2601 W. Marquette Road
Chicago, IL 60629
phone: 773-776-1324 from 9AM to 8PM only
hours: by appointment only

Sister m. Perpetua Gudavičius (Gudas), a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Casimir, is totally responsible for the substantial collection of Lithuanian cultural and religious artifacts beautifully displayed in several rooms of the Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Casimir and across the hallway a library containing hundreds of books and periodicals on Lithuania, many of them in Lithuanian. The library contains the collections of Rev. Anthony Staniukynas, co-founder of the Sisters of St. Casimir, and of mother Maria Kaupas, the founder. The rest was collected by Sister Perpetua from donations and through selective purchases.

Sister Perpetua was born June 25, 1901, in Mahanoy City, PA to Francis and Frances Černiauskaitė - Gudas. She received her elementary education in New Philadelphia, PA and in 1914-1915, she attended Father Milukas' Lithuanian school in Philadelphia and Saturday school held in St. George Parish in Philadelphia. She graduated from St. Casimir Academy on Chicago, IL and pursued further studies at DePaul and Loyola Universities in Chicago. Sister Perpetua received her Bachelor of Arts degree in education from the Catholic University in Washington, DC. During the period of 1936 through 1938 she studied Theology and Linguistics at the Vytautas the Great University in Kaunas, Lithuania.

Upon returning from Lithuania, she organized her Lithuanian studies into a curriculum, which she used in courses in Lithuanian literature, folklore, and history. From 1939 to 1949 she was the editor-in-chief for the Lithuanian magazine, entitled "St. Casimir Academy Echoes" and was also assigned to teach Lithuanian philology at Maria High School, Nativity B.V.M. School, and Immaculate Conception Parish School. In 1952 Sister Perpetua completed a Lithuanian reader entitled "The Parent's Gift". In 1968 Sister Perpetua read an invited paper "A Hundred Years (1868-1968) of Lithuanistic Education in the United States" at an Educator's Conference held at Dainava Camp.

Presently, Sister Perpetua remains the librarian of the Sisters of St. Casimir Lithuanian Library and the curator of the Museum of Lithuanian Culture.

For more on the Sisters of St. Casimir visit their website.

The following images represent only a small part of the artifacts displayed in the museum. The photographs were taken somewhat hurriedly and some are marred by the reflections of the camera flash. When better or additional photographs become available, the following gallery of images will be improved and expanded.

Any use of the images of the museum or its collection must be with the permission of the Mother Superior of the Sisters of St. Casimir. She can be reached by mail at 2601 W. Marquette Road, Chicago, IL 60629, or by phone at 773-776-1324 (from 9AM to 8PM only).