Thompson Township near Flat Rock in Seneca County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

The Missionaries of the Precious Blood

Photographed by Craig Doda, April 22, 2023

1. The Missionaries of the Precious Blood Marker

Inscription.
The Missionaries of the Precious Blood established in Italy in 1815, and the Sisters of the Precious Blood established in Switzerland in 1834, began their American ministry in 1844 in Peru, Ohio. In 1845 Swiss born Father Francis de Sales Brunner, a Missionary of the Precious Blood, bought 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 serves as a retreat house for priests and brothers and a seminary for students.

On December 6, 1845 twenty-eight Sisters began perpetual adoration in a 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, this Thompson Convent and Mission were referred to as Frank and then as Marywood. Due to changing needs

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and growth in other areas, the retreat house for priests and brothers and the seminary were closed. In 1951, the Sisters also responded to changing needs by selling their convent and surrounding property. This monument honors those Sisters, Brothers, and Priests of the Precious Blood who dedicated their lives in service to the Church and the needs of the immigrant people who settled in North-Central Ohio.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Religion & Religious Structures • Women. A significant historical date for this entry is December 6, 1845.

Location. 41° 11.556′ N, 82° 51.073′ W. Marker is near Flat Rock, Ohio, in Seneca County. It is in Thompson Township. It can be reached from Ohio Route 46 east of County Road 29, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 16329 Co Rd 46, Bellevue OH 44811, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Till Plains.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically,

Photographed by Craig Doda, April 22, 2023

2. The Missionaries of the Precious Blood Marker

it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Saint Isidore and Maria (approx. 0.6 miles away); St. Jude Thaddeus (approx. 0.6 miles away); A New Dawn. A New Beginning (approx. 0.7 miles away); Site Of Old Stone Church (approx. 2.6 miles away); Bishop John Seybert / Flat Rock Historic Cluster Shrine (approx. 2.6 miles away); Bishop John Seybert / Flat Rock Historic Cluster Shrine The United Methodist Church (approx. 2.7 miles away); Bishop Wm. Horn (approx. 2.7 miles away); Bishop John Seybert Home (approx. 2.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Flat Rock.

Credits. This page was last revised on November 13, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 27, 2023, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 506 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 27, 2023, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. A wide shot of the marker in context. • Can you help?