Introduction

Introduction | Migration | Unemployment | Social Life | Religion

The Santospirito Collection comprises the personal papers of Mrs Lena Santospirito (1895-1983). Lena Santospirito devoted years of her life to charitable work for Italian migrants in Australia, particularly during the post-World War Two period when she was President of the Archbishop's Committee for Italian Relief.

Santospirito's records were deposited with the Italian Historical Society in 1992. In 2000, the Society, together with the University of Melbourne, received a grant from the Australian Research Council to fund the archival arrangement and description of the Santospirito Collection. This website is one outcome of this grant, which has enabled this highly significant collection of over 2500 documents to be preserved, described and made accessible to the public.

The Santospirito Collection provides valuable evidence of aspects of Italian-Australian community life in Melbourne, particularly during the early years of post-war mass immigration. These archival records contain the stories of remarkable people like Lena Santospirito and others who worked with the Archbishop's Committee. The contents of this collection also embody the traces of the hundreds of people who came into contact with the Archbishop's Committee during the processes of migration and settlement.

Some of the topics covered by records in the Santospirito Collection are:

• Migration
• Unemployment
• Social life
• Religion

The Lena Santospirito Guide to Records is a finding aid to the Santospirito Collection. It was developed using Austehc's Heritage Document Management System (HDMS) Software. The Guide provides detailed provenance data about Lena Santospirito and the Archbishop's Committee for Italian Relief, and contextual information about the fifty record series in the Santospirito Collection.

The Guide also contains a summary description of every document in the Santospirito Collection. This inventory data was created by Tony Santospirito, who worked for the Italian Historical Society on a voluntary basis. It is possible to use the Search facility to find information relating to particular keywords or surnames.

Images

A small selection of items have been digitally imaged, including:

• Letter from Don Marino Di Benedetto to Santospirito, 10 December 1955
• Letter from Don Marino Di Benedetto to Santospirito, 27 March 1956
• Family Rosary Crusade Handbook for Priests
• Letter from Santospirito to Mr Dodd, 1 December 1952
• Envelope addressed to Santospirito, 30 June 1950
• Letter from Gino Porto to Santospirito, 30 June 1950

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