Did you know the Diocese of St. Augustine possesses documents that date back to 1594? Our diocese is privileged to care for our country’s oldest Catholic records, which include sacramental registers, records from all our bishops, artifacts, relics, vestments, photos, and original letters written by important historical figures, including St. John Paul II, St. Katharine Drexel, and General William Tecumseh Sherman.

The Archives and Records Management Office preserves the permanent records of the diocese and its people. Representing the history and heritage of the local Church across four centuries, our collections, part of which are translated and digitized, provide a view of our nation’s earliest colonial period. Many residents of the Diocese of St. Augustine, and others, have used these records to trace their family lineages. One of our treasures, the Golden Book of the Menorcans, holds much fascination for many in the St. Johns County area who descend from the Menorcans who came to Florida in the 1700s.

Katy Lockard, CA, director of the Archives and Records Management Office, explains, “The mandate for an archive is written into our governance documents because the Canon Law of the Catholic Church requires it. The archives and records program exists because the Holy See says it should.”

Identifying a need for permanent support, the Catholic Foundation’s board of directors established an endowment fund to benefit the archives. The Diocese of St. Augustine Archives & Historical Records Preservation Fund will generate earnings that will produce annual financial support for the archives in perpetuity.

Patty DiSandro, executive director of the Catholic Foundation, shared, “It is a great responsibility to protect these unique and historically significant collections and to preserve them for future generations. Protecting these Church treasures, which will be used to evangelize generations to come, is such an admirable mission. It is our honor to partner with the Faithful in support of protecting these artifacts and our Catholic history.”

To help support the archives of the Diocese of St. Augustine, please contact the Catholic Foundation at catholicfoundation@dosafl.com or call 904-262-3200, ext. 139.