| In 1832-1833 a number of German Catholic families
settled at Thompson, now called Marywood, in Seneca County, Ohio. The name
comes from Thompson Township in which the settlers came to live. By 1834
there were about thirty Catholic families in the area.
Fr. F.X Tschenhenss was the first priest to visit the settlers. He came
from Peru in 1834 until 1836. He was then transferred to St. Mary's Church,
Tiffin, OH but continued to serve Thompson until 1839.
The first church at the site was built by him in1839. It was a log building
and blessed by Bishop Purcell the same year.
St. Michael mission was one of the first to seek spiritual help of the
Sanguinist Fathers in 1844. Fr. Brunner gave this description of the mission.
It was neither a town nor a village, but a settlement where a number of
farmers had located. Some were German, others English, the majority were
Protestant, but some were Catholic. The place was about fifteen miles from
Peru, a journey of about 2~3 hours.
There were about fifty families in the parish. It was usually praised
by Fr. Brunner in his writings. High praise was paid to Mr. John Glassner,
who reserved a room in his house for the priest. It was there that Masses
were said before the first church was built .
In 1845, a convent was established by Fr. Brunner. In April, he bought
80 acres of land, partially cleared of timber, near St. Michael's. In December
the convent and chapel were completed for the ten sisters of the Precious
Blood from New Reigel. It was dedicated on the Feast of St. Nicholas. It
marked the beginning of perpetual adoration. These two convents were the
only existing convents in Northwestern Ohio.
In 1845, Fr. Brunner was determined to make Thompson a Mission Center,
as the distance between Peru and New Reigel was too great to be traveled
in one day. The decision was made to build a mission house at Thompson.
A chapel was built for the Sisters and above it a dwelling for the priests.
Between 1846~1849, a four acre tract was donated by parishioners for
the use of the church. It was begun in 1847 and completed in 1849. It was
brick and simple in design, about 40 x 60 feet in size.
In 1846, Bishop Purcell gave his permission to build a seminary at Thompson.
It was completed in 1847. Priest and candidates moved from Peru to Thompson.
It was dedicated to St. Aloysius and was located not far from the convent
and St. Michael Church. The Sanguinist took up residence. It was certain
that ordination took place here in 1847. It is believed that the sem inary
was moved to Himelgarten in Mercer County in 1859. |
The parish school was organized
in 1840 in a log cabin. This was replaced in 1847 by a brick building which
was enlarged in 1879 at a cost of $500. Two Sisters of the Precious Blood
Community taught in the school.
The Sorrowful Mother Shrine was built in 1850 by Fr. Brunner.
As the parish grew, St. Sebastian Mission was formed in 1846 and later
in 1867, Reed Assumption Mission was formed. St. Michael's Parish kept
high standards of Catholicity through the decades and it's parish life
was an example to the surrounding area.
The foundation for a new Gothic brick church was started in the spring
of 1884. It was completed and dedicated on October 10, 1886. It is a beautiful
church. 115 feet long and 52 feet wide, with stained glass windows. With
all the equipment included, the church cost about $20,000.
In 1897 during pastorate of Fr. Boehmer, a new parish house was built.
It was made of brick and cost $4000. At that time it was considered one
of the best rectories in the territory.
By 1921, electricity was in the area and it was installed in the church,
rectory and school.
In 1913 the name was listed in the Diocesan Year Book as Frank, Ohio.
In April of 1938, Bishop Alter wrote to Fr. Hoepf, pastor of the parish
as follows:
"It occurred to me that since we have the Shrine of our Blessed Mother
there, one of the outstanding places of devotion in the Diocese, that it
would be well to call the community of St. Michael's Parish and the Shrine
of the Blessed Mother by the name of 'Marywood.' Certainly I do not intend
to change the official patron of the parish and the Shrine, but rather
substitute the name 'Marywood' for the name 'Frank.'
The parish hall was completed in 1959 under Fr. Joe Lapinski and an
addition to it was added in 1978 under Fr. Norbert Adelman.
In 1981, the parish was completely separated from the Shrine in order
to promote the good of the parish as such. While pilgrims continue to visit
both the Shrine and St. Michael, few probably realize the important part
they played in the early mission history of Ohio.
Source:
Mossing, History of the Diocese of Toledo, 1986 Pg. 136~139 |