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An 18-hour train trip brought the sisters to Union Depot close to Lake Erie. Father Westerholt, pastor of St Peter Parish in Cleveland, met them. A half hour later they arrived by two carriages at the parish where ladies of the parish had supper ready. When the ladies left, the sisters prayed prayers of gratitude.…

The Sisters who came to America settled in Ohio (in Cleveland and Delphos) and in Covington, Kentucky. They are still there today. How did the Sisters get to these states? The pastor of the Mother of God Parish in Covington went to Europe in 1870. His bishop, August Többe, asked the pastor to visit Goch…

Although Sister Maria Aloysia Wolbring spoke little about herself, there is much evidence of how other sisters treasured her. Interviews and letters told of her solicitude for the sisters’ well-being. Were they warm enough? Would they appreciate a surprise? Who could use some encouragement? Is anyone overburdened? An interview with a sister living with the…

[As the sesquicentennial of the arrival of the Sisters of Notre Dame in America approaches on July 4, 2024, my thoughts turn to the founding sister.] Sister Maria Aloysia was someone who always did what needed to be done, as was shown in her going to the United States as a traveling companion to Mother…

The only Catholic Church in Toledo was St. Francis de Sales, serving all nationalities. German immigrants petitioned Bishop Louis Amadeus Rappe for a pastor and parish of their own. In January 1854 Father Charles Evrard was appointed as pastor. St. Mary School on Orange Street opened in September 1874. The Ursuline Sisters were teaching in…

Cleveland, Ohio became the center for the Sisters of Notre Dame in the United States. Within five years affiliations sprang up in Delphos, Toledo, Fremont, Millersville, Napoleon, Norwalk and Peru, Ohio. When the Kulturkampf abated, Mother Mary Chrysostom Heck returned to Germany on May 9, 1887, to re-establish the congregational Motherhouse in Germany. In a…

Sr. John the Evangelist Parish in Delphos was like a cornerstone foundation for what would become the Toledo, Ohio province. For that time until the present 2024 there have always been Sisters of Notre Dame in that town. It was a town that fostered religious vocations, and many sisters over the years, including the present,…

You may know that Sisters celebrate the special anniversaries of their years in religious life. You may have congratulated Sisters on the 25th, 50th, 60th anniversary, usually called Silver, Golden, and Diamond Jubilees. Maybe you’ve even celebrated Iron Jubilees with Sisters having spent 65 years in religious life or the Jubilee of Grace for Sisters…

Requests for Sisters came quickly after the foundresses Sister Maria Aloysia Wolbring and Sister Maria Ignatia Kühling began religious life in 1850. Between 1856 and 1872 many foundations were established at the requests of pastors who wanted teachers for kindergartens and elementary school, as well as some secondary schools for girls and needle-work schools. In…

When the laws of the Kulturkampf lessened their demands, Mother Mary Chrysostom Heck prepared to return to Germany. On May 9, 1887, she left the United States to re-establish the congregational Motherhouse in Germany. In 1888 Mülhausen became the Center of the Congregation, while Cleveland was designated as the Provincial Motherhouse. At this time 264…