Happy New Year to you and yours from the Maryknoll Mission Archives! We hope the New Year brings you peace, joy, and happiness in abundance. The holiday season may be coming to an end, but that doesn’t mean the fun and games have to stop. January 4th is National Trivia Day, and what better way to celebrate than testing your knowledge of Maryknoll history?

The answer sheet is available following the trivia. How many questions did you get right?

Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers

  1. In what year did the Holy Father, St. Pius X, give permission to establish the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America (Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers)?
  2. What are the names of Maryknoll’s Co-Founders?
  3. Who was the first Brother to receive final membership?
  4. In what country did the Fathers & Brothers establish their first mission?
  5. Who were the first four Maryknollers to depart for mission in 1918?
First Depature
First Depature
First 4 secretaries

Maryknoll Sisters

  1. What year was the Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic established?
  2. Before the Maryknoll Sisters were founded, three dedicated women served the cause of foreign missions by supporting the work of the Maryknoll Fathers & Brothers. What were their names, and what was their group called?
  3. What is the name of the Sisters’ Mother Foundress?
  4. In 1932, the Maryknoll Sisters officially moved into their newly constructed Motherhouse. Where did the Sisters live prior to this? (Hint: there are two correct answers.)
  5. In what year did the Maryknoll Sisters depart for their first mission in China?
Mother Mary Joseph Rogers, 1932
First 4 secretaries

Maryknoll Lay Missioners

  1. What year was the Maryknoll Mission Association of the Faithful (MMAF) founded?
  2. Before Lay Missioners established their own independent organization, there was the Lay Mission Program. Who sponsored this program?
  3. What are the names of Maryknoll’s first lay missioners? (Hint: they were both medical doctors!)
  4. What was the name of the Maryknoll Lay Missioners newsletter published from 2006 to 2021?
  5. How many countries have Lay Missioners served in (including the United States)?
Tawny Thanh visiting with a mother and child, Thailand, 2005

Maryknoll Mission Archives: Bonus Points

  1. What year was the Maryknoll Mission Archives established?
  2. Who was the first Fathers & Brothers’ archivist?
  3. Who was the Sisters’ first archivist?

Maryknoll Trivia – Answers

How many questions did you get right? Were there any questions that really stumped you? Let us know in the comments!

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