Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Mission

New Riegel All Saints parishioner Dr. John Wood has just released a book, "Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Mission," with the theme, Be a Saint!  More info HERE.

St. John, Lima, Renovations

Click HERE to see some photos of the amazing renovation / restoration work at St. John the Evangelist church in Lima.  A fine effort by the parish.

Also, bells from a Toledo church are being added to the belfry at St. Rose in Lima.

Ghosts of Christmas Past

Some Christmas posts you might have missed from past years:

A first-hand account of Christmas at Tiffin St. Joseph in 1910.

The story of Fr. Aloysius Horn and his great love of Christmas.

The first Precious Blood priests in America travel up the Mississippi River on Christmas Day, 1843.

The beautiful Christmas window at St. Mary in Norwalk.

Aluminum Christmas trees!  At the old St. Wendelin's church in Fostoria.

Renaissance Missal Exhibit in Cleveland

From Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013 to June 2, 2013, the Cleveland Museum of Art will display "Caporali: A Masterpiece of Renaissance Illumination."

This exhibition revolves around a sumptuous and important Renaissance manuscript—an illuminated missal, the service book for the priest at the altar—made for the Franciscan community in the hillside town of Montone, near Perugia, in 1469. Acquired by the museum in 2006, the missal showcases the work of two artist brothers, Bartolomeo and Giapeco Caporali, who were active in Perugia during the second half of the 15th century. This small focus exhibition celebrates this important acquisition and presents it to the museum's audience for the first time. Liturgical objects such as vestments, a chalice, and a processional cross will place the manuscript in liturgical, cultural, and art historical contexts. Many of these works, lent by museums and churches in Umbria, are displayed in the U.S. for the first time.

More information about the exhibit and lectures can be found HERE.

A Nativity Slide Show

In the Columbus Dispatch, the Columbus Museum of Art's Dominique Vasseur selects some favorite portrayals of the Nativity:  Click HERE for slide show.

Sandusky: A Patrick Keely Design

Over at the Sandusky History blog, we learn that Ss. Peter & Paul church was designed by the noted Irish-American architect Patrick Keely.  See post HERE.

Edward Furey of the Keely Society notes:

We don't know for sure, if Keely visited Sandusky, or simply sent plans requested by the pastor. In some cases, we do know, from letters, that Keely would send plans, and then a local building superintendent would follow and adapt them. In that way costs for construction could be kept down for pastors who wanted an impressive structure. We do know Keely was in Cleveland, while that cathedral (radically altered,) was being constructed.

 

Keely also designed Toledo's St. Francis de Sales chapel.

St. Michael, Findlay

 

Archangel Gabriel, appropriate for Advent.

Rosary Cathedral, Toledo

Some fine photos of Rosary Cathedral at the Wandering Photographer blog -- click HERE.

Little Flower, Toledo

A new look for Little Flower parish in Toledo:  a new entrance and bell tower.  Details HERE.

Frank Sheed at Bowling Green, 1954

From the 1955 Bowling Green State University yearbook, a photo of the renown Catholic author and apologist Frank Sheed.  Sheed spoke at the university's "Religion Week" in 1954; you can read more about his life and works HERE.  (Ignatius Press has recently reprinted several of his books.)

Steeple Video

You can see video of the new St. Rose, Perrysburg, steeple HERE.

November, Month of All Souls

Photos from St. Joseph cemetery, Tiffin.

Visitation Sisters, Toledo

An interesting slideshow about the Visitation Sisters, click HERE.

Sisters from Ss. Peter & Paul, Toledo

From the 1917 Ss. Peter and Paul Toledo booklet, four women of the parish who joined religious orders:

1. Sr. Armilla (Catherine Sattler)
2. Sr. Leoba (Mary Sattler)
3. Sr. Fidelis (Rosella Williams)
4. Sr. Wagner (Cecilia Wagner) - habit is of the Grey Nuns

Another photo of the Grey Nuns in Toledo, click HERE.

"Here is the steeple..."

Photo of steeple work at St. Rose, Perrysburg.  Click HERE.

A De Rosen Sketch for Rosary Cathedral

While doing an occasional eBay search for local church images, I was amazed to find a sketch by John De Rosen from his work for Rosary Cathedral in Toledo, from 1944.  Shown above is the gouache rendering for a side-aisle ceiling mural of the fifth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, the finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple.  You can view the full listing HERE.  Many thanks to the seller for this image.

