States. These pre-date the “American correspondence” mentioned above.

“Paris Archives” are the Archives of the Congregation of the Mission in Paris, France that were made into microfilm copies of its most significant holdings. These are principally their collection of original letters of Saint Vincent de Paul, plus his conferences and other documents. Added to these are materials concerning the saint’s two successors, Fathers Alméras and Jolly, and his secretary, Brother Ducournau. The third group of documents pertain to John Gabriel Perboyre, C.M., a missionary martyred in China in 1840, and canonized in 1996.

The “Rosati Papers” come from Joseph Rosati, C.M., the first bishop of the diocese of Saint Louis, Missouri. He accompanied DeAndreis on the first mission to the United States. His materials were expertly transcribed by and for Fr. Frederick Easterly, C.M., in preparation for his doctoral dissertation on Rosati, published in 1942. The originals of these transcriptions are in the archives of the Eastern Province, the Ducournau Archives, Germantown, Philadelphia, PA. This Easterly collection is supplemented by the Roman province collection, Rosati materials in the archives of the Roman Province. These materials were not transcribed but photographed.