Visitation Monastery, Parkside Boulevard

I was hoping to get a few quick pictures, but the sisters are more hospitable, talkative, and thoroughly delightful than I ever imagined. I have an invitation to go back and I'll give it the full treatment then. Jewel-like is the phrase I'd use. This is more of Joseph Huber's work.

St. Alphonsus Project

Not sure if I've mentioned this before...but i am creating a website dedicated to St. Alphonsus's history. This is for my "senior project" that i unfortunetly have to waste my time with in order to leave the wonderful school i attend. In this website I hope to present as many pictures, stories, texts and other information as I can regarding St. Alphonsus. Past present and future. It may end up being i give them a brand new website in the process.

If anyone has any information regarding St. Alphonsus. Please let me know!!

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...

St. Gaspar

This church is closer to me than i think it is. The next nice day I have off i Believe i will try to get inside and explore. It was locked the day i visited. I don't know anyone here, so i didn't go up to the rectory to ask.

I just can't get enough of the spire! This is one church I long to go belfry climbing in.

The brickwork is also very good.

The Back end of the priest's house (or i assume the rectory) Or i could be totally wrong.

This building is what i believe to have been a school or workshop maybe. Currently it is used for storage. In the next picture you can see how poor of shape the building is in. Everything is very old on the grounds here. It's very nice to see such things.

That building may also have had something to do with the large building next door (which I'll get to on the next post)

Little Flower

Even tarted up for the holidays ( And I use the term deliberately ) it still looks like a high school auditorium furnished from WalMart and Ikea.

New posts

I stopped by St. Gaspar Marywood and the shrine today. Although St. Gaspar's wasn't open, and people in the chapel at the shrine prohibited me from taking many pictures....i do have enough interesting things to make a few posts. Expect them soon!

St. Peter, Mansfield

Saw this book cover on a certain popular online auction site. Awesome graphic.

St. Hedwig

A detail of the ambo.

St. Hedwig

Immaculate Conception, Old South End

I spent a day in the rectory attic last month and turned up a treasure trove of old photographs. This is one of the side altars before the fire of 1920. When I have time, I'll go back and try to get better copies of the best ones.

St. Mary Norwalk

St. Alphonsus Peru

This is a newspaper from St. Alphonsus from the year 1897. It is in German. (The settlement was a German settlement) Below is a picture of the first pastor's house. It was torn down a replaced by the current one.

St. Mary Norwalk

A view from the attic...probably looking North. (not sure, didn't take the picture) This is above the transept.

The Bells of St. Mary's: Real and fake

Here is a video of the real bell at St. Mary's and the digital bells playing.

Immaculate Conception, Old South End

FYI. I'd like to mention that, whatever my own beliefs ( And more on that shortly. ), I consider Fr. Paul Kwiatkowski to be a fine man, a good friend, and one of the few people ever to have gained my complete respect.

More pictures of the cathedral next week. Having computer problems at the moment.

St. Alphonsus, Peru

Interestingly, this holy water bowl was rediscovered in the most recent renovation. This was actually original with the church. There is another identical one on the other side of the vestibule.

St. Alphonsus, Peru

Ariel pictures from the 2003 summer festival

St. Peter's, Huron

Another "Our Lady of Consolation"

At St. Augustine parish in Leopold, Indiana:

The statue was brought to the parish in 1867 by several parishioners who were prisoners in Andersonville during the Civil War. They vowed to honor Mary in this fashion if they survived.
UPDATED Link for more information:  http://www.peterfamilytree.net/history/LivingHistoryPerryCounty.html

There's also a more recent outdoor statue.

The parish's statue of St. Hubertus. (And now you know where the Jagermeister logo comes from.)

Lorenzo Perosi: Agnus Dei (Missa Secunda Pontificalis)

I've been dogsitting for a few days and the computer here is garbage. Check in tomorrow.

St. Paul Norwalk

A Christmas Chronicle

In 1941, Fr. Aloysius Horn (1899 – 1971), a native of St. Joseph parish in Fremont, published a book entitled “A Christmas Chronicle.” The book contains more than 80 short vignettes of Christmas throughout the centuries, featuring saints or historical figures. Originally printed by the St. Anthony Guild Press, it was more recently reprinted by the Neumann Press.

Fr. Horn was also an expert on Christmas crèches, starting the American Christmas Crib Society:
http://www.friendsofthecreche.org/historyCrecheSocietiesUS.html

Fr. Joseph Gloden

Fr. Gloden, a native of Luxembourg, arranged for the statue of Our Lady of Consolation to be brought to the church in Carey in 1875. He served other parishes as well, including St. John’s in Defiance, Frenchtown St. Nicholas and Fostoria St. Wendelin.

“Not alone on account of his venerable personal appearance, which is heightened by his flowing white beard, is he, in kindly jest, referred to by his brother priests as the "Patriarch of the Diocese," but also, and indeed in real earnest, by the laity also, because of his manner and quiet, thoughtful bearing. He is more inclined to gentleness than to anything approaching the harsh or severe, and is noted in consequence as possessing the qualities of a true spiritual father.” - 1903

Our Lady of Consolation, Carey