May 23, 2017 // Special

Victory Noll assisted-living facility blessed

Patrick Murphy

Freelance Writer

For more than 70 years, a scenic, 100-acre-plus site in Huntington has been the mother house for the Victory Noll Sisters, an order that serves the poor and disadvantaged.

By this summer, a new building on the pristine site, which is known as Victory Noll Center, will be completed and house the newest assisted-living facility operated by Saint Anne Communities.

“It will be a place of caring, faith and love. A place where the staff cares for residents and the residents care for the staff — and each other,” said Bishop Kevin D. Rhoades, who blessed the new assisted-living facility Thursday, May 18.

While the public open house is scheduled for some time in July, about 100 visitors, nuns and staff were allowed to preview the 30-bed facility that is currently under construction.

A Victory Noll sister greets Bishop Rhoades following the blessing of a new assisted-living facility on the grounds of Victory Noll Center. The facility is part of Saint Anne Communities.

“This is an exciting day for us,” said Sister John Francis Radler, OLVM, during the event.

The building’s design and decor blend nicely with the other buildings, Bishop Rhoades noted, referring to the distinct architecture of other structures on campus. Those buildings have a decided southwestern style, a reflection of the order’s roots in the southwestern part of the United States.

The order — formally known as the Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters — was founded in 1922 by Father John Joseph Sigstein, after seeing the needs of poor people in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and other states. The order and its mission of ministering to the poor were promoted by Archbishop John Francis Noll through Our Sunday Visitor. Father Sigstein and Archbishop Noll are buried in the cemetery on campus.

In addition to the blessing, Bishop Rhoades inspected the facility, sprinkling holy water as he went. The rooms are “modern and comfortable,” he noted.

The assisted-living facility is part of an ongoing cooperative effort between Saint Anne’s and the Victory Noll Sisters, said David Deffenbaugh, prior to a meeting the same day of the Saint Anne Communities Board of Directors. Deffenbaugh is administrator and chief executive officer of Saint Anne’s Communities, which operates three facilities in the Fort Wayne area.