St. Leonard carries on a tradition of service handed down from its patron St. Leonard of Port Maurice who was a Franciscan Friar born in 1676. Like many of those who have followed St. Francis of Assisi, who was born around 1182 and died in 1226, Leonard tried to meet the needs of Italy during his life time. He is often called the “Apostle of the Way of the Cross.” In his early life he was a teacher of seminarians and a preacher.
More than 300 years later, the Franciscan spirit still lives in the form of an ecumenical Christian community for mature adults. The mission of the Franciscans continues. One of the first ministries of St. Francis and his early followers was to provide physical care for the lepers of his day. You might say it was an introduction into health care for those who would follow him.
The history of St. Leonard officially began with the purchase of 240 acres of rolling terrain and wooded land in the 1950’s. By May of 1959, the seminary building was home to students and faculty of the Franciscan Friars Minor of St. John the Baptist Province in Cincinnati. The College of St. Leonard prepared young men for the priesthood and to respond to the spiritual needs of people with the Catholic Church and beyond.
In 1982 a new chapter in this building’s history began. An advisory group on social concerns to Archbishop Joseph L. Bernardin of Cincinnati set out to investigate how the seminary might meet the needs of citizens in Centerville and the surrounding counties. In October 1982 the Franciscans, along with a group of local citizens, formed the St. Leonard Center for the purpose of providing low-income housing for the elderly. After the renovation process, the doors opened for the first resident in July 1983.
1985 – First cottages were built
1988 – Health and Rehab Center was built
1993 – Assisted Living Unit Renovated
1994 – Cottage Expansion
1997 – Joseph Bernadin Apartments were built
1997 – Alzheimer’s Unit was added to the Health Center
1998 – Garden Homes were built
2001 – Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio purchased St. Leonard
2005 – North Garden Homes completed
2011 – The Franciscan Center completed
The Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio, founded in 1916, (www.sistersosf.org) have been involved in healthcare since 1918. As their ministry in healthcare grew, the need to provide consistent, professional oversight became a necessity. In 1984, drawing on the expertise of local lay representatives from governance and administration, internal and external consultants as well as members of the religious congregation, Sylvania Franciscan Health was established. Sylvania Franciscan Health (www.SylvaniaFranciscanHealth.org) is the formal expression of the sponsored health and human services ministry of the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio. Those ministries include hospitals, residential and long-term care living communities, a home for abused women and their children as well as a counseling center.
