Working with the public

1. Support and help when doing research.

• Answering genealogical requests, about Sisters, clients, pupils, etc.
• Answering requests concerning the history of the institutions both in Belgium and further afield.
  Since the Congregation was active in many fields of the social sector our collections are often consulted for the specific history writing of institutions and also for the historical development of more general topics, such as care for the sick, the elderly, people with a disability, psychiatry, special juvenile care, education etc.
• Accompanying students (mostly history students) during their research for their thesis.
  Topics: secondary and higher education for girls in Belgium and the Congo, mechanisms for the erection of a psychiatric institution, history of the mindset of missionaries based upon their correspondence, erection and functioning of the first asylum girls with a learning disability in Belgium, care for the disabled and psychiatrically ill in the 19th and 20th centuries, social commitment of noble ladies in the 19th century, description of the work of an architect, description of garden architecture, etc.
• Accompanying of research and answering written requests about wide variety of historical topics, applied for by researchers of very diverse topics.
• Diverse requests for pictorial material: about people, diverse social sectors, towns, interior designs, convents, institutions etc. This material is mostly used for exhibitions and publications.

2. Museum and exhibitions.

• In 1997 we opened a museum; its aim was to shed light on the history, activities and heritage of the Congregation. The exhibitions are constructed completely from our own collections and form a real continuation of the archives.
• The visits to the museum might be of a general or specific nature, with interactive and adapted tours as appropriate.
• In the former living quarters of the founder of the Congregation we made a realistic reconstruction of his early 19th century bedroom, with an additional small exhibition of personal items belonging to him, and sound recordings. This room is open to the public.

3. Diverse loans of material.

• Costumes of Sisters for film, television, theatre etc.
• Photos, film material, pieces from the archives, portraits and other items for exhibitions by third parties, such as the Guislain Museum, the virtual Museum for the Flemish Social Action, KADOC, Museum of Deinze and Leie, Sint-Trudofeasts in Sint-Truiden, Civic Museum of Education Ieper, Lievenmuseum Moorslede, Augustinians, etc.
• Photos and film material used for publications by third parties. The topics are diverse and include convent life, history of the institutions, social history, local and civic history, church history, architectural topics, preservation of monuments, medical history, history of education etc.

4. Special Activities.

• Open Monument Days.
  From the outset there was co-operation with the Sisters of Charity in this initiative (2nd edition of the Open Monument Days – Flanders) through the opening up of our own chapels, convents, school buildings etc., by compiling our own special exhibitions, by starting guided tours, and by co-operating with other external initiatives.
• Heritage Days and Weekends.
  Temporary exhibitions were staged in the rooms of the archives and museum and guided tours were held. There were other activities such as monologues, choral singing of historical songs and Congolese stories for children. The press showed a lot of interest, for example radio-interview on Radio 1 and articles in newspapers.
  In 2001: 110 visitors; 2002: 600 visitors; 2003: 500 visitors.
• Co-operation with the architectural walks organized by the Service of Preservation of Monuments of the city of Ghent: “‘t Kindt gezwind” and “De Veelzijdige Van Hoecke”, by opening up the buildings, and providing articles and other basic information about them for the tour guides.
• Special activities on the occasion of the bicentenary of the Congregation.
  • Publication of an agenda 2003, in which we commemorated a daily event which took place on this specific date in the past. Those little stories, quotations and photos are almost exclusively taken out of our own collections. The agenda was published on 7000 ex., in three languages and was distributed both in Belgium and beyond, and to all the personnel of our institutions.
  • There was a monologue written “Beyond the silence”, based on historical facts about the start of the Congregation. The initiative was really elaborate with a professional actor, producer and technician. It was very successful and enticed many people to come and watch.
  • Co-operation with different exhibitions in the Congregation and the institutions.