Updates
January 19, 2021 – We are now accepting applications for our summer internship. Depending on interest and experience, the intern will have the opportunity to contribute to SHMR in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, historical and genealogical research, translating foreign language documents, and social media communications. This is a paid position, and the intern will work 20 hours per week for 12 weeks. Applications will be accepted through March 15, 2021. Click the link above to learn more about this opportunity and how to apply.
Parish and Community: Slavery, History, Memory, and Reconciliation Project
August 12, 2020 – Co-Director Danielle Harrison and Research Coordinator Kelly Schmidt speak to Angela Pancella of St. Francis Xavier College Church in St. Louis about the work of the SHMR project.
Peter Hawkins and the Enslaved Community of St. Stanislaus
July 22, 2020 – Peter Hawkins was the first child born into slavery at the Jesuits’ St. Stanislaus Novitiate and Farm in Florissant, Missouri, and the last formerly-enslaved person to leave the seminary after emancipation.
Presentation at 2020 CRRA Annual Meeting
May 7, 2020 – Members of the Slavery, History, Memory, and Reconciliation (SHMR) team spoke at the Catholic Research Resources Alliance’s virtual annual meeting about the lives of people enslaved to members of the Society of Jesus and of the Catholic Church; the impact of this shared history upon archives and modern reconciliation efforts; and contemporary work to facilitate conversations between Jesuits and descendants of people they held in bondage.
Learning the stories of the enslaved people owned by the Jesuits (Jesuitical podcast)
Jan. 17, 2020 – Ashley McKinless and Zac Davis of the Jesuitical podcast from America Media interview SHMR project members about the lives of the enslaved people owned by the Jesuits in the Midwest, how they are working with descendants and the meaning of reconciliation.
Meet the researchers helping the Jesuits address their history of slaveholding
Jan. 6, 2020 – America Magazine Contributor Sean Salai, SJ, interviewed the SHMR team on the project and its efforts to reach out to descendants of people enslaved to the Jesuits.
Research of Jesuit slaveholding may provide links to modern-day descendants in Illinois
Nov. 18, 2019 – Suzanne Koziatek of The Belleville Messenger interviewed SHMR Project team members about Jesuit slaveholding in Missouri and in Kaskaskia, Illinois, as well as the project’s efforts to connect with descendants of people enslaved to the Jesuits who may now reside in Illinois.
Confronting SLU’s History with Slavery
Oct. 4, 2019 – Saint Louis University (SLU) student newspaper The University News covered the progress of the SHMR Project in an interview with Jonathan Smith.
SLU President for the The St. Louis American
September 18, 2019 – Dr. Fred Pestello, president of Saint Louis University (SLU), wrote in The St. Louis American about the SHMR Project.
Jesuits seek descendants of slaves who helped establish SLU
September 5, 2019 – Clara Germani for the St. Louis American interviews SHMR Project team members and discusses their findings.
Painful history and reconciliation
August 2, 2019 – Jennifer Brinker of the St. Louis Review reports on the SHMR Project and its findings.
Exploring and Telling the Story of Families and a Nation
July 22, 2019 – The last 12 months have been a time of growth for the SHMR Project, created to learn more about the lived experiences of the adults and children enslaved by Jesuits in the 19th century.
April 1, 2019 – On a clear, cool day in March, a group of SHMR colleagues visit several sites of significance to the people enslaved by the Jesuits in St. Louis.
Jesuit Colleagues Respond to the History of Jesuit Slaveholding
June 8, 2018 – Danielle Harrison, Rita Montgomery Hollie, and Eric Clark reflect on the history of Jesuit slaveholding in what is now the Jesuits USA Central and Southern (UCS) Province.
Slavery, History, Memory, and Reconciliation Project Research-Preliminary Findings
June 8, 2018 – Research Coordinator Kelly L. Schmidt presented her findings at the UCS Province Day 2018.
May 2018 – Read the project status report, including its historical findings and commitment to learning more.
Remarks of Fr. Timothy Kesicki, SJ, at Liturgy of Remembrance, Contrition, and Hope
April 18, 2017 – Read Fr. Timothy Kesicki’s remarks on behalf of the Society of Jesus in the United States, at the Georgetown University Liturgy of Remembrance, Contrition, and Hope
Statement on the History of Jesuit Slaveholding in the UCS Province
September 19, 2016 – Read the initial statement from the Jesuits UCS Province, which began the process of researching the history of Jesuit slaveholding in what is now the UCS Province.
4511 W. Pine Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63108
SHMR@jesuits.org
314.758.7159