Saint Boniface Church (New Vienna, Iowa) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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St. Boniface of New Vienna Historic District
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | 7401 Columbus St. New Vienna, Iowa |
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| Area | 10 acres (4.0 ha) |
| Architect | Schnell Architects Byrne & Soul |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 99001207 |
| Added to NRHP | September 29, 1999 |
Saint Boniface Church is the main Catholic church for the town of New Vienna, Iowa. It also serves the communities nearby. This church is built in the Gothic style. It features beautiful stained glass windows and a main altar carved by hand. A very tall spire, about 200-foot (61 m) high, makes it stand out. The church is part of the Archdiocese of Dubuque. It works together with Ss. Peter and Paul Parish in Petersburg, Iowa. Both churches share the same pastor.
Contents
The Story of Saint Boniface Church
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The history of Saint Boniface Church began in the 1840s. Many German American families moved to this area from Ohio. They were looking for good farmland. On January 6, 1846, Bishop Mathias Loras of Dubuque held a special Mass. This Mass took place at the home of Hermann Wiechmann. It was the very first Mass celebrated in the New Vienna area. For the next two years, church services were held at the Wiechmann home.
Early Church Buildings
In 1848, the first church building was constructed. It was made of wood. This building was 24 feet (7.3 m) wide and 30 feet (9.1 m) long. Its walls were 10 feet (3.0 m) tall.
By 1853, more people had moved to the area. A larger church was needed. Construction on this new church finished in 1855. This second church was 64 feet (20 m) by 100 feet (30 m). Its walls were 22-foot (6.7 m) high. A local person, William Steffen Sr., traveled with two horse teams. He went to get three bells for the church. He returned to New Vienna just before Easter. The bells were put up in time to ring for the first time on Easter Sunday. This second church building was used until 1887.
The Current Church Building
The third and current church building was finished in 1887. This building is 172 feet (52 m) long and 62 feet (19 m) wide. The walls inside are 35 feet (11 m) high. The beautiful stained glass windows are 14 feet (4.3 m) wide and 30 feet (9.1 m) high. The church's tall steeple reaches 200 feet (61 m) into the sky.
The church has five altars. They are all made of carved wood. These altars are still used in the church today. The main altar was built by E. Hackner from La Crosse, Wisconsin. It cost $5,000 at that time.
The church's organ was built in 1891. It was made by the Schuelke Organ Company. The organ at St. Boniface is one of the few Schuelke organs that still exist. It has stayed mostly the same over the years. Workers only added an electric blower in the 20th century. This helps the organ work better.
In 2010, workers started building a new entrance on the north side of the church. During this work, they found a large hole in the basement. This hole was about 12 feet wide and 8 feet deep. It is not known when this hole formed. If it had damaged a nearby support pillar, the church building could have collapsed.
Saint Boniface School
Saint Boniface Church used to have its own school, called Saint Boniface School. It started in 1847. Classes were first held in people's homes. Later, they moved into the church building itself. The school got its own permanent building in 1870. In 1922, the school moved back into the church. A new school building opened in 1924.
In 1987, Saint Boniface School joined with Archbishop Hennessy Catholic School. This new school had two locations. Grades K-3 were in New Vienna. Preschool and grades 4-6 were in Petersburg. It was the shared school for Saint Boniface and Saints Peter and Paul Church. At that time, over 100 students attended the school. The school also worked with Beckman Catholic High School in Dyersville.
In 2013, Archbishop Hennessy Catholic School moved all grades to its Petersburg location. At that time, it had 60 students. The number of students kept going down. By 2017, only 45 students were enrolled. Archbishop Hennessy Catholic School closed in 2018.
Today, the remaining Catholic elementary school in the "Spires of Faith" church network is St. Francis Xavier Catholic School in Dyersville.
