This collection includes a small selection of Archbishop Joseph S. Alemany's personal papers, sermons, pastoral letters, and correspondence. The bulk of the collection is comprised of secondary source materials related to his biography, and correspondence regarding the removal of Alemany's remains from his burial at his birthplace in Vich, Spain.

Roman Catholic Archbishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany, O.P. (Dominican Order of Preachers) came to California in 1850 to assume his duties as Bishop of Monterey, California. In 1853, he was transferred to the newly created metropolitan see of San Francisco to become its first Archbishop. At the time, the Archdiocese of San Francisco encompassed all of the state of California north of Monterey Bay as well as territories in Nevada and Utah. During Archbishop Alemany's episcopacy, he presided over the significant work to address the exponential growth of the Catholic Church and its faithful in California during the Gold Rush era. To serve the influx of immigrant Catholics arriving at the time, parish churches were erected in San Francisco for Mexican, French, German, and Italian communities. In addition, Archbishop Alemany actively sought out and secured the services of Catholic men and women religious communities to meet the overwhelming demand for educational, medical, and social welfare services. Archbishop Alemany served as archbishop until resigning in 1884, and then retiring to his native home of Vich, Spain where he spent his remaining years until passing away in 1888.

1 Cubic Feet 1 records center box