State of Ohio v. Rev. Quigley

In 1890, the pastor of St. Francis de Sales, the Rev. Dr. Patrick Francis Quigley, refused to cooperate with the State of Ohio when he believed it overstepped its bounds in enforcing school attendance.  Fr. Quigley later published a booklet of the court proceedings, his reasoning, and public reaction.  His book is available to read HERE. 

St. Francis de Sales

St. Francis de Sales

St. Francis de Sales

Bishop Alter

Here are two pictures from Bishop Alter's installation, in June of 1931. This one's the first three bishops of Toledo. Bishop Schrembs, then Bishop of Cleveland; Archbishop Stritch of Chicago, not yet a cardinal; and Bishop Alter.

Here's the scene at St. Francis de Sales, which had been hastily repaired after a fire in January of the same year. You'll notice the high altar is missing, presumably for cleaning or repairs.

That crucifix is gone, now, as is that magnificent pulpit. Unfortunately, St. Francis de Sales has been the victim of some very questionable management decisions, over the years. What's survived makes that even more regrettable.

St. Francis de Sales, Downtown

St. Francis de Sales, Downtown

St. Francis de Sales

I stopped for the noon Mass at St. Francis de Sales, yesterday. As soon as I walked in, I was shocked to see that the William H. Machen Stations of the Cross, one of the treasures of the artistic patrimony, not just of the Diocese, but of the city of Toledo, have been replaced by a dime-a-dozen set of sculptures. I'm looking in to the reason for this, and hope it will be temporary. We have an obligation to make sure such artworks are preserved.

St. Francis de Sales

The first church. This picture shows the two doors on the front. This was a common feature of Protestant churches of the early 19th century, where women and men sat on opposite sides of the building. The building was used by several Protestant congregations before St. Francis de Sales parish bought it.

St. Francis de Sales Rectory

This was on Cherry Street, next to the church.
Photo: Toledo-Lucas County Public Library

Louis de Goesbriand, Bishop of Burlington, Vermont

Bishop de Goesbriand lived in Toledo for two years, first as assistant to Fr. Amadeus Rappe, then as pastor of St. Francis de Sales, Downtown. HERE'S a webpage with a brief account of his life and, at the bottom, links to pages about his chalice, crosier, and other interesting things.
His chalice, along with many other items, was recently stolen from the diocesan archives, in Burlington, but all were recovered.

Bishop Alter's Installation, June, 17, 1931

From left to right: Joseph Henry Albers, Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati and, later, Bishop of Lansing, Michigan; Karl Alter, Bishop of Toledo; and John Timothy McNicholas, Archbishop of Cincinnati.
If they don't look very festive, they had good cause. The Depression was in full swing and that was the day every bank in the country was ordered to close.
The picture was taken in front of St. Francis de Sales, Downtown,then the cathedral of the diocese.
From the 1950 history of Immaculate Conception Parish.

St. Francis de Sales, Downtown Toledo

This building, constructed in 1838, was the first Catholic church in Toledo. It was also the first Presbyterian church in Toledo. The Presbyterians were the ones who built it. For that matter, it was also the first Congregational, Episcopalian, and Unitarian church in Toledo. You've heard of starter houses, well, this was a starter church. As soon as a congregation could build something better, they sold it to the next in line.
St. Francis de Sales broke the chain, though. They didn't sell it when the present church was built, they moved it and used it as a school. It was demolished in 1943.

St. Francis de Sales, Downtown

St. Francis de Sales has a particularly important set of Stations of the Cross. They were painted by William Henry Machen, who has been called "the most prolific artist in Ohio's history." Machen was born at Arnhem, in the Netherlands, in 1832. He studied there, with his uncle, a portrait painter, before coming to America with his family, in 1847. The family settled in Toledo in 1848, and Machen remained here for more than thirty years. His work was wide ranging. Of local interest are scenes of early Toledo, now at the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library. He also painted portraits and military scenes.
It was as a nature painter that Machen really excelled. He painted a series of fish species for the U.S. Fish Commission, as well as a variety of animal, plant, and landscape works.
Machen moved to Detroit in 1882, and taught art at Detroit College and at a convent school in Grosse Pointe. He died in Washington, D.C. in 1911, but was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Toledo.

There are also two smaller paintings by Machen at St. Francis de Sales, including this Flight into Egypt.

St. Francis de Sales, Downtown

St. Francis de Sales, Downtown

St. Francis de Sales, Downtown

St. Francis de Sales, Downtown

Patrick Keely, the architect of St. Francis de Sales, designed hundreds of churches, all over the East and Midwest. Here's a good BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. He's also covered in an article at WIKIPEDIA.
The real gem, where his online presence is concerned, is the website of the Keely Society, which is well worth exploring.
FYI: Later today, or tomorrow, I'll be posting on the artist who painted the Stations of the Cross, at St. Francis de Sales, William H. Machen.

St. Francis de Sales, Downtown

A statue of the eponymous saint.

St. Francis de Sales, Downtown

Toledo's first parish and the diocese's first cathedral. The tower was never finished.

The interior is almost perfectly preserved.

The parish has been closed, but there's a daily noon Mass for office workers and anyone who wanders by. I was there a few times and was surprised to see how well attended it was.