Editing Sisters of the Precious Blood Work Annex (section)

== The Sisters of the Precious Blood ==
Rev. Johann Wilhelm Horstmann led a group of emigrants from Glandorf, Germany, and founded Glandorf, Ohio, in 1834. He established St. John the Baptist Church at the center of the new town, placing it at the heart of the community’s spiritual and social life.

In 1848, the Missionaries of the Precious Blood assumed administration of St. John the Baptist Church. That same year, the first Sisters of the Precious Blood arrived in Glandorf, marking the beginning of their long-standing presence in the region.

Soon after their arrival, two convents were established: one at Maria Camp (Mary of Good Counsel), located three miles west of Glandorf, and another at Maria zum heiligen Grabe (Mary at the Holy Sepulcher) in Glandorf. The Glandorf convent was one of ten founded by Rev. Francis de Sales Brunner in western Ohio and became a steady source of teachers for Glandorf’s public schools.

As western Ohio was still largely a frontier, there was a high demand for skilled educators. The Sisters, among the first to receive formal teacher training and college degrees, met this need. Although as many as 40 sisters were assigned to the Glandorf convent at one time, no more than six taught in the schools simultaneously. The rest dedicated themselves to perpetual adoration of the Precious Blood and continuous prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.

Throughout their 148-year presence in the region, the Sisters of the Precious Blood focused on two principal ministries: the education of children and a life of prayer. They practiced vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, lived much of their lives in silence, and were deeply devoted to spiritual discipline.

After the 1880s, the Sisters of the Precious Blood became a separate entity from the Missionaries. Nevertheless, the legacy of both communities endured. For nearly 150 years, their work and presence formed a unique and lasting spiritual foundation in Glandorf—an imprint still visible even after the last brothers and sisters departed.