Historic Photos from Sandusky

The Sandusky Library has launched a local history archive, "Past Perfect," with many photos online.  If you do a keyword search for "Catholic", you'll see photos from the area parishes.  Or hit the "Random Images" button if you want to kill a few hours...  Click HERE.

Fr. William F. Murphy, Sandusky

Over at the Sandusky History blog, you can read about Fr. William F. Murphy, pastor of Ss. Peter & Paul parish from 1905 - 1942.  One noteworthy event was the marriage of Knute Rockne to Bonnie Skiles, pictured above.  For full article, click HERE.

St. John, Delphos

Some great photos of St. John's church in Delphos at the website of Anthony Fabro; click HERE to see (and be sure to click on the photos to see the full detail.)  Sound clips of St. John's pipe organ too!

Divine Mercy: In Search of The Original Image

A Soft Little Voice

Many patients and visitors of Mercy Hospital in Tiffin will remember Sister Mary Agnes Procopio, small in stature and voice, but full of caring.  Her obituary is HERE.

St. Joseph, Monroeville

Early 1900s

St. Mary, Kirby

Early 1900s

Sad News

The brother of Toledo's Bishop Daniel Thomas has passed away after a battle with cancer.  Details HERE.  Full obituary HERE.

St. Barbara, Cloverdale

St. Barbara church in Cloverdale was destroyed by a tornado in 2013, but parishioners have rebuilt.  Dedication took place December 19.  You can see more photos and coverage at their Facebook page HERE.

All Around the Diocese

As Bishop Daniel Thomas visits parishes throughout the diocese, there are many fine photos of churches posted on his Facebook page -- including Edgerton, Mansfield and Norwalk recently.  Click HERE to see.

Fr. M.J. Smith

A reader of this blog from Canberra, Australia, wrote with information about Fr. M.J. Smith, a native of Ireland who served as a chaplain in the Australian Army, then came to the Diocese of Toledo.  Above is his obituary in the June 2, 1949 Toledo Blade.  More information in a previous post -- HERE.

Link to his military record HERE.

Toledo Photo Series

The Lorain County Sacred Landmarks Initiative has a series of photos of Toledo churches on its Facebook page -- Click HERE to see them.

Window Uncovered at New Washington

During a renovation process, parishioners at St. Bernard in New Washington discovered the stained glass window shown above, depicting the Holy Spirit.  Words are in German, probably describing the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.  It is estimated the window was hidden for more than 100 years. 

St. Mary Renovations Near Complete

The interior renovations are complete at St. Mary's in Norwalk. The ceiling has been fixed, everything painted, and new floor. All that is left is some work on the exterior (tuck pointing, etc.).

Mother of Sorrows, Put in Bay

A fine photo of the South Bass Island church, courtesy of Tess at the Little House In Chicago blog.  Many thanks!

From the Toledo Museum Collection...

This painting, "Saints Catherine, Margaret, and Barbara," was featured as the "Artwork of the Week" on the Toledo Museum of Art website. The artist is Lucas Cranach the Elder (German, Wittenberg, 1472–1553). For a more detailed description, click HERE.

Immaculate Conception, Ottoville

A fine collection of photos of the Ottoville church -- click HERE.

St. Bernard, New Washington

St. Bernard parish in New Washington is remodeling / restoring its church.  You can follow along with the progress at their website, HERE.

Brother Bryan Hoban

Brother Bryan Hoban, a friar at Our Lady of Consolation shrine in Carey, died on April 18, 2015.  For many years, he chronicled events at the shrine in photos and videos.  You can see an album of his photos that ran in Carey's newspaper, The Progressor-Times:  click HERE.
Also, a short video of Brother Bryan recalling his work in Zambia:  click HERE.

Window of Inspiration

A grieving father is leading an effort to restore a stained glass window of Jesus in Gethsemane at historic Holy Angels church in Sandusky.  See the story in the Sandusky Register HERE.