Saint Boniface Church (New Vienna, Iowa)

Saint Boniface Church is the Catholic parish church for the town of New Vienna, Iowa and the surrounding area. It is a Gothic-style church, with stained glass windows, a handcarved main altar, and a striking convert|200|ft|m|sing=on spire The parish, part of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, is partnered with Ss. Peter and Paul Parish, Petersburg, Iowa - the two parishes share a pastor.

History

The history of the parish can be traced back to the 1840s when a number of German American families come to the area from Ohio in search of farmland. On January 6, 1846, Bishop Mathias Loras of Dubuque celebrated Mass at the home of Hermann Wiechmann, the first Mass celebrated in the New Vienna area. For the next two years, Mass was celebrated at the Wiechmann home.

In 1848, the first permanent structure was built. This wood building measured convert|24|ft|m by convert|30|ft|m and had walls that were convert|10|ft|m high.

By 1853, the population had increased to the point that a new structure was needed. Construction of this new church was completed in 1855. The church was 64 by convert|100|ft|m with convert|22|ft|m|sing=on-high walls. A local resident, William Steffen, Sr., was sent with two teams of horses to get three bells for the church. He arrived back in New Vienna just before Easter; the bells were raised in time to chime for the first time on Easter Sunday. This second structure was used until 1887.

In 1887, the third and present building was completed. This building is convert|172|ft|m long by convert|62|ft|m wide. The walls are convert|35|ft|m high. The stained glass windows are convert|14|ft|m wide by convert|30|ft|m high. The steeple is convert|200|ft|m high.

The church has five altars made of carved wood which are still present in the church today. The old high altar was built by E. Hackner of La Crosse, Wisconsin. This altar cost $5,000.

The organ was built in 1891 by the Schuelke Organ Company. The organ at St. Boniface is one of the few intact Schuelke organs that still exist today. Aside from regular maintenance, the organ has remained basically unaltered over the years. One of the few alterations made to the organ was the addition of an electric blower in the 20th century.

There is a parish cemetery just to the north of the church which is still active today. Owing to the German heritage of many of the original members of the parish, many of the older grave stones have been inscribed in German.