Stations of the Cross - Sylvania, Ohio - Outdoor Stations of the Cross on Waymarking.com

These outdoor stations are located on the grounds of Lourdes College in Sylvania, Ohio. Lourdes was founded by the good Sisters. On December 8, 1916, a small group of Franciscan Sisters from Rochester, Minnesota, responded to an invitation for teaching Sisters from Bishop Joseph Schrembs of the Toledo Diocese. With their leader, Mother Mary Adelaide Sandusky, the foundress of the Sylvania Franciscans, they established a new province.

Two years later, in 1918, the Bishop again invited the Sisters to respond to a critical need in the local Church. This time, they ministered to influenza victims from gypsum mines located in Ohio and to their families. This service provided an entrance into health care ministry as hospitals soon requested the Sisters' presence.

A year after their arrival in Toledo, in 1917, they moved their Motherhouse to an 89-acre farm in Sylvania, Ohio. The rapid growth of the province resulted in the Sylvania Franciscans becoming autonomous in 1930 from their Rochester roots.

Today, their diverse ministries are a direct response to the needs of God's people: education on all levels, social work, health care. religious education, counseling, special education, communications, and parish and retreat work.

Lourdes College is a coeducational, liberal arts college sponsored by the Sisters of Saint Francis of Sylvania, Ohio.



Lourdes College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, and the Council on Social Work Education, approved by the Ohio State Department of Education, and certified by the Ohio Board of Regents.

Lourdes is a commuter college situated on 94 wooded acres in Sylvania, Ohio, 10 miles west of Toledo. In addition to the educational facilities, Lourdes College also provides services through The Franciscan Center, a performing arts and conference facility. Additional services on the site include: the Trinity House of Prayer, the Franciscan Services Corporation, and the Interfaith Justice and Peace Center.

The Franciscan Campus is the home (Generalate) of the Sisters of Saint Francis. Located on this campus are the administration building, residence halls, many shrines, Our Lady Queen of Peace Chapel, and the Rosary Care Center.

Lourdes College offers baccalaureate degree programs in Arts and Sciences, Nursing, and Professional Studies including business, education, leadership studies, and social work. We also offer graduate degrees in Education, Organizational Leadership, and Nursing. Lourdes is a private college offering a distinctive educational experience at an affordable price, giving our graduates a lifetime of opportunities.



Beginning in 1943 as an extension campus of the College of St. Theresa, Winona, Minnesota, Lourdes Junior College was founded in 1958. Originally established to educate sisters of the Franciscan community, Lourdes College began to admit lay women in 1969 and lay men in 1975.

The College received its certificate of authorization from the Ohio State Board of Education in January, 1958, and was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in 1964. It was independently incorporated as Lourdes College in 1973.

In 1982, the Ohio Board of Regents authorized Lourdes College to grant two baccalaureate degrees, the Bachelor of Individualized Studies and the Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies. In 1986 the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Nursing were authorized. These were then accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The BSN Program was accredited by the National League of Nurses in 1989. The Bachelor of Science was authorized in 1999. In 2002, Graduate Degrees in Education and Organizational Leadership were accredited.

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