Inside View: the steeple and bells of St. Joseph, Tiffin

A remarkable view, climbing up the inside of the steeple at St. Joseph's church in Tiffin, by SkyView Media.

Click Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STnzA-8s8JY

Year of St. Francis - Franciscan Pilgrimage Sites in the Diocese

Pope Leo XIV has proclaimed a “Year of St. Francis” to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the saint’s death. Three Franciscan sites in the Diocese of Toledo are designated as pilgrimage sites:

• The Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey
• The Portiuncula chapel in Sylvania at the Sisters of St. Francis (Lourdes University)
• The Tiffin Franciscans' Motherhouse Eucharistic Chapel

For full details: https://toledodiocese.org/francis

Relics from St. Carlo Acutis at Rosary Cathedral

 Last Saturday to Monday, St. Carlo Acutis' heart relic was on display at Rosary Cathedral. There was a mass and a veneration service which involved getting blessed by the relic. Here's some photos

History of St. Stephen's Church, Toledo

"The History of St. Stephen's Church (1890s to the 1980s)" by Yolanda Szuch, a detailed history of the East Side Hungarian parish, can be accessed at:

https://archive.org/details/0002-bir-bk05-stst/page/n1/mode/2up

There are many black and white photos, and details of the current church's design by architect Joseph Huber.

Final Mass at St. Michael

 Another church closed. Last time it was Sacred Heart and now it's St. Michael the Archangel North Toledo.It was only fitting that the bishop did the final Mass. 

I was able to attend the final Mass and take some photos.

I've always wondered why there was an opening on this side. My guess is that a bell was at some point inside.

A quite interesting canopy over the cross, haven't seen many churches with that.

The diocesan coat of arms.

St. Michael wasn't the largest or oldest or most detailed church in Toledo, but to many people over 125 years this was their parish. It is sad to see another catholic Church leave, but I think we should be grateful for the catholic churches we do have. 

WTOL presents a tour of Rosary Cathedral

As part of "Tim Takes You There," WTOL's Tim Miller shares an extensive video tour of Toledo's Rosary Cathedral -- 40 minutes worth!  Click HERE to see it.

Cardinal O'Malley at Rosary Cathedral

Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston visited Toledo's Rosary Cathedral in October, and posted some fine photos on his blog -- click HERE to see it. (You'll have to scroll down a bit.) He is a native of Lakewood, Ohio, but had not been to the cathedral before.

Pipes, Pedals and Pizza at St Aloysius, Bowling Green

 St. Aloysius was hosting an event all about their organ and I had to go. Here are some images

Normally the balcony is locked, meaning you can't get this close to the organ.

The organ was built in the late 1800s, but had some sort of major restoration in 1998. Unlike most organs, everything is operated by wood levers, not electronically.

This must be a new statue.

A Scrapbook of Materials Pertaining to Toledo's Catholic Deaf Community, 1916-1955

A fascinating item available at Internet Archive: A scrapbook compiled by a member of Ephpheta, the sodality of deaf Catholics in the Toledo area. There are many clippings showing the installation of several Toledo bishops and details of missions held for deaf Catholics. 

Click HERE to see it.

St. Michael, North Toledo

 I have recently received the news that St. Michael the Archangel in North Toledo will be closing on January 4 2026. I will attend the mass and get some final photos before its closure.

The parish will merge with St. John the Baptist in Point Place. 

News article from WTOL11 can be found Here

Good Shepherd, East Toledo

 Today marks 10 years that Good Shepherd has closed. I got some photos to see what has happened since then.

I can say that not much has changed (Besides the school).

The sacristy roof in the bottom left corner of the image is starting to collapse. Somehow that seems to be the only damage to the church.

Lourdes Grottoes and others

A recent article in ArtNet examines the tradition of grottoes in the Midwest, highlighting an exhibition at Wisconsin's John Michael Kohler Arts Center, "A Beautiful Experience: The Midwest Grotto Tradition."

The article notes that grottoes are often constructed from materials found locally, and that is certainly the case in Northwest Ohio, where there are several replicas of France's Lourdes Grotto made from tufa rock, related to the limestone formations found around the Great Lakes.

A 2020 Ohio Magazine article tells how Toledo Bishop Karl Alter was inspired to build a Lourdes Grotto in Genoa after his visit to France in 1932. (St. Bernadette Soubirous, seer of Lourdes, was beatified in 1925 and made a saint in 1933.)

Other grottos in the area can be seen at Sorrowful Mother Shrine in Bellevue, Tiffin Franciscans grounds, Sylvania Franciscans grounds, Grand Rapids' Nazareth Hall (no longer church-related), St. John the Baptist in Glandorf, Holy Rosary in East Toledo (now closed), and a small indoor grotto at St. Mary's in Sandusky.

If you know of others in the area, please add them in the comments.

For Sale: Toledo's former St. Hedwig church and rectory

 A segment on WTOL Channel 11:

https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/local-ministry-church-for-sale-historic-polish-neighborhood-toledo-ohio/512-5fe7ac34-1844-49f1-a630-e8d224d64ec2

The stained glass windows from the church were repurposed for the chapel at Sandusky Central Catholic High School.

St. Louis, Custar

 I was just driving by and decided to try the doors. They were open this time and I couldn't help but take a ton of photos.

It was a rainy day, but during a break the sun was shining right on the church.

I've noticed that some churches that had a crazy color have now repainted to a more modern white color. The same can be said here. Another church that has gone through this repaint is St. Bernard in New Washington.

Still have a remnant from the 1970s. I hope they replace that resurrection statue with a crucifix. 

Here is the interior of the new narthex, the wrong way to build one. It completely blocks the front facade of the church.

Churches Around Toledo

 Here are various church photos taken from the Ohio Building downtown. I got access thanks to my Dad.