Precious Blood Monastery @ St. Gaspar

So just down the road a bit is St. Michael's Cemetery. (St. Gaspar's was St. Michael's before the diocese changed everything a few years back). In the cemetery is a section devoted to the dead sisters from the Precious blood Monastery next door to the church.

If you can't read what the stone says...here it is:
"The missionaries of the precious blood established in Italy in 1815, and the Sister's of the precious blood established in Switzerland in 1834, began their ministry in America in 1844 in Peru Ohio. In 1845, Swiss born Father Francis de Sales Brunner, a missionary of the Precious Blood, bough 80 acres of land near St. Michael's church in Thompson Township in Seneca County. This mission center cared for the spiritual needs of the immigrants in Huron, Seneca, Crawford and Richland Counties. A brick house and chapel were erected and dedicated to St. Aloysius to serve as a retreat house for priests and brothers and a seminary for students.

On December 6, 1845, twenty-eight sisters began perpetual adoration in the newly built convent dedicated to Mary of the Angels. In addition to the ministry of prayer, the sisters directed an orphanage, taught in the local school, worked in the fields and garden, and provided housing and meals in the convent/Pilgrim house for the visitors who came to the nearby Sorrowful mother shrine.

Later the Thompson Convent and Mission were referred to as Frank and then as Marywood. Due to changing needs and growth in other areas, the retreat house for priests and brothers and the seminary were closed. In 1951, the sisters also responded to the changing needs by selling their convent and surrounding property."

(More on the Peru Ohio part of it later)

Above: The convent in it's glory days

Above: the list of the sisters buried at the Cemetery. I would venture a guess they spoke German all the way to the close of the convent. ("schw." in front of all their names. Schwester is German for Sister)

Obviously the building is NOT in good condition. Since it is on private property and is surrounded by a fence, i did not venture in there. What a shame...