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Ottoville Precious Blood Sister, others safe after Chile earthquake |
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Written by PAT MORRISON, Director of Communications for the Sisters of the Precious Blood
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Monday, 08 March 2010 16:29 |
DAYTON—The Sisters of the Precious Blood in Dayton report that their sisters in Chile managed to phone and e-mail the congregation’s leadership that they are safe following the 8.8-magnitude quake that rocked the South American country Feb. 27.
Among the sisters serving in Chile is Sister Maria Luisa Miller, a native of Ottoville. She has been serving there for more than 40 years and was able to make a brief cell phone call to the Dayton headquarters of the Precious Blood Sisters to give the news that the sisters were all unharmed.
The five sisters — two native Chileans and three Americans — live and work in two communities near Santiago, Cerro Navia and Colombia. The sisters reported some toppled bookcases and broken items, but no major damage. The area is still experiencing aftershocks, as is usual after a quake. At Cerro Navia the outside walls surrounding the parish compound collapsed.
The three American sisters are all Ohio natives and longtime missioners in Chile, which is a vicariate, or geographic grouping, that is part of the Dayton-based congregation. Sister Carmelita Monnin is from Russia, Ohio, Sister Dorothy Schmitmeyer is from Minster, Ohio, and Sister Maria Luisa Miller hails from Ottoville in Putnam County, in the Toledo Diocese.
Sister Florence Seifert, president of the Dayton congregation, said that after they got word from the sisters in Chile, the leadership team notified the families of the U.S. sisters that they were all safe, since direct communication from Chile by phone or e-mail was erratic due to damage to the country’s infrastructure.
The Missionaries of the Precious Blood (priests and brothers), whose Cincinnati province is also based in Dayton, have 14 members serving in Chile. Father Angelo Anthony, the Missionaries’ provincial, reported Feb. 28 that he received a message from Father Donald Theiman at their central house in Santiago, saying that their members also were unharmed. There was no word yet about property damage at their various parishes and institutions.
A native Chilean congregation of Precious Blood sisters reported damage to their Precious Blood church, but all of those sisters are safe also.
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Last Updated on Monday, 08 March 2010 16:29 |
