A 126-year-old home was recently restored to its original purpose: a convent.
The religious dwelling, located in Portsmouth in the southern side of the Columbus diocese, is home to the Leaven Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The restored convent was consecrated by Bishop Earl K. Fernandes on Wednesday, March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation.
On the day the Church celebrates Our Lady’s ‘yes’ to bear the Son of God in her womb, the home of the Leaven of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters, who gave their ‘yes’ to the Lord, was consecrated to Him.
The bishop visited the religious sisters’ dwelling for consecration as the Church remembered the Archangel Gabriel visiting the home of the young virgin Mary that day and the Holy Spirit overshadowed her.
“We sisters are very grateful for the prayers and generous support, particularly the gift of this convent, which allows our religious lives and missions to grow,” said Sister Chiara Francisco, LIHM (Leaven Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary), who serves as director of religious education at St. John Paul II Scioto Catholic Parish and a religion teacher at Notre Dame High School.
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The consecration took place after an all-school Mass at Portsmouth Holy Redeemer Church, part of St. John Paul II parish (Portsmouth Holy Trinity, Holy Redeemer, St. Mary of the Annunciation and Wheelersburg St. Peter in Chains churches). Each room of the convent was blessed with holy water.
Bishop Fernandes was accompanied by Father Stephen Smith, pastor at St. John Paul II; Father Michael Fulton, parochial vicar; and Deacon Paul Zemanek, who ministers at Dublin St. Brigid of Kildare Church near Columbus.
J.D. McKenzie, principal at Portsmouth Notre Dame Junior and Senior High School; Cullen Harris, assistant principal; and Deacon Jim Sturgeon, who serves at St. John Paul II, were present.
Refreshments with the bishop and Leaven Sisters were held afterward.
The now-convent was built in 1900.
It belonged to an order of Franciscan religious sisters who served at the former Mercy Hospital in Portsmouth, now part of the Southern Ohio Medical Center. The convent was sold in the 1950s.
St. John Paul II Scioto Catholic Parish purchased the property from a private owner in 2025. It was shortly afterward restored to its original use as a convent.
“Thanks to the stewardship of Father Smith, the steady support of parish staff and the hard work and generosity of parishioners, we were able to move in last December,” Sister Chiara said.
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The Leaven Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary came to the Columbus diocese in 2021 at the invitation of then-Bishop Robert Brennan, who was reassigned to the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York, later that year.
The order embraces a contemplative-active life of prayer, penance and apostolate exemplified by the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its religious are dedicated to educating youth and the family.
The order, founded in the Philippines in 1991, has three convent locations in the United States: Hanceville, Alabama; South Sioux City, Nebraska; and Portsmouth.
