St. Wendelin Documentary

A film crew from Germany is traveling the United States and other countries to document the cultural influence of St. Wendelin, on the 1,400 aniversary of his death.  They stopped at St. Wendelin parish in Fostoria -- you can read about it HERE.

Stations of the Cross, St. Wendelin

These large paintings of the Stations of the Cross date from the early 1900s, from the previous St. Wendelin church in Fostoria.

Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. Mary is in the upper right background.

Jesus Falls the Third Time. Note the two prisoners in the background; I'm assuming they are the two thieves.

St. Wendelin, Fostoria

A lithograph of the old St. Wendelin church in Fostoria, sometime before 1903 when towers were added. Pastor is Fr. M. Arnoldi.

St. Wendelin, Fostoria

Memorial card for a St. Wendelin pastor, Very Rev. Raymond Kirsch.

St. Wendelin, Fostoria

Icon of Mary and Jesus.

12th Station of the Cross -- note detail in the background: eclipse of the sun, and from Matthew's Gospel, "graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose . . . "

14th Station -- Jesus is laid in the tomb. Myhrr in the foreground.

St. Wendelin, Fostoria

One of the Stations of the Cross.


The statues of Mary and Joseph date from the 1940s.

St. Wendelin, Fostoria

The former grade school, built in 1909.

St. Wendelin Mausoleum, Fostoria

Celtic cross stone in the foreground marks the grave of John Quinn, collector and patron of Irish literature and modern art. His sister Clara was an Ursuline sister in Tiffin (Sister St. Paul).

St. Wendelin, Fostoria

St. Wendelin, Fostoria

St. Wendelin, Fostoria

St. Wendelin School, 1928

(Click on photo for better detail.)

Stations of the Cross: St. Wendelin, Fostoria

A glorious set of paintings from the old church.

St. Wendelin, Fostoria

Even the sacristy is filled with items from the old church.
Photo by Shari Stowell

St. Wendelin, Fostoria

St. Wendelin is one of those rare buildings that are impossible to judge from photographs, primarily because its layout is such that it's just not possible to find an angle to shoot from to get the full effect. A fisheye lens might work for the interior, but I don't have one. In photographs, the exterior looks just plain odd and the interior looks a bit insipid. When you're actually there, I can only describe it as one of the best modern churches I've ever seen. It's magnificent, inside and out.

That combination of stone and brick is very effective.

Now that I've heard horror stories about the condition of the old church, I'm no longer ambivalent about the use of the tower caps as domes. The bell from the old church is installed under the one at the right, and immediately over the "gathering room". ( Fancy term for a very big narthex. ) My hat's off to the architect for that one. He's a genius.

The sanctuary's a bit Spartan for my taste, but the furnishings are beautifully made, and I love the color of that wood.

Oh, before I forget. The infamous dome actually looks very good when you're standing under it.
The parish has done a good job of avoiding the middle class "suite" syndrome. They had the good sense to realize artwork from the old church would fit in perfectly, instead of thinking everything had to match. I wish more parishes would learn that lesson. Makes me sick to see churches built by cognosnotti wannabes, where everything's specially made to an overall design. Too often, they end up reminding me of a two-bit business owner's idea of "classy", c1965. Shows class influence, alright, but not the sort they think.

St. Wendelin, on the other hand, is more like the better sort of country house, where old and new blend perfectly. As far as I'm concerned, every new building committee in the diocese should visit this parish, to see how to do the job right.

St. Wendelin, Fostoria

I'll have a lot more to say about St. Wendelin, but it'll have to wait until I'm fully recovered.

St. Wendelin, Fostoria

Still haven't made up my mind about this dome.
The font's impressive, as are the pews. Wouldn't mind getting a closer look at those stations.

Photos by Sean Lyons, of Roamin' Catholics

St. Wendelin, Fostoria

A statue of the parish's patron. HERE'S some information on the saint.
Photo by Sean Lyons, of Roamin' Catholics.

St. Wendelin, Fostoria

A statue of the Holy Family, on the grounds.
Photo by Sean Lyons, of Roamin' Catholics

St. Wendelin, Fostoria