St. Boniface Catholic Church

This historic church was dedicated in 1873 for a congregation that was established in the 1860s. Throughout the late 19th century, St. Boniface Catholic Church grew and constructed additional buildings, such as a school that was completed in 1882 and later converted to a convent when a new school was completed. Among the notable landmarks on the property is a statue of St. Boniface near the Buchanan Street entrance.

In the 1860s, a group of German Catholics in Edwardsville, who were formally attached to the existing Church of the Immaculate Conception (St. Mary's), began expressing their desire for a church that would serve the interests of their community. In 1866 this group purchased the land on which St. Boniface currently stands. Funding for the building's construction was provided through a combination of donations by wealthy local men and fairs organized by female church members. In 1869 three important events shaped the congregation. First, before construction began, "Rev. Anton Rustige was appointed pastor of St. Boniface, marking the beginning of the parish." Second, St. Louis architect Adolphus Druiding submitted "plans for the church building" and the contract for its construction "was awarded to H. Melcher, also of St. Louis, for a cost of $14,000." Iin June of 1869, construction officially began on the church building.¹

The official activities of the St. Boniface congregation did not wait for a completed building. 1869 saw the first baptism and marriage ceremonies performed under the jurisdiction of the new church, and the following year "Bishop Baltes (the administrator of the Diocese of Alton) administered confirmation to a class of 142."² And despite the building's unfinished state, "a combination rectory and school was completed in 1871." Finally, after seven years of planning and four years of construction, the "church was officially dedicated in August 1873."³

By 1880, "there were 80 families in the parish, and 65 pupils in the school."⁴ The next major renovation began in 1881 when construction for a new school commenced. Completed in 1882, this school building served a variety of purposes for over one hundred years until it was demolished "during the campus renovations of Project 2000."⁵

In 1896, the church welcomed a new pastor, Rev. Joseph Metzler. Born in "Wiedenbrueck, Westphalia, Germany," in 1854, Metzler oversaw a period of profound change in the life of the church during his twenty-two-year tenure.⁶ Some of these changes happened quickly; the late 1890s saw the church add "electrical lighting," "stained glass in the sanctuary," "two additional bells in the steeple (bringing the total to four)," the "installation of a telephone in the rectory, and an addition to the Sister's house."⁷ A more ambitious endeavor that occurred under Metzler's watch was the decision to construct a new school building that would replace the 1882 structure. Dedicated in 1913, this "62x90x40" building was larger than the previous building and included a basement.⁸ Other notable events that marked Metzler's tenure as pastor included the 1915 purchase of a cemetery for St. Boniface members, and a tornado striking Edwardsville in the same year. While the church escaped largely unscathed, "small spires that had adorned the corners of the church were damaged and never replaced."⁹ However, Metzler's tenure as pastor of St. Boniface was ended by the rise of anti-German hysteria that followed the United States' entry into World War One. Because he was a German native, Metzler was "accused of being unpatriotic."¹⁰ This accusation and the resulting confrontation, led Metzler to take "an extended leave of absence," which culminated with his resignation in 1918.¹¹

In 1919, Metzler's replacement, Rev. Ernest Eckhard, arrived at St. Boniface, where he would spend the next 32 years. Eckhard's tenure brought important financial changes, one of which was the replacement of the pew rent system with a weekly envelope collection. Another involved school funding: until this point, only parents with children attending St. Boniface were responsible for funding the school. However, following Eckhard's arrival, it was decided that the entire congregation would financially support the school. While no new buildings were added during Eckhard's tenure, church property underwent substantial renovations. The original school building was transformed into a "convent for the Sisters."¹² In 1924, due to "extensive termite damage," the church building was temporarily closed for repairs.¹³ A more enjoyable renovation occurred a few years later in 1928 when "the school basement was remodeled," which "include[ed] the installation of a four lane bowling alley."¹⁴ Yet, this bowling alley was a casualty of the increasing enrollment that occurred at the school in the "late 1940s and early 1950s."¹⁵ The second floor of the school was converted into four classrooms, while the basement was transformed into "a new kitchen and a large dining area were created which could also be used as a large meeting area for parish events and receptions."¹⁶ Eckhard was also passionate about education. "He frequently taught catechism in the school and encouraged all forms of education." Examples of his zest for education included the creation of a music program in 1936, and he encouraged students to pursue "Catholic education beyond eighth grade," which some did at the nearby "St. Paul High School in Highland."¹⁷ Another notable event under Eckhard's leadership occurred in 1937 when St. Cecilia's parish "was transferred into the care of St. Boniface."¹⁸ While guiding St. Cecilia's, Eckhard organized a "Catholic Youth Organization" and in 1941 "Sisters from St. Boniface" conducted "a house-to-house census" of the parish.¹⁹ Unfortunately, by the 1950s, Eckhard's health had deteriorated, and he "spent much of the next few years in hospitals until his death in January 1954."²⁰ Eckhard has the distinction of being the only priest buried in St. Boniface Cemetery.²¹

