Winona State University

We had taken our daughter on a college visit to WSU and during the dorm tour, we visited Lourdes Hall. As we stepped off the bus, I looked at the building and loved the architecture and we continued inside. As we walked in, we were shown the indoor pool area and I had a sense of activity there (this was before knowing the alleged story). We continued up to the 3rd floor and as we stepped into the hallway, I noticed a kitchen area that appeared to have been a dorm room at some time and remodeled into a community room. As we walked past the kitchen area, I again felt a presence and shrugged it off as nothing, just thinking it must be the age of the building. As we left the building from the back and walked across to the newer building, I could not help but being drawn to look back at the original building and feeling a nagging need to return to it. I fought the urge and continued on the tour. After seeing the newer building, we returned to the building and were walking through to exit the front of the building. I was drawn back to the indoor pool area, which is downstairs and down a short hallway with a door to enter the pool area. I did not enter the pool area, but while standing by the door, looking in, I again felt a presence, change in temperature, and the pool lights flickered for a moment. I rejoined the group and as we congregated outside waiting for the bus, my wife and daughter both noticed that there was something that I was questioning and asked what was wrong. I told them that something happened here, I don't know what, but that I felt a strong energy. The bus had not arrived yet, so I went to my phone and searched the internet; I was not completely surprised by what I read regarding Lourdes history and the alleged story regarding a priest who had impregnated a nursing student. When the baby was born on the fourth floor, the priest dropped the baby down the elevator shaft, and had taken his own life by hanging himself in the chapel, which is now the indoor pool area.

August 2020