Rural retreat house attracts faithful from across region |
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Written by LAURIE STEVENS BERTKE, Chronicle Writer
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Friday, 05 September 2008 01:00 |
CLOVERDALE—It took the time, talent and generosity of Catholics living across northwest Ohio to transform a dilapidated farmhouse into Domus Angelorum Retreat Center.
Two decades later, the center on state Route 114 near the village of Cloverdale has blossomed into a Christian gathering space for visitors from across Putnam County and other neighboring counties.
Some attend regular prayer groups, retreats and devotions, while others receive spiritual counseling or prayerfully walk the path that meanders through the farm fields and woods on the property. In a grotto along the trees at the edge of the property, they can stop to pray in front of a 16-foot statue affectionately dubbed ìOur Lady of the Fieldsî by local residents.
Jackie Baldwin of Continental St. John the Baptist, a member of the board that administers the retreat house, says visitors experience ìa taste of the universal churchî there by gathering with Catholics from other parishes.
"We have a number of different parishes represented on the board, and then volunteers from the whole diocese, practically," she adds.
One aspect shared by most people involved with Domus Angelorum is friendship with its retreat master, Father Herman Scherger, who served parishes in Putnam, Paulding and Henry counties for the majority of his 50 years as a priest. ìHe’s been everybody’s pastor pretty much at one time or another,î chuckles Mrs. Baldwin.
Fr. Scherger, 76, has been able to devote more time to Domus Angelorum since he retired from parish ministry last summer. He offers spiritual counseling, celebrates weekday Masses and devotions for visitors and leads a themed retreat one Saturday each month. At the request of area families, he also celebrates a Tridentine Mass on the first Friday of the month.
"I think it’s a service to the people and it’s a service to me. It gives me something apostolic to do," explains Fr. Scherger.
The priest shares ownership of the center with one of his former parishioners, Marilyn Wagner of Cloverdale St. Barbara. They bought the property in 1988, but it took them four years to prepare the derelict farmhouse for its first prayer group.
"The place was a shambles when we got it," says Fr. Scherger. "It had a good roof, a good foundation and good framework — otherwise it was virtually junk."
Arlo Wagner, the late father of Ms. Wagner, helped Fr. Scherger renovate and refurbish the house, which lacked indoor plumbing and modern electrical wiring. Fr. Scherger says he can’t even begin to name all of the other generous benefactors who lent their time and material goods to the project.
The end result is a welcoming space with meeting rooms, two small chapels and several guest rooms. A large back deck overlooks rolling fields, woodlands and rustic barns.
Fr. Scherger lives across the road from Domus Angelorum and continues to help maintain the property, navigating the grounds in a rugged golf cart he received as a retirement gift from parishioners at Junction St. Mary.
"He’s not only the retreatmaster, he’s also the jack-of-all-trades," jokes Mrs. Baldwin.
"Thank God I grew up knowing how to use tools," adds Fr. Scherger, who was raised on a farm near Liberty St. Andrew.
The retreat center is open to the public for use by individuals or groups, and Ms. Wagner describes it as a place waiting for any praying Christian who may find it.
Donations, nominal retreat fees and 50 acres of farmland on the property support Domus Angelorum. Ms. Wagner says her brother-in-law, Mark Miller, and his sons work the land, which is called Deo Gratia Farms — meaning "Thanks be to God."
Mrs. Baldwin notes a loyal base of supporters have donated most of the furnishings, statues, books and other items in the retreat center. Many liturgical items and vestments are from other churches and chapels in the diocese.
"It really has grown by the power of the Holy Spirit," says volunteer Terri Wenning of Kalida St. Michael.
She believes the rural atmosphere draws many visitors from the region. "It’s peaceful. It’s what they’re used to," she explains.
Mrs. Wenning observes many visitors particularly seem to enjoy spending quiet time in eucharistic adoration.
As a volunteer, she finds it fulfilling to meet the people who gather at Domus Angelorum from "the different little towns and areas and parishes in this area" and hear their stories.
"We serve this place and the people come," says Mrs. Baldwin. "It’s amazing."
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For more information about Domus Angelorum, call 419-488-3563.
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Last Updated on Monday, 01 December 2008 10:10 |
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