Women Religious Archives Collaborative breaks ground on Heritage Center in Cleveland's Central neighborhood

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

Tags: Sister Judith Ann Karam , Sisters of Charity Health System , Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine

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The new $22 million Women Religious Archives Collaborative (WRAC) Heritage Center in Cleveland broke ground on July 22. Once completed in spring 2027, it will be one of four collaborative repositories in the country that will hold the archives of Catholic sisters. The new 30,000-square-foot heritage facility will rise at 2490 E. 22nd St. in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood, across from the Sisters of Charity Health System headquarters.

The Catholic Diocese of Cleveland was at the groundbreaking and posted the following article online. The full text of the article is below or available here.

Ground is broken for Women Religious Archives Collaborative

News of the Diocese

“We are so grateful and blessed to have arrived at this moment,” said Sister Susan Durkin, OSU, executive director of the Women Religious Archives Collaborative as she began the groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility on July 22 in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood.

The weather was perfect as nearly 100 people, including leadership of the supporting congregations, Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost, Cleveland Ward 5 Councilman Richard Starr, construction and design team members, benefactors and other supporters attended the groundbreaking. Even more watched a livestream of the event.

Forty-five religious congregations of Catholic sisters from across the United States – including more than a dozen states – and Canada, are part of the nonprofit WRAC, as the project is known. It was incorporated in 2022 to build one of four collaborative repositories in the country that will hold the archives of Catholic sisters. It can accommodate the archives of up to 75 congregations.

Reflecting on the Gospels, Sister Durkin said, “We are advised to build on a firm foundation, which we are doing.”

The new 30,000-square-foot heritage facility will rise at 2490 E. 22nd St. in Cleveland’s Central neighborhood. It is expected to open in spring 2027. WRAC is across the street from the Sisters of Charity Health System headquarters building and adjacent to Cuyahoga Community College’s Jerry Sue Thornton Center. The area has been served by Catholic sisters since 1865, when the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine opened St. Vincent Charity Hospital in the neighborhood shortly after the Civil War ended. They were the second religious congregation to arrive in the diocese (1851) after the Ursuline Sisters (1850). Bishop Amadeus Rappe, Cleveland’s first bishop and a native of France, invited both congregations to minister in the diocese.

Sister Durkin said Catholic sisters have been making significant contributions throughout the country since the first sisters arrived in 1727 and began establishing schools, hospitals and social service ministries, many of which continue today. She credited the sisters as being “the CEOs, lawyers, advocates and inventors to helped build the infrastructure of our communities.”

“The sisters have been quietly doing their work for the glory of God,” Sister Durkin said, However, as the sisters age and their numbers decline, the congregations need collaborative solutions to ensure their history is not lost and that their examples of service and faith are passed on to future generations, she said, which is why WRAC is so important.

“The stories of these pioneers have been overlooked for years. Today, we turn that page,” Sister Durkin added.

She said the new, state-of-the-art WRAC heritage center will have space for research, dynamic public programming, exhibitions and meetings; a temperature-controlled and professionally managed vault to store collections; equipment and space for processing, conserving and digitizing archival materials and its location will be close to many colleges, universities, museums and libraries.

WRAC has raised more than $20 million towards its $24 million goal to build the heritage center. Funding is primarily from the participating congregations of Catholic sisters. Fundraising continues, Sister Durkin said, with the public invited to help close the gap and ensure there are endowment funds to keep the facility operating into the future.

Brian Smith, WRAC owner’s representative who stepped into the role after the death of Thomas Chema in March, told those gathered for the groundbreaking that “God has no hands but ours here.” The heritage center will be another treasure among the many already located in Cleveland, he said, adding, “It is an honor to be associated with WRAC and with humility and gratitude to honor and recognize the accomplishments of the sisters.”

Local congregational leaders of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary, the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine, the Sisters of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament, Ursuline Sisters and Sisters of Notre Dame, as well as leaders of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, Pennsylvania and the Sisters of St. Joseph of Northwest Pennsylvania placed items representing their congregations into a box that will be buried in the heritage center’s foundation. Names of the congregational founders were read and groundbreaking attendees were invited to recite a response as each leader placed her congregation’s in the box. The items included congregational medals, a rosary and a wooden crucifix.

Bishop Woost blessed the ground, sprinkling it with holy water during the ceremony.

“Now let’s turn some dirt,” said Sister Durkin, as she invited the congregational leaders to don hard hats and use the ceremonial gold shovels to dig into the dirt that filled a special wooden box. Also taking turns with the shovels were members of the WRAC staff, the design and construction teams.

“WRAC is truly a team,” Sister Durkin said.

Reflecting on the legacy of the religious sisters, she said their founders were strong women who started their congregations often from nothing, raising money and relying on support as they worked. WRAC had a similar start, but had support from some stalwarts, including the Sisters of Charity Foundation, Bishop Edward Malesic, the Diocese of Cleveland, Bishop Woost and other enthusiastic supporters, she added.

“As we move forward in faith and humility, may God continue to bless us,” Sister Durkin said. “This heritage center will become a space where current and future generations from around the world will be able to learn about the role of faith and service, women’s leadership and the power of community to make meaningful change to better our world.”

The building was designed by Bostwick Design Partnership and it will be constructed by Regency Construction Services, Inc.