Girl carrying mat full of dried indigo leaves, Japan, August 1932
What is the
International Mission Photography Archive?
The International Mission Photography Archive (IMPA) is a massive digital collaboration between eleven sharing organizations and the University of Southern California (USC) Libraries, who graciously hosts the digital collection. USC Libraries helps make these important historical images more accessible for researchers around the world, supporting ongoing efforts to better understand missionary movements during the late 19th century and early 20th century. These photographs are available to everyone, not just researchers, so we highly recommend exploring this treasure trove of digitized images. Below you can find examples of photos selected and shared by the Maryknoll Mission Archives for this project.
Photos from China:
The Gate of Heaven Leper Asylum at Jiangmen, China
Also known as Hansen’s Disease, Leprosy was a serious problem for people who contracted the disease before a cure was first discovered in the 1940’s. Individuals faced serious social stigma while surviving with its symptoms. Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers serving in China helped build places like The Gate of Heaven so that people living with leprosy could have the safety, dignity, and respect they deserved.
Sr. Candida Maria Basto, MM, teaching blind girls to sew at Yangjiang, China, 1940.
During this period, Maryknoll Sisters ministered several programs serving children and young adults with disabilities. Many programs were designed to teach vital trade skills. The goal of these programs was for each child to become capable of financially support themselves in adulthood.
Dr. Artemio J. Bagalawis and Dr. Harry P. Blaber with a group of patients outside the dispensary door, Jiangmen, China, 1936.
Dr. Harry P. Blaber was Maryknoll’s pioneer Lay Missioner and Dr. Artemio J. Bagalawis served as Maryknoll’s first long-term Lay Missioner. They were part of Maryknoll’s initiative to bring medical aid to rural communities across Southern China.
The Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, Inc. (Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers) was established in 1911 at Maryknoll, New York and sent its first missionaries to China in 1918. The photographic archive, established to support The Field Afar magazine and later Maryknoll, contains between 1 and 1.5 million prints, lantern slides, glass negatives, and slides that capture mission activities in 38 different countries. The Maryknoll Mission Archives was established as a collaborative venture in 1990 to care for the records and images of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, Maryknoll Sisters and the Maryknoll Lay Missioners. For IMPA, we selected images from China, Korea, Japan, and the Philippines, most of them from the period 1912-1945.
Photos from Japan:
Sister Jean Dicks MM, directing the girls’ choir at the St. Francis Xavier Quadricentenial in Nara Park, Nara, Japan, ca. 1949.
Maryknoll Sisters have been educating students since their first mission to Los Angeles, CA began in 1921. Since then, Sisters have founded numerous schools and shared their passion for knowledge with multiple generations of children. Many Sisters, such as Sr. Jean, spent most of their lives ensuring children had access to a solid education.
Monsignor Paul Furuya, Administrator Apostolic of the Prefecture of Kyoto, Japan, with Father Patrick J. Byrne MM, Superior of the Maryknoll Fathers in Japan, ca. 1938.
In 1935, Fr. Patrick J. Byrne was selected to open a new mission field for Maryknoll in Kyoto, Japan. He was still serving in Japan when WWII began, and he was held under house arrest throughout this period.
Photos from Korea & Philippines:
Wedding party with Father John E. Morris, MM, Peng Yang, Korea, December 30, 1935
Throughout their time in mission, Maryknoll Fathers have the honor of accompanying their communities through life’s big moments: births, baptisms, marriages, and deaths. In this photo, Fr. John E. Morris stands directly behind the newly wed couple, surrounded by friends and family.
(Left to right) Sr. Rose Sharon, Sr. Caritas McCabe, and Sr. Siena in a rented building for Maryknoll College, Pasay, Philippines, January 1946
Maryknoll College began as the Maryknoll Normal School in Malabon in 1926. The school quickly expanded and outgrew its space in Manila and, in 1949, a new location was found in Quezon City. After years of construction, the new Maryknoll College campus opened for the 1952-1953 school year. In 1989, its name changed to Miriam College to reflect that Sisters no longer ran the school.
Sister Ursula Kenkel, MM, standing behind an elderly woman, Gishu, Korea, 1926.
