St. Sebastian Memorial

 

Back in March, I took a drive out to the small town of Bismark to see what they did to the land that St. Sebastian was located. I was very surprised not just to find a memorial there, but sitting on top were 3 bells! I don't know if the bells were the originals at St. Sebastian or were newly casted. One thing I do know is they were definitely painted that color. All 3 bells had a rope that I wanted to pull so badly, but it might've annoyed the senior living home across the street. 

The original path is the same. The middle plaque says "The Former Site Of St. Sebastian Church, Bismark, Ohio." Below is a timeline of the church. On the left is an image of the original church and on the right is the church that was recently torn down. This memorial is fairly new as it was erected in 2023. 

I also have photos of Assumption in Reed, so I'll post those soon. 

St. Adalbert's Bells

One of the parishioners at St. Adalbert & Hedwig sent me various images of their bells. 

Both bells were casted by the E.W. Vanduzen Co. in Cincinnati. The high bell ring an A tone and the bourdon bell rings an F# tone. 

These 2 images are of the high bell. The motor seems to be new, but the frame, wheel and chain are all rusted. Both of the bell's frames are mounted to a wooden frame you can see in the 1st picture. 

These next 2 images are of the bourdon bell. Just like the other bell, this one has a rusty chain, wheel and frame, however this bell has a noticeable tilt to it. According to the parishioner, they are still working on tolling the bell. There is a hammer to toll the bell, but its not in operation right now. 

There are no stairs leading to the bells. It's just one long ladder. 

Another view of the ladder. 

New Contributor

Excited to share that Jeremy Slovak has started posting here on the "Catholic Toledo" blog. Jeremy has created a YouTube channel, "Church Bells of the Toledo Diocese," and lives in the Toledo area. Looking forward to more of your contributions, Jeremy!

St. Joseph, Maumee Bells

In March 2024, the pastor at St. Joseph Church in Maumee gave me access to the bell tower. It was really cool to see the bells up close and I also got some photos as well. 

The Church has 3 bells. First is the bourdon bell (on the right). It rings a D# tone. Next is the middle bell (on the left). It rings a G tone. Finally the smallest bell (below) It rings an A# tone.  

Bell towers were not intended on being climbed up by normal people like me. That is why the staircase is so steep. The wooden square in the middle is a hatch door and is what I would assume the way they got the bells up in the tower before cranes were invented. The wall at the top of the image houses the organ blower.

 

On the left is the ladder that leads to the belfry. The concrete pile on the wall is the spot where the St. Joseph statue is. At the bottom of the image is the air conditioning for the church.

The view of Broadway St. from the belfry

Additional photos of the stained glass

Good Shepherd's Statues at St. Joseph, Maumee

 

Just recently, the pastor at St. Joseph, Maumee acquired 5 statues from Good Shepherd Church in Toledo. Currently, the St. Michael, St. Joseph and Blessed Virgin Mary statues are in storage waiting to be restored and preserved. However, the Pieta and Good Shepherd statues are on display with the Pieta statue in the family center and the Good Shepherd statue in the new school addition. 

The Good Shepherd statue, which used to be on the main high altar, seems to be very well preserved, however his staff is missing

The Pieta statue is also well preserved, however there are many paint chips on the statue.