Chapel on the Farm

Not in northwest Ohio, but near St. Meinrad Seminary in southern Indiana ... Inspired by roadside chapels during visits to Germany, a newspaper editor built a chapel on the family farm.  It's named after the Fourteen Holy Helpers (Vierzehnheiligen).  You can read about it HERE.  (Not sure if the link is accessible.)

William Ginther's "Dedication"

The wait is over -- Anthony "Chip" Valleriano's book about architect William P. Ginther has been published by Kent State University Press.

Akron-based architect William P. Ginther (1858–1933) designed sixty-three Roman Catholic churches, primarily in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Dedication is the first book to document his architectural designs. By combining historical images with twenty-first-century photographs, author Anthony J. Valleriano presents the most comprehensive overview of Ginther’s architectural career available today.
The son of German immigrants, Ginther demonstrated considerable drawing skills at an early age. In grade school, he was known for illustrating pictures of the school building and grounds. As his skills advanced, Ginther was encouraged to study architecture at Buchtel College (now the University of Akron). Frank Wheary, a leading Akron architect of the time, spotted Ginther’s drawing talents and promptly put him to work. Under Wheary’s guidance, Ginther learned the craft of architectural drafting and engineering and helped design and supervise the construction of his first building, McKinley Church, in Canton, Ohio.

Ginther became one of the most influential ecclesiastical architects in Ohio during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The designer of churches in Cleveland, Akron, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Erie, Toledo, and many other communities, he defined the sense of sacred space for countless worshipers and enriched the aesthetic and religious lives of the region’s residents.

Available from Amazon and The Kent State University Press.

St. Wendelin, Fostoria 1936

Monsignor Bertrand Shenk

Monsignor Bertrand Shenk, the oldest priest of the Diocese of Toledo, passed away on Oct. 16, 2012, at age 100.  You can read his full obituary HERE.

Exhibit at Oberlin

If you live in northern or central Ohio and enjoy religious art, you really should visit the Allen Memorial Art Museum at Oberlin College to view the exhibit, "Religion, Ritual & Performance in the Renaissance."  There are 80 works, mostly sacred, some secular, from the collections of the Yale University Art Gallery and the Allen museum.  Many of the pieces once served as altar pieces, devotional items, etc.  The exhibit runs through June 30, 2013 and is free to the public.  For full information, click HERE.

Above, St. Mary Magdalene by "Master of the Sterzing Altarpiece", ca 1450

St. Boniface, Oak Harbor

St. Augustine Film "Restless Heart"

The new film about St. Augustine, "Restless Heart," will be shown at the Maumee Indoor Theater on Nov. 11, 2012 at 4:30 and 7 p.m.  More details HERE.

St. John the Baptist, Glandorf

 

No way all of this church is fitting in one picture ...

Sacred Symbols at Crestline

As part of the renovation of St. Joseph Church in Crestline, architect Daniel DeGreve produced an illustrated guide to the sacred symbols of the church.  It explains everything from the shape of the structure itself to smaller details, such as selection of color and stencil design.  Photos from the church’s history are included too.  A remarkable work -- it would be very useful to anyone working on a similar parish project.

Above:  Geometry of the Pointed (Gothic) Arch.

 The floor plan of our church and the 'Body of Christ.'

Bishop Albert Ottenweller

Bishop Albert Ottenweller passed away Sunday, September 23, 2012.  He served as Auxiliary Bishop of Toledo from 1974 - 1977, and Bishop of Steubenville from 1977 - 1992.  More details HERE.

Franciscans' 100 Years at Carey

Many Franciscan Friars and pilgrims gathered at Our Lady of Consolation Shrine in Carey to mark 100 years of Franciscan service to the community.

Above photo, friars and pilgrims return to the basilica after a Rosary procession.

A statue of St. Maximillian Kolbe behind the basilica.

St. Padre Pio says, Confessionals are ready and waiting!

Book Exhibits

Lourdes University in Sylvania is hosting "Manifold Greatness:  The Creation and Afterlife of the King James Bible," a traveling exhibit marking the 400th anniversary of the printing of the King James Bible, October 7 - 30, 2012.   Details and a list of presentations HERE. 

