Allowing both women and married men to become priests is integral to FutureChurch’s mission. FutureChurch started in the 1990s to provide a solution for the shortage of priests in the Catholic Church and argues that opening the priesthood for more individuals who feel called to the priesthood would aid this shortage. A growth in inclusion and layperson involvement in the Church is another important goal of the organization. FutureChurch seeks “changes that will provide all Roman Catholics the opportunity to participate fully in Church life, ministry, and governance”1. Looking through FutureChu ..read more

Originally posted October 2015 on the WLA website. Updated February 2024.  It may be hard to remember a time before digital photography, when all photographs were printed out. Since the mid-2000s, most of the photos we have taken are in digital form. However, almost every photo taken before that time had a physical print or two with negatives often stored alongside them. Do you have boxes of personal and family photos sitting in a closet in your home?   Archivists often find photograph prints and negatives in the WLA collections and take steps to make sure these materials are pr ..read more

“My name is Woman. So that you can know me from other women, I am called Rosalie Muschal-Reinhardt”1. My Name is Woman, Personal Reflections If you explore the Women and Leadership Archives and come across the finding aid for the Rosalie Muschal-Reinhardt Papers you will discover boxes of materials, including Box 1 Folder 9 Personal Reflections. Leafing through this folder you will the find reflections of teacher, mother, wife, activist, and religious leader Rosalie Muschal-Reinhardt, who dedicated her life towards, “the elimination of Sexism, Racism, Classism, Heterosexism and Ageism in our ..read more

At the end of the 1960s, Mundelein College* was in the midst of a cultural crisis. A changing social landscape accompanied by financial and enrollment struggles pushed the college to reevaluate their educational point of view. Historian Tim Lacy writes, “Catholic women’s colleges in the United States juggled a series of sometimes competing, sometimes complementary interests. Faculty and students juxtaposed their Catholic identity, the progress of feminism in American culture, pedagogical innovation, and the increasing presence of laity in administration.”1 Mundelein was far from the only Catho ..read more

Dialogue was first published in 1972 to give Mundelein College* students a voice to discuss their concerns in a public forum. The first publication lists “the communication of ideas” as Dialogue’s “most important function.” The staff kept folders for submissions in multiple locations so members of the community could raise their concerns anonymously.   Dialogue, February 28, 1972 One of the very first issues raised was that of the dorm “parietals,” in Mundelein’s case, the rules regarding men visitors to women’s dorms. Many of Coffey Hall’s residents felt that the current regulations ..read more

The Mundelein Scholar, April 23, 1991, Page 3 “Place” is an important concept to everyone. Yes, it is true that home is where the heart is, but it is undeniable that physical location also means a great deal to individuals. In a society of constant progression, loss of physical and emotional spaces is something many can identify with, including myself. In recent years, the number of private schools and colleges closing or affiliating with one another has sadly grown to become a frequent trend. Common reasons for this outcome include both low enrollment and lack of resources and funding, which ..read more

Throughout the last academic year, a talented group of graduate students have worked at the Women and Leadership Archives as part of the Illinois History Digital Imaging Grant project. These Digitization and Metadata Assistants, all pursuing degrees in Loyola’s Public History master’s program, have worked diligently on digitizing materials from the Mundelein College* Collections, writing transcriptions, and creating metadata for the Mundelein at 90 digitization project. As their time at the WLA came to a close, they each shared a little about their experiences engaging with the Mundelein Colle ..read more

The May Crowning ceremony originated in the 16th century as a papal tradition and spread as a form of public veneration for the Blessed Virgin Mary until the mid-20th century, where it reached peak popularity in the United States.i The ritual was often celebrated in schools and parishes concurrently with Mother’s Day or First Communion ceremonies to celebrate the role of women in the Church.ii Young women were chosen from among their peers as most deserving of the honor of placing a crown of flowers atop a statue of Mary. The ‘May Queen’ and her attendants would dress in white and process arou ..read more

I am a huge fan of the horror genre and one of my all-time favorite films is 1973’s The Exorcist directed by William Fredkin, based on William Peter Blatty’s novel of the same name (also a personal favorite). Recently, I was tasked with working on updating the WLA’s collections page when I made an amazing discovery: our archives held the collection of a major star of this film.  Figure 1. Photo of Mercedes McCambridge from the Mercedes McCambridge Collection, undated. Mercedes McCambridge, who often felt more comfortable being addressed simply as Mercy, is perhaps the most famous graduate ..read more

Collegiate apparel is a booming industry, reported by Forbes in 2015 to be worth a whopping $4.6 billion dollars. Donning spirit-ware is a rite of passage for many college students, as they rush to buy new gear the moment they commit to their school of choice. This phenomenon is a continuation of a long history of representing your favorite university on your clothing, a tradition that Mundelein College* students participated in for decades. Journey through forty years of history as we ask the age-old question: who are you wearing? Before printing your alma mater on your t-shirt came into vogu ..read more