Lourdes University
In 1916 Mother Adelaide Sandusky traveled from Minnesota to Northwest Ohio to establish a province of the Rochester Franciscans that eventually became the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania. For nearly 50 years, she cultivated the Sylvania Franciscan community establishing ministries including the Catholic and Franciscan institution known today as Lourdes University.
Initially created as an extension campus of the College of St. Teresa (in Winona, Minnesota), Lourdes Junior College was founded in 1958 to educate the Sisters of St. Francis. In 1964, the liberal arts institution was accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. As time passed and there were fewer candidates in formation, Lourdes began admitting lay students with women enrolling in 1969 and men in 1975.