The 1960s brought sweeping change to the church. While the addition of new buildings (a new convent in 1960) and the remodeling of older ones (the church acquired, among other things, "terrazzo floors, new pews," "new stained glass windows," and "air conditioning") were relatively common events throughout the church's history, changes following the Vatican II Council transformed the church's traditional style of worship.²² The language of Mass was changed from Latin to English and the priest now faced the congregation, which necessitated the placement of a temporary alter in front of the priest. This temporary alter was in place until 1969, when the sanctuary was renovated. "The old high altar was removed and a new marble altar replaced the temporary altar. The side altars were re-moved and replaced with a tabernacle and a baptismal font. A marble communion rail and pulpit were added."²³ 1969 also brought the centennial of St. Boniface, an anniversary that the church celebrated with "a mass presided over by Bishop O'Connor" and a "public reception" following the mass that explored the church's history.²⁴ In recognition of this important milestone, "the centennial historical committee of the parish" collected "historical data and pictures" for a "centennial publication."²⁵

During the 1970s and 1980s the church grounds continued to evolve. The 1871 rectory was removed and replaced with a larger one in 1975. In 1982 the church received permission to begin raising funds to "redecorate the church and build a Parish Center which would include a gym."²⁶ Both the renovations and the Parish center were complete by 1985. Also, by the late 80s, because only "two sisters" remained in the convent, "a house was rented for them and the convent was rented to the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office."²⁷

At the close of the twentieth century, St. Boniface's parishioners and leadership were pondering the future of the church. Due to a shortage of priests in the early 1990s, "[d]iscussions were held regarding combining the two parishes in Edwardsville," but it "was decided to retain both parishes."²⁸ Following this decision, Father John Corredato arrived in 1995 and requested that the Pastoral Council (a church leadership organization) present "a vision for the future of the parish."²⁹ One of the most consequential products of the church's decision to prepare for the future was Project 2000. After planning began in 1997, the project called for the "further expansion of the parish facilities," which included a preschool, but the cornerstone of this plan was the decision to build a new, larger church building.³⁰ The preschool was completed in 2001, while construction on the new church building did not begin until 2002. During this phase of construction, masses were held in the existing church building, the Parish Center, and, near the end of the project, "in the lower level of the new church."³¹ With construction complete, "[t]he new church was dedicated on Nov. 11, 2003."³² While renovations continued on the property over the next few years, perhaps the most notable addition to the church grounds was the "Statue of St. Boniface near the new Buchanan Street entrance, which was dedicated to the memory of Father John Corredato who lost his battle with cancer shortly after leaving St. Boniface."³³ The 2010s also saw St. Boniface expand its outreach to new groups in the local area. In 2011 the church began providing a mass that was conducted in Spanish to serve the needs of local Hispanic-Catholics.³⁴ As of 2021, St. Boniface is currently in the midst of a new construction project. After $6 million was collected in 2018, the four phase project called for the addition of a playground, elevator, gymnasium/parish center, and a multi-purpose room.³⁵

Researched and Written by Tyler Young

Uploaded on behalf of the Madison County Historical Society by Kiley Fuchs

1^ Mary Westerhold, "A History of St. Boniface Catholic Church," MCHS News 6, no. 5 (September 2018): 1, https://madcohistory.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2018-Vol6-No5-Sep-St.-Boniface-Catholic-Church-Sesquicentennial.pdf.

