From the Archives: Preserving Oral Histories

There are few things as profound as storytelling to preserve the history of a community. There is perhaps no better way to learn about an individual than through their own words. One year ago, we declared the launch of an oral history project within the Viatorian Community, and I am proud to announce that the first of our video interviews will be available soon.

This is especially meaningful as we celebrate the lives of Br. Donald Houde and Fr. John Milton, who passed away in just the last few months. Fr. Milton and Br. Houde were our first two participants and we are deeply fortunate to have had the opportunity to collect and preserve their memories and history. These reflections capture personal aspects of their lives that truly cannot captured in any other way.

Fr. John Milton, the first interviewee, began by explaining how he first began to consider religious life with the Viatorians during his years studying engineering at the Fournier Institute. The conversation included his early days as a novitiate, his time at seminary, the transitions of Vatican II, his many years of teaching and a great deal more.

Br. Donald Houde began with the story of his childhood growing up quite literally in the shadow of the Viatorians, with his family’s home in Bourbonnais being across from St. Viator College. He was taught by Viatorians through his elementary and high school years at St. Rose and St. Patrick. After trying his hand at a few different lines of work in Chicago and Arizona, he found his way back to the Viatorians and his story continues from there. In addition to Fr. Milton and Br. Houde, we also have recent video oral history interviews with both Fr. Charles Bolser and Fr. Arnold Perham. Br. James Lewnard served as our interviewer for all four conversations. We also have earlier audio interviews conducted by former Viatorian archivist, Joan Sweeney, in 2007 with Br. Leo Ryan (1927-2016), Fr. Philip Kendall (1932-2010), Fr. Thomas McCarthy (1920-2007), Fr. Hugh Robbins (1926-2011), and Fr. Francis White (1917-2015). These will be shared in the near future as well.

The interviews will be available as part of the imminent launch of the Viatorian Archives online exhibit space. This site is very much a work in progress, but every week, we will be adding new photographs and documents that illuminate the history of the Viatorian Community.

We invite people to contact us in order to learn more about a family member who was a Viatorian or attended a Viatorian school, and we continue to encourage this dialogue. Whether you’re interested in doing research or merely want to obtain records about a loved one, we welcome your inquiries. Email me at: ASherwood@viatorians.com with any requests.

Br. Donald Houde Fr. John Milton at a 90th birthday celebration at Cristo Rey St. Martin.