Delphos, Ohio 1876

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, claim Delphos as their hometown. The foundress of the congregation, Sister Maria Aloysia Wolbring, ministered in Delphos six years. In addition to her work in Delphos, Sister Maria Aloysia played the organ in Landeck, a small town seven miles away. It is said and verified that a girl sitting in the choir loft at Landeck was cold. Sister Maria Aloysia let her sit on the organ bench with her, and she spread her habit over the girl’s legs to keep her warm.

Another story: The convent had a fire three times. When the fire department was called the third time, they said, “Next time we’ll just let it burn.” That never happened and the doors of the original convent still exist. Actually they are the doors on the third floor of the present convent that had been converted from being a rectory for the priests into a convent for the sisters. (The priests got a new home across the street.)