Maryknoll Sisters ran an Assisted Living Facility for elderly men and women in Gishu, lovingly referred to as “our Old Folks’ Home”. Many of these individuals could not otherwise afford care and did not have family nearby to assist them. Sr. Ursula worked here as Superior and Head of the Dispensary.
This massive undertaking would not have been possible without financial support from foundations such as the National Endowment for the Humanities Division of Preservation and Access (now Division of Collections & Infrastructure), the National Endowment for the Humanities Office of Digital Humanities, the Getty Foundation, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Interested in learning more about Maryknoll?
You can contact the Archives at:
Maryknoll Mission Archives
PO Box 305, Maryknoll, New York 10545
Phone: 914-941-7636
Office hours: 8:30 am-4:00 pm Monday-Friday
Email: archives@maryknoll.org
Website: www.maryknollmissionarchives.org
References:
About the International Mission Photography Archive. University of Southern California. (n.d.). https://digitallibrary.usc.edu/C.aspx?VP3=CMS3&VF=AboutUs_VForm&TP=IMP
Bishop Patrick J. Byrne, MM. Maryknoll Mission Archives. (2014). https://maryknollmissionarchives.org/deceased-fathers-bro/bishop-patrick-j-byrne-mm/
Cairns, M. (2025, April 2). Voices in medicine: Celebrating Maryknoll Lay Missioners’ Golden jubilee. Maryknoll Mission Archives. https://maryknollmissionarchives.org/voices-in-medicine-celebrating-maryknoll-lay-missioners-golden-jubilee/
Division of Collections & Infrastructure. National Endowment for the Humanities. (2025). https://www.neh.gov/divisions/collections
Father John E. Morris, MM. Maryknoll Mission Archives. (2014). https://maryknollmissionarchives.org/deceased-fathers-bro/father-john-e-morris-mm/
The Getty Foundation. Getty. (2026, July 29). https://www.getty.edu/foundation/
Grant programs. Mellon Foundation. (2026). https://www.mellon.org/grant-programs
Home. Maryknoll Lay Missioners. (2025, January 27). https://mklm.org/
Home. Maryknoll Sisters. (2025, May 23). https://www.maryknollsisters.org/
IMPA Site – Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America. University of Southern California. (n.d.). https://digitallibrary.usc.edu/Folder/2A3BF1O6AOI?TP=IMP
International Mission Photography Archive (IMPA). University of Southern California. (n.d.). https://digitallibrary.usc.edu/IMPA?TP=IMP
Missionaries of the Catholic Church: Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers. Maryknoll Society. (2025, December 9). https://maryknollsociety.org/
Office of Digital Humanities. NEH Digital Repository. (2026). https://neh.dspacedirect.org/collections/1ac5b9f6-0a35-4323-b896-c06faab17c60
Sister Candida Marie Basto, MM. Maryknoll Mission Archives. (2014). https://maryknollmissionarchives.org/deceased-sisters/sister-candida-marie-basto-mm/
Sister M. Ursula Kenkel, MM. Maryknoll Mission Archives. (2014). https://maryknollmissionarchives.org/deceased-sisters/sister-m-ursula-kenkel-mm/
Sister Mary Caritas McCabe, MM. Maryknoll Mission Archives. (2014). https://maryknollmissionarchives.org/deceased-sisters/sister-mary-caritas-mccabe-mm/
Sister Mary Jean Dicks, MM. Maryknoll Mission Archives. (2014). https://maryknollmissionarchives.org/deceased-sisters/sister-mary-jean-dicks-mm/
Sister Rose Sharon, MM. Maryknoll Mission Archives. (2014). https://maryknollmissionarchives.org/deceased-sisters/sister-rose-sharon-mm/
University of Southern California. USC Libraries. (2025). https://libraries.usc.edu/
Wikimedia Foundation. (2026, August 20). Leprosy. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leprosy
*Original content comes from the blog post, “International Mission Photography Archive, USC Digital Library”, which was published on September 9, 2014. This version was edited by Meagan Cairns.
Lunar New Year celebration at Fushun, China, 1939.
Ch’a Kou church decorated for a Feast Day at Fushun, China, 1940.
Thirtieth Anniversary carnival at Fushun, China, 1937.
