Commemoration, Preservation, Celebration
11th Triennial Conference on the History of Women Religious
Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana | June 23–26, 2019
The Conference on the History of Women Religious (CHWR) was established in 1988 both to assist historians in discovering and preserving the historical record of vowed women and to integrate their stories into the larger narratives of their times and places. The organization’s 11th triennial conference will bring historians and archivists of women religious together at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, to discuss current and future work.
Saint Mary’s College is a Catholic liberal arts college for women located in Notre Dame, Indiana. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, it was the first women’s college established in the Great Lakes region.
As you plan your visit, see below for the full conference schedule as well as information on registration, lodging, and travel. Please direct questions to Maggie Elmore at the Cushwa Center (melmore@nd.edu).
Program
The conference begins at noon on Sunday, June 23, and concludes with lunch at noon on Wednesday, June 26. All sessions will take place at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana.
Ann M. Little
Ann M. Little, professor of history at Colorado State University and author of The Many Captivities of Esther Wheelwright (Yale, 2016), will deliver the conference’s keynote address on Sunday evening. From Sunday to Wednesday, participants will give more than 100 presentations over the course of more than 30 sessions. Wednesday morning will include sessions with researchers from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA).
Download the conference program to see the full schedule (subject to change).
Lodging
Lodging is available both on campus and at a number of area hotels for the conference.
On-Campus Residence Halls
Use the conference registration form linked below ("register here") to reserve residence-hall lodging on campus at Saint Mary’s College. On-campus lodging is available for the nights of June 22, 23, 24, and 25. Checkout is 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 26. Linens, pillows, and towels are included. Toiletries are not provided. Please note that these college residence halls are not hotels, and please carefully review the following details about on-campus lodging options before making a reservation:
— Opus Hall rooms ($74 per night) are air-conditioned, single-occupancy rooms. Bathrooms and showers are shared with one or three other guests (in double or quad suites). A limited number of these rooms is available; conference organizers recommend reserving as soon as possible.
— Le Mans Hall single-occupancy rooms ($54.50 per night) are non-air-conditioned with communal restrooms/shower facilities shared among guests on each floor. Guests concerned about comfort or humidity should be aware that these rooms can become very warm in the summer.
— Le Mans Hall shared (double occupancy) rooms ($50.50 per night) are non-air-conditioned with communal restrooms/shower facilities shared among guests on each floor. Roommates will be randomly assigned unless a preferred roommate is identified in the “other notes” in registration. Guests concerned about comfort or humidity should be aware that these rooms can become very warm in the summer.
Area Hotels
A limited number of rooms are available for conference guests at each of the following area hotels until the cut-off dates noted. Please use the links or contact information below to book a hotel room:
53993 Indiana State Route 933 South Bend, IN 46637
Call 574–232–4000 to reserve in the room block “CHWR 2019” | cut-off date: May 1, 2019 | $165 per night | rooms available 6/23 – 6/26 | breakfast included | shuttle service available | walking distance (quarter- or half-mile) to conference locations | cancellation policy: 72 hours prior to arrival to avoid one-night penalty charge
1140 E Angela Blvd, South Bend, IN 46617
"11th triennial CHWR" booking link | cut-off date: April 23, 2019 | $189 per night for king bed two-room suite | rooms available 6/22–6/26 | made-to-order breakfast included | 2.8 miles (7-minute drive) from Saint Mary's College | no shuttle service (guests responsible for their own daily transportation to and from the conference) | cancellation policy: 72 hours prior to arrival to avoid one-night penalty charge
1220 E Angela Blvd, South Bend, IN 46617
CHWR booking link | cut-off date: May 22, 2019 | $123 per night for standard room w/ king bed | $133 per night for suite w/ king bed and sofa sleeper | rooms available 6/22–6/26 | breakfast included | 2.7 miles (7-minute drive) from Saint Mary's College | no shuttle service (guests responsible for their own daily transportation to and from the conference) | cancellation policy: 48 hours prior to avoid one-night penalty charge
7347 Heritage Square Drive, Granger, IN 46530
CHWR booking link | cut-off date: May 1, 2019 | $165 per night | rooms available 6/23–6/26 | breakfast included | 5.6 miles (16-minute drive) from Saint Mary's College | shuttle service available | cancellation policy: 48 hours prior to avoid possible one-night penalty charge
Travel
By Air
South Bend International Airport (airport code SBN) is about 15 minutes by car from Saint Mary’s College. Various ground transit methods are available (e.g., taxi, rental car, Uber, Lyft).
Visitors also can fly into Chicago then drive or take a bus to Notre Dame/Saint Mary’s. Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College are about two hours by car from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport and about 90 minutes from Midway International Airport. Coach USA operates a bus shuttle several times daily between Notre Dame's campus and both Chicago O’Hare and Chicago Midway airports.
By Train
Amtrak operates trains stopping daily in South Bend. The South Shore Line trains run directly from the Chicago Loop (at the corner of Michigan and Randolph) to the South Bend Regional Airport (about a three-hour trip). From the airport, Saint Mary’s College is approximately a 15-minute ride by car. Various transportation methods are available (e.g., taxi, rental car, Uber, Lyft).
Parking
All parking on campus at Saint Mary’s College is free of charge. Conference participants are encouraged to use spaces in the Dalloways/Madeleva Parking Lot. Guests at the residence halls may park at designated areas for Opus Hall and Le Mans Hall.
Campus Map
A map of Saint Mary’s College is available with conference locations and recommended parking lots highlighted (linked here).
Registration
The general registration fee is $150. This includes the Tuesday evening banquet and all other scheduled meals from lunch on Sunday to lunch on Wednesday; refreshments and snacks between sessions; and conference materials. Registration is pro-rated at $40 per day for those attending only part of the conference. Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s, and Holy Cross faculty, staff, and students may attend at no charge, but must register in order to participate in meals.
Registration is now closed. Please contact Maggie Elmore (melmore@nd.edu) with any questions.
The Program Committee: Thomas Rzeznik (chair), Mary Beth Fraser Connolly, Kara French, Deirdre Raftery, Sr. Sally Witt, C.S.J., Kathleen Sprows Cummings
Image: A group of sisters outside the Westminster Library opposite the Church House in Victoria, London, June 24, 1970 (photo by Evening Standard/Getty Images)