St. Michael, Gibsonburg

St. Michael, Gibsonburg

St. Aloysius, Bowling Green

St. Peter, Mansfield

An interior view of the church from 1946.

"Vianney"

The play "Vianney" will be presented by St. Luke Productions in several local parishes (Perrysburg, Fostoria and Norwalk) from March 24 - 27. Full details are HERE.

Above, portrait of St. John Vianney at St. Joseph Church, Tiffin.

Our Lady of Consolation, Carey

St. Peter, Mansfield: 100 Years

St. Peter's parish in Mansfield will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of their church building this May. There's a good article about its history in the current issue of "Heart of Ohio" magazine. You can look at the article at the website HERE. (Go to the "download" tab.)

Above, a photo of artist John Bernat from the Jan. 27, 1962 Mansfield News Journal. Bernat painted the extensive murals in St. Peter's; his wife Martha created the Stations of the Cross.

A Quick Dip in Lake Erie, 1845

Pioneer priest Fr. Joseph Machebeuf takes the shortcut from Sandusky to Toledo:

I had the pleasure of seeing the Rev. Mr. De Goesbriand on his way to Toledo, and as the ice was good on the bay and along the lake shore, we went to "give church" at the Canadian settlement on the Toussaint river, and then proceeded to Toledo, all the way on the ice. But I must say in passing that we enjoyed somewhat of the comfort our friends, the Baptists, must feel when, in the heart of winter, they are "dipped," for owing to a little forgetfulness of the track by our guide, we broke in, about fifteen miles from Toledo. Fortunately, the water at that spot was not more than five feet deep, and had it not been that the vestments and books of my reverend friend were injured by the water, everything would have turned out in fun. We made land as soon as we could, and having built a fire on the edge of the lake we dried our clothes and continued our route to Toledo. Upon arriving there our mutual and good friend, Father Rappe, made us forget our little mishap with warm refreshments before a warm fire.

From "The Life of the Right Reverend Joseph P. Machebeuf, D.D.: pioneer priest of Ohio, pioneer priest of New Mexico, pioneer priest of Colorado, vicar apostolic of Colorado and Utah, and first bishop of Denver," by William J. Howlett, 1908. Full text available at Google Books HERE.

Tours of St. Rose, Perrysburg

In celebration of its 150th anniversary in 2011, St. Rose parish in Perrysburg is hosting tours of the church. According to the bulletin, the dates/times are:

Sat. March 5th 9:00 am
Sat. April 2nd 9:00 am
Sun. April 3rd 1:00 pm
Sat. May 7th 9:00 am
Sun. May 8th 1:00 pm
Fri. June 3rd TBD

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.

200th Birthday of St. John Neumann

St. John Neumann Prayer Center in Peru.

2011 marks the 200th birthday of St. John Neumann, born March 28, 1811 in Bohemia. Neumann served in the Diocese of Toledo for several months in 1841, at St. Alphonsus parish in Peru.

For details of his local history, click HERE.

St. John Neumann's shrine is in Philadelphia; you can visit their website HERE.

St. Mary, Tiffin

Architect was W. R. Dowling of Toledo; the church was completed in 1906.

St. Joseph, Fremont

James Schlosser, Organist

James Schlosser served as organist at Toledo St. Hedwig's, and helped start music programs at St. Adelbert's and St. Mary Magdalene's in Rossford. Born in West Prussia in 1862, he emigrated to the U.S., first to Milwaukee, then moving to Toledo in 1885, where he worked as a cigar maker.

From a History of Northwest Ohio, by Nevin O. Winter (1917), available HERE.

Immaculate Conception, Raab

Photos from "Souvenir of the Dedication of the Immaculate Conception Church, Raab, Ohio, May 17th, 1925." The previous church was destroyed by a tornado ("cyclone") on March 21, 1920. Bishop Samuel Stritch was present for the dedication.



The booklet lists the contributions from each parish in the diocese, and adds, "It should be noted here that after the cyclone in 1920, when sight-seers were numerous in Raab, on several Sundays collections were taken up amongst them . . . " Another article about the tornado can be viewed HERE.

Raab was later known as Marygrove, and is now a part of Holy Trinity parish in Assumption.

Tiffin's Ursuline College - Another Plan

Toledo architect Edward Fallis drew plans for Ursuline College (Academy) in Tiffin in 1887. A much simpler structure was actually built -- click HERE.

Many thanks to St. Croix Architecture in Stillwater, MN for sharing the image. St. Croix offers an amazing selection of original, hand-colored, antique 19th century architectural plans, prints, and photos. There are buildings, churches, and homes from hundreds of cities in the United States, Canada and Europe designed by the foremost and famous architects of the 19th and 20th centuries. You can search their collection HERE.

Elsewhere

Statue of St. Patrick, outside St. Clarence church in North Olmsted, Ohio.

In the Compendium

Recently noticed that a painting from the Toledo Museum of Art, El Greco's "Prayer of Jesus in the Garden," is featured in the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It illustrates the chapter on the Lord's Prayer.

Sorrowful Mother Shrine, Bellevue

St. Joseph, Fremont

With the Sandusky County Courthouse to the right. (I think that is a fountain in the foreground -- looks ominous in winter.)


Note the detail with cattails, ferns, leaves and flowers.


Guardians of the air conditioner . . .

Open House at Our Lady of Consolation

Sunday, January 23, 2011 at 4:00 pm - free and open to the public.

As part of Christian unity week, the Friars and Staff of the Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation are hosting a special afternoon for everyone to learn about the happenings of this historic and holy shrine.

Come and hear stories about this church’s history, the many miracles that have taken place, what a Basilica is and more! You will also have an opportunity for a guided tour. More information HERE.

Pews in Progress

Pictured above, pews for Rosary Cathedral carved by German native Bruno Weber, at his Columbus home and studio in 1931.

Weber’s work can also be seen at Detroit’s Assumption Grotto parish – click HERE – and at St. Joseph’s in Tiffin.

Many thanks to Weber’s grandson John Rees for sharing the photo.

St. Wendelin, Fostoria

One of the Stations of the Cross.


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

Immaculate Conception, Bellevue

A Christmas scene at the second Immaculate Conception church in Bellevue, around 1900.

You can download a copy of their parish history from their website HERE.

Diocesan History Book

Just a reminder that the centennial History of the Diocese of Toledo is still available -- features photos and a short history of every parish in the diocese. It's available online through Our Lady of Consolation's gift shop here; individual parishes were also selling the book.