2^ Westerhold, "A History of St. Boniface Catholic Church," 1, 4.

3^ Ibid., 4.

4^ "Parish Gives Time, Money to Aid School," The Edwardsville Intelligencer, May 14, 1974.

5^ Westerhold, "A History of St. Boniface Catholic Church," 4.

6^ "Pulpit and Pew - Changes of Pastors at Edwardsville and Highland," The Edwardsville Intelligencer, June 5, 1896.

7^ Westerhold, "A History of St. Boniface Catholic Church," 5.

8^ "St. Boniface School, Convent Grew to Needs," The Edwardsville Intelligencer, September 30, 1960.

9^ Westerhold, "A History of St. Boniface Catholic Church," 5.

10^ Westerhold, "A History of St. Boniface Catholic Church," 5.

11^ Ibid. For more on anti-German hysteria in southern Illinois, and the lynching of Robert Prager in particular, see Carl Weinberg, Labor, Loyalty, and Rebellion: Southwestern Illinois Coal Miners & World War I (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2005); Peter Stehman, Patriotic Murder: A World War I Hate Crime for Uncle Sam (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2018).

12^ Westerhold, "A History of St. Boniface Catholic Church," 5.

13^ Ibid.

14^ Ibid.

15^ Ibid.

16^ Ibid.

17^ Westerhold, "A History of St. Boniface Catholic Church," 5.

18^ Betty Bower, "St. Cecilia's at 'Glen': Early Services Interrupted by Small Pox," The Edwardsville Intelligencer, February 24, 1961. For more on the history of St. Cecilia's relationship with Father Eckhard and St. Boniface, see "History of the Parish of St. Cecilia, Glen Carbon," The Edwardsville Intelligencer, August 25, 1957.

19^ Betty Bower, "St. Cecilia's at 'Glen': Early Services Interrupted by Small Pox," February 24, 1961.

20^ Westerhold, "A History of St. Boniface Catholic Church," 6. For more on the life of Ernest Eckhard, see "Deaths and Funerals," The Edwardsville Intelligencer, January 19, 1954.

21^ Westerhold, "A History of St. Boniface Catholic Church," 6.

22^ The Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) was commissioned by Pope John XXIII in 1959 in response to the transformations that had occurred in the relationship between the Catholic Church and the world during the first half of the twentieth century. Attended by over "three thousand" church officials and conducted during four sessions interspersed from 1962 to 1965, Vatican II implemented several reforms that together represent "the most significant example of institutionalized religious change since the Reformation." One of the most crucial of these reforms was "the Catholic Church relinquish[ing] its claim to be the one true church, and with it, abdicated claims to power in relation to nation-states, by declaring that the only just form of government was one under which people were free to worship as they pleased." Other reforms significantly changed both the day-to-day lives of Catholics and their experience of Mass. "The Council relaxed dietary restrictions and requirements regarding confession and attire for the laity," turned the priests' altars so they now directly faced the congregation, and "eliminated the Latin mass" in favor of conducting services in vernacular language. Melissa Wilde, Vatican II: A Sociological Analysis of Religious Change (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2007), 12.

23^ Westerhold, "A History of St. Boniface Catholic Church," 6.

24^ Ibid.

25^ "St. Boniface Will Observe Anniversary," The Edwardsville Intelligencer, July 15, 1969.

26^ Westerhold, "A History of St. Boniface Catholic Church," 6.

27^ Ibid.

28^ Westerhold, "A History of St. Boniface Catholic Church," 6.

29^ Ibid., 7.

30^ "Parish History," St. Boniface Parish, accessed February 16, 2021, http://st-boniface.com/about-us/parish-history/; Westerhold, "A History of St. Boniface Catholic Church," 7.

31^ Westerhold, "A History of St. Boniface Catholic Church," 7.

32^ Ibid.

33^ Ibid.

34^ Westerhold, "A History of St. Boniface Catholic Church, 8.

35^ Matt Kamp, "St. Boniface breaks ground on new gymnasium," The Edwardsville Intelligencer, November 2, 2020, https://www.theintelligencer.com/news/article/St-Boniface-breaks-ground-on-new-gymnasium-15692626.php.

36^ Ibid.