The Catholic Religious Archives (CRA) is a repository dedicated to preserving and providing access to the records of men’s and women’s Catholic religious congregations around the world.
It was created in response to “Envisioning the Future of Catholic Religious Archives,” a 2018 conference hosted by Boston College at which archivists, historians, and religious leadership confirmed the need for such a repository to support congregations planning for completion or lacking the resources to manage their own archives.
With the support of then President William P. Leahy, SJ, Boston College created CRA and in the summer of 2026 opened a new 44,000 sq. ft. modern archival facility for its collections. The new building is connected to the Theology and Ministry Library in which CRA has an auditorium, exhibit space, processing area, and reading room.
CRA is part of the Boston College Libraries and a founding member of the National Archives Project for Women Religious (NAPWR).