On July 26th, brother Mark and I were driving to Goshen, IN. I saw what I suspected might be a monastery, so we stopped. A very kind Father paused to welcome us. We were visiting the former
St. Charles Seminary in Carthagena, Ohio, operated by The Missionaries of the Precious Blood. This monastic order was founded in 1815 in Rome, began its missionary work about three decades later in America in 1844 during the great revival, and eventually grew sufficiently to expand their holdings to include these 500 acres in Ohio. The primary building was constructed by 1922, and incorporated the chapel which was finished earlier, in 1906. The Brothers closed their seminary in 1969, not long after Vatican II and in 2006 renovated the impressive central building to accommodate senior citizens, primarily those retiring from their missionary work for the order, but also laity as is appropriate. One senses that the well-tended chapel may well still be as beautiful as when it was first constructed.
We were grateful to be permitted to enter this private chapel and take photographs in the soft natural morning light (I was so pleased that all of the lighting was natural). The beautiful marble floors, door openings featuring geometric designs, and the central glass doors admitting entry to the chapel all combine to give this place of worship its own special character.
Since Mark decided not to mount his Ohio photos on his
From the North Fork blog, I am honoured that he has given me permission to include them in my Korner.
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| Monastic farming in action (photo by Mark) |
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| Looking from the front porch which oversees the flat fields of this part of western Ohio. |
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| Built of brick, outlined with stone, one sees so many interesting details. |
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| Side hallway leading to (?) living quarters. |
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Dal glass (thicker glass blocks, generally not painted)
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| Dal glass (closeup photo by Mark) |
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| Candle (photo by Mark) |
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| West rose window (photo by Mark) |
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Facing the back of the chapel and its glass doors at the entry.
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| Hallway leading from the chapel to the front entrance of the main building |
