St. Stephen, East Toledo

Some good photos of St. Stephen's church at the "Michigan Exposures" blog, click HERE. 

A New Steeple

Last year about this time, the steeple and belfry of St. Mary's in Norwalk was damaged in a wind storm. The steeple was removed along with the belfry, and a temporary box was put over the bell and digital carillon to protect it until the new steeple could be raised.

Just this week the newly designed/repaired steeple was put into place.(photos below by Mike Doughty)

In other news of the parish - there is much interior damage, especially to the ceiling, that needs to be addressed. A capital campaign has been started to raise funds for the repairs. Please see the website for more details and to donate online. http://www.stmarynorwalk.org/campaign.html

Ecclesiastical Architects, Artists, and Artisans - 4th Edition!

Pittsburgh author Delma Tallerico has just released the fourth edition of her book, Ecclesiastical Architects, Artists, and Artisans in America: 1860-1920.  Several of the architects and artists have substantial works in the Toledo Diocese.  You can see a preview and table of contents by clicking HERE and selecting the Preview.  (Cover photo is St. Agnes Church in Brooklyn, NY.)

New Painting, with Welcome by New Bishop

The Toledo Museum of Art has acquired The Liberation of St. Peter by Italian artist Luca Giordano (1634–1705).  The painting will be introduced to the public on November 13, with a presentation to include remarks by Toledo Bishop Daniel Thomas.  Details HERE.

Installation of Bishop Daniel Thomas

You can watch the ceremony live online, Wednesday, Oct. 22.  Details HERE.

Polish Churches in Toledo

The Toledo Polish Genealogy Society has compiled histories of Toledo churches with Polish heritage.  Some of the histories include photos from the Diocesan archives.  You can view them HERE.

Artwork handed on from Bishop Schrembs . . . to Bishop Thomas

At a Aug. 26 morning press conference, Bishop Daniel Thomas noted that he received a piece of artwork from now-deceased Cardinal John Foley -- the piece was originally owned by the first bishop of the Toledo Diocese, Bishop Joseph Schrembs.  Full story over at Catholic Philly. 

Toledo's new Bishop: Bishop Daniel E. Thomas

Currently Auxiliary Bishop of Philadelphia, more details at the Deacon's Bench blog HERE.

You can see a short vocations video by Bishop Thomas HERE.

St. Nicholas, Miller City

Designed by architect William Ginther, dedicated in 1902.  Note the dormers along the roof, no longer there.  Image courtesy of the Walleye Warrior's ebay collection -- see more post cards HERE.

St. Joseph, Sylvania

Post card of earlier St. Joseph church in Sylvania -- I think this is the first church, built in 1871; a second church was built in 1930.  The current church was built in 1967.

Icons of St. George Coptic Orthodox Church

The slow death of an old Church - St. James: Chicago, IL

Hello!

As promised from long ago, I have pictures from the demolition of St. James in Chicago, IL. They can be found on my Smugmug. Click here or on the picture.

It's a sad, sad thing - painful to watch the slow progression of demolition. I was able to be in on some inside scoops of the politics surrounding the process of condemnation and eventual demolition. I don't mean to continue the politics, but a lot of shame should be put on the Archdiocese of Chicago. You can easily find many articles on this subject that clearly show how there were many potential options for preservation, or at least salvage opportunities. In the end, the Archdiocese decided that demolishing the church with little to no salvage work (and with a promise of building a new one) was best. We'll see what becomes of this "new church". So far, not a thing.

I am glad I was able to experience it and document it in such detail. Some things that just couldn't really be captured were the sounds of stained glass breaking from the various claws and buckets gnawing away at the structure, and the sight of watching workers busting out 100+ year old stained glass with crowbars, knowing full well that with a little more effort and investment, those magnificent windows could have been saved. That latter moment was not captured on "film" by me; I think I was just too horrified and dumbfounded to react.

One has to wonder what will become of the 1891 Roosevelt organ that was dismantled and "put into storage". The same goes for the unique 20-bell Chime which suffered a similar fate. One can hope that they'll be again reunited with their home parish and not sold off to the scrappers or parted out.

Hopefully the parish of St. James can recover from this one of many losses. They have struggled with their numbers for some time, however the amount of community work they do is incredible.

