The McGreal Center promotes the research and writing of the history of the Order of Preachers in the United States. We celebrate lived religious experience through digital preservation of architectures of faith, and preservation of the written record of faith communities. The Center serves as a resource for Dominican organizations and communities seeking to responsibly care for their records of enduring value, a preservation partner for Chicago-area faith communities, and a collaborative educational space for burgeoning historians, information professionals, and digital humanities practitioners.
The McGreal Center’s Archives & Special Collections focus on the history of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) in the United States, with an emphasis on collaborative organizations, communities of women, and Dominican spirituality and scholarship. Our finding aids are available online, and our collections are open for research Monday-Wednesday 10AM-4PM and by appointment.
The Sacred Spaces project at Dominican University seeks to preserve and digitally archive historic sacred spaces of the Order of Preachers across the United States and other religious and cultural institutions in the Chicago area, in order to help preserve their history, community memory, art, and architecture for posterity.
We provide hands-on training opportunities for Dominican students, particularly those pursuing degrees in Library and Information Science, and history students interested in exhibitions and digital humanities. Students interested in cataloging, archival processing, and digital humanities practicum projects should reach out to the Archivist at mcgrealcenter@dom.edu.