Sister Antoinette Dudek, OSF
February 9, 2026
Taking A Closer Look
April 8, 2026
On February 11, 2026, Lourdes University and the Sylvania Franciscans announced the decision to bring the University to completion at the end of this academic year.
We are heartbroken for our Lourdes University students, faculty and staff. This was an extremely difficult decision to make, and we wish finances and enrollment and any of the other variables pointed to a sustainable solution. After months of intense effort, we realized that there was no way forward.
The Sisters have joyfully studied, taught, and administered at Lourdes Jr. College, Lourdes College and Lourdes University since 1958. Many of our readers also walked these sacred hallways and cloisters and are deeply familiar with the level of education and experience Sylvania Franciscans have provided. We know that you, too, are grieving.
We’ve proudly sponsored this small but remarkably mighty Franciscan institution during all those years. We love sharing our home and campus with the hard-working, good-hearted students, faculty and staff that Lourdes has always drawn.
Please join the Sisters in praying that God watches over our Lourdes family. May God support and guide us as we work as a team to ensure that each of our Gray Wolves end up where they need to be on the next chapter of their academic story. Over 200 students have applied for graduation and special classes and sessions are in place to make this happen. Other students are already finding new scholarships and new opportunities at other universities. We will make sure that everyone involved has the best possible outcome.
This announcement has raised a lot of questions in the community regarding the future of the campus and buildings. Most Lourdes University buildings (including all those on the historic campus) are owned by the Sisters. Foundress Mother M. Adelaide Sandusky purchased the 89-acre farmland in 1917 and it has been a labor of love and God’s good will that made it into what it is today.
To our donors, we would like to also assure you that the recently commissioned solar panel project was part of the long-term planning of the Sisters. It was not funded in any way by the University, but by the Sisters and a few generous donors. The Sisters have been preparing for this project for many years as part of their commitment to Laudato Si’, a sustainable future, and lower energy costs.
Our Sylvania campus has been the home for the Sylvania Franciscan Sisters for over a century, and we will continue to live here. Rosary Care Center will continue to provide long-term nursing care to Sisters and lay residents. The Franciscan Center is still open for public rental. Lifelong Learning programs will continue to offer great classes to the community.
Our 88 remaining Sylvania Franciscan Sisters are engaged in a discernment process to define what we want our legacy for the property to be. While we ourselves do not yet know what that looks like, we know that it will always reflect our mission: to live the Gospel as messengers of peace, committed to works that reverence human dignity, embrace the poor and marginalized, and respect the gift of all creation.
May God bless you.