Thank you for reading and checking out the pictures!

Soon I will actually post again on some churches back in Ohio when I take a road trip home.

St. Adalbert, Toledo

Below, some photos from the St. Adalbert 75th Jubilee booklet, 1907 - 1982.

Dedication of the combination church / school building in 1910.

Interior of the current church building, photo from 1928.  Decorations are part of the celebration of the 25th Jubilee of Fr. J.P. Wachowski.

Photo of interior dating from 1982.

Incidentally, the Lagrange Street Polish Fest is July 11-13, 2014.  Click HERE.

Rosary Cathedral, Toledo

A view of original plans for Rosary Cathedral by Comes & Perry architects.  Obviously, the large tower was never built.

St. Mary, Tiffin

Corpus Christi Procession on Sunday, June 22, 2014:  After the 11:30 a.m. Mass at St. Mary's in Tiffin, there will be a Eucharistic Procession to St. Joseph's church, with Benediction at St. Joseph's.

St. Mary, Sandusky

A photo of St. Mary's borrowed from the Sandusky History blog -- see the full post HERE.

Also, there's a virtual tour of the church's interior HERE.

Calvary Cemetery, Toledo

Chapel in the mausoleum at Calvary Cemetery in Toledo, located on Dorr Street.

Historic St. Patrick's, Toledo

A painting by artist Stephan Gianinni, who assisted with the mural restoration at St. Aloysius in Bowling Green.  More information HERE.

Sacred Heart, East Toledo

Some great photos of the stained glass windows at Sacred Heart church in East Toledo, at the Paper Model Kiosk website.  Click HERE.  (Unique Nativity Scenes there as well.)

Immaculate Conception, Ottoville

Photo from about 1912.

New Washington

Detail of a stone at St. Bernard cemetery, New Washington.

80 Years Since St. Joseph Tiffin Fire

April 11 will mark the 80th anniversary of the fire at St. Joseph church in Tiffin, noted on the Seneca County Museum's Facebook page.  Lightning struck the steeple around 1:30 a.m., with only walls and the base of the steeple left -- still part of the rebuilt church.

Update on BG St. Aloysius Mural

One of the artists working on the mural restoration at St. Aloysius, Stephan Giannini, has a post on his website showing updates and explaining the process.  You can see it HERE.

He has also assembled many photos of muralist Felix Lieftucher's other works and biographical information HERE.

Bishop Alter

Grave of Bishop Karl Alter, Gate of Heaven cemetery in Cincinnati.

Lorain County Sacred Landmarks

Just to the east of the Toledo Diocese, the Lorain County Sacred Landmarks Initiative sponsors events and provides information to promote the wide variety of religious landmarks in their region.  They've just re-activated their Facebook page, full of photos and features:  Click HERE.
Plans are in the making for a tour of neighborhoods & churches in central Lorain sometime in May.

Photo above: Saint John the Baptist Ukrainian Byzantine Catholic Church in Lorain

Video of St. Aloysius mural restoration

From the Sentinel Tribune in Bowling Green

St. Aloysius, Bowling Green

Top photo, an angel in the mural is visible through the scaffolding.  EverGreene Architectural Arts is working on the mural restoration.  Thanks to Allan Dieball for sharing the photos.

Lieftuchter Mural to be Restored in BG

Exciting news: as part of renovations at St. Aloysius Church in Bowling Green, the Felix Lieftuchter mural of 7 angels will be uncovered and restored.  See details in the parish brochure HERE.  Some black & white photos of the mural can be seen HERE.

St. Peter, Mansfield

St. Peter parish in Mansfield has a portion of their website dedicated to the history of the church and schools.  Great photos and details - click HERE.

Elsewhere ...

A symposium on the legacy of Irish-American architect Patrick Charles Keely (designer of Toledo's St. Francis de Sales and Sandusky's St. Peter & Paul churches) will be held Friday, March 21, 2014 in New York City at the Time-Life building.  For full details, contact Donald M. Reynolds of the Monuments Conservancy, phone (212) 643-8730.  This is a sequel to last year's Keely conference.

And in Buffalo, New York, the "Buffalo Mass Mob" brings together groups of people to attend Mass at historic Catholic churches which might otherwise be overlooked.  Their website is HERE.

St. Joseph, Fremont