The Cleveland Museum of Art will display "Caporali: A Masterpiece of Renaissance Illumination" from February 17 - June 2, 2012.  The centerpiece of the exhibit is an elaborate illuminated missal commissioned by Franciscans in 1469.  More information HERE. 

Up in the Museum . . .

At the Seneca County Museum in Tiffin, there is a small exhibit of historic items from local churches.  Included are two paintings from a set of Stations of the Cross from St. Joseph's church.  They date from the 1860s. 

Sorrowful Mother Shrine Novena & Triduum

Sorrowful Mother Shrine has several opportunities for prayer in preparation for the Feast of Our Sorrowful Mother.  A Triduum mission will feature Fr. Andy O'Reilly; click HERE for information.  There's a novena as well -- click HERE.

Above photo:  looking down the wooded trail to the small chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

 

One of the murals on the shrine chapel ceiling depicting the Seven Sorrows of Mary, painted by Fr. Paulinus Trost.  

Tridentine Mass at Carey Shrine

Some beautiful photos of a Tridentine Mass at Our Lady of Consolation Shrine in Carey:  click HERE.  The liturgy was arranged by the Prayer Pilgrimages group from Michigan, who are visiting a variety of historic churches; see their web site HERE.

More from Kalida St. Michael

I apologize for the lack in interior photos -- must arrange travel times more appropriately.  The tower is 135 feet tall.

Archangel Raphael at the entrance
.

Guardian Angel.

A small garden at the tower base.

The church was dedicated in 1926.  The parish is still staffed by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood.  You can read a parish history HERE.

St. Michael, Kalida

More to follow . . .

Cross Tipped Churches

If you haven't visited Russ Martin's "Cross Tipped Churches" blog, be sure to check it out.  He's been photographing the many churches in Mercer County and the surrounding area in western Ohio for FIVE years.  Click HERE.

"The Glory of Catholic Architecture" Conference

October 25 and 26 in Mundelein, Illinois:  "The Glory of Catholic Architecture: Renewing Tradition, Re-engaging the Heavenly."  A conference filled with theological possibilities and practical solutions for churchbuilding.  Full details HERE.

Monsignor Edward Dunn

Monsignor Edward Dunn, a familiar face at parishes in Tiffin and Mansfield, has passed away at age 95. Full details are HERE.

A much younger Fr. Dunn in 1954.

St. Mary, Tiffin

Statue of Mary at the entrance.

St. Patrick stained glass.

Stained glass of St. Rita (I think).

All Dressed Up

First-time visitors to Our Lady of Consolation Shrine in Carey might be taken aback by the practice of clothing the statue of Mary and the Infant Jesus – it can be unsettling to 21^st century American eyes.  But the practice has a long history.  Last year, the Lyon Fabric Museum in France featured an exhibit of clothing from the 12^th to the 19^th centuries used to adorn statues of Mary and Jesus.  (Article HERE.)  Photo above, display cabinets in the basement of the basilica showing dresses made by pilgrims to honor Our Lady.

 The Carey shrine is collecting stories of those who have made dresses for a history project, click HERE for information..

Religion in the Renaissance Exhibit at Oberlin

A little to the east, Oberlin College's Allen Memorial Art Museum will host an exhibition, Religion, Ritual and Performance in the Renaissance, starting August 28, 2012 and lasting through June 2013.  More details can be found HERE.  More than 30 works from the Yale University Art Gallery will be displayed along with items from the AMAM permanent collection.

Above, Portable Altar and Carrying Case by Jacapo Ligozzi, 1608.

Our Lady of Consolation, Carey

There's a fine album of photos of the shrine in Carey by Franciscan Brother Bryan Hoban, from the Progressor-Times newspaper.  Take a look HERE.

Portiuncula at Lourdes University

How one sister worked to restore the Portiuncula Chapel at Lourdes University:  story HERE.

St. Anthony, Columbus Grove

"Offering of the Angels"

Sorry, not in Ohio, but several U.S. museums will have the exhibit "Offering of the Angels," paintings and tapestries from the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.  Ends Aug. 10 near Philadelphia, then it moves on to Madison, WI, and Savannah, GA.  Details HERE.  Madison, Wisconsin info HERE.

Feast of the Assumption at OLC Shrine

For a schedule of events at Our Lady of Consolation Shrine in Carey during the Feast of the Assumption, click HERE.  A wonderful time to visit the shrine.

St. Joseph, Maumee