St. Boniface Catholic Church, Stuart Nebraska

St. Boniface Catholic Church
St. Boniface Parish
Stuart, Nebraska

Established in 1899, this Catholic parish celebrated its centennial in August of 1999, still going strong and well attended today by many Stuart area residents.

Before 1890, the early Stuart Catholics had to travel to the St. Joseph Church in Atkinson, about ten miles east, to attend Mass; once a month, when Father Edward Engelbrecht came from Atkinson to celebrate Mass, the residents could attend church closer to home. In 1890, the Catholics purchased the old District 44 School Building in Stuart, and Mass was held there until 1897. Then Father Emil Klemenz of Atkinson guided the Stuart mission parish in the building of a new frame church at a cost of about $1400.00. In 1899, Bishop Richard Scannell of Omaha made St. Boniface an independent parish, and Father Anthony Birnbach became its first pastor. In 1911, a new brick church was built to replace the frame structure. The older wooden frame church was moved to Newport, Nebraska, about nine miles west, where it served that parish for many years. Finally, this frame church building was moved to Bassett, Nebraska, where it can now be seen in the City Park in the pioneer exhibit.

Early pastors of St. Boniface Catholic Church were:

• Father Anthony Birnbach, ordained 1896; served August 13, 1899 to May 1, 1901; died August 8, 1941.


• Father Charles Breitkopf, served May 1, 1901 to May 8, 1907; died February 24, 1942


• Father Julius Hettwer, served May 10, 1907 to August 1, 1917; died about 1950


• Father John W. Jungels, ordained 1884, served August 1917 to July 1930; died October 12, 1944


• Father John P. Hilt, ordained 1919; served August 3, 1930 to July 5, 1946; died April 26, 1971


• Father Anthony J. Paschang, ordained 1927; served July 5, 1946 to 1975; died April 16, 1982 and buried in St. Boniface Cemetery

From this parish, three priests had vocations:

• Father Leopold Blaschko offered his first Mass at St. Boniface on April 10, 1917


• Father Joseph L. Kaup offered his first Mass at St. Boniface on September 23, 1943


• Father Adrian Laible offered his first Mass at St. Boniface on May 29, 1958

Many young women from this parish chose vocations.

Sisters of St. Francis at Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Name	Baptismal Name	Father's name	Year of Entrance
Sr. Juliette	Mildred	John Ratigan	1911
Sr. Alba	Bertha	John Brau	1911
Sr. Edwina	Catherine	Joseph Bernt	1912
Sr. Ventura	Theresa	Max Kunz	1912
Sr. Gaudiosa	Emma	John Schneider	1913
Sr. Lautentia	Mary	Ward Brayton	1914
Sr. Austina	Mary	Edward Doyle	1917
Sr. Berenice	Mary	John Brau	1918
Sr. Francita	Charlotte	John Brau	1922
Sr. Odilla	Mary	Aloys Bartsch	1922
Sr. Tabitha	Sophia	John Kaup	1922
Sr. Richard	Magdalene	Mike Schaaf	1922
Sr. Maxine	Angela	Henry Kruger	1926
Sr. Mary	Ottilia	Jos. Schmaderer, Sr.	1927
Sr. Fidelia	Ottilia	Martin Hamik	1927
Sr. Maxima	Louise	Louis Jardee	1927
Sr. Amator	Catherine	Fritz Vogel	1927
Sr. Fredella	Elizabeth	Fred Goebel	1927
Sr. Edgar	Margaret	Henry Shald	1928
Sr. Lumena	Lorene	Fred Goebel	1928
Sr. Johannelda	Irene	John Kaup	1928
Sr. Theophane	Albina	Stencil Hytrek	1928
Sr. George	Agnes	George Weber	1929
Sr. Carla	Lucy	George Weber	1929
Sr. Leocretia	Hildegard	Henry Kruger	1929
Sr. Lorenzo	Pauline	John Laible	1931
Sr. Cecele	Joy	Rudy Custor	1933
Sr. Aiden	Catherine	Aloys Deermer	1934
Sr. Raynardus	Irene	John Laible	1934
Sr. Milford	Rose	Karl Deermer	1936
Sr. Maxima	Louise	Louis Jardee	1937
Sr. Felician	Evelyn	August Kramer	1937
Sr. Idalia	Clara	Frank Hamik	1937
Sr. Auxentia	Mary	Aloys Deermer	1937
Sr. Placidia	Theresa	John Hamik	1937
Sr. Frederica	Agnes	Fritz Vogel	1937
Sr. Lorraine	Irene	John Hamik	1940

Poor Sisters of St Francis Seraph of the Perpetual Adoption at Colorado Springs, Colorado

Name	Baptismal Name	Father's name	Year of Entrance
Sr. Rudolphina	Mathilda	Nicholas Simons	1922

Sisters of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity

Name	Baptismal Name	Father's name	Year of Entrance
Sr. Carmen	Loreen	Otto Baumeister	1936
Sr. Maureen	Catgherine	J. P. Murphy	1949
Sr. Carmela	Lorraine	Edward Coufal	1954

Ursuline Sisters at York Nebraska

Name	Baptismal Name	Father's name	Year of Entrance
Sr. Crescentia	Anna	John Ketterl	1915

Many of the church members were homesteaders, and the early church records indicate these homestead locations:

Name	Section	Twp.	Range	Acres
Brau, John	24	32	16	160
Brayton, E.L. & Ward M.	3	29	15	160
Carberry, John	1	30	16	80
Clark, Albert M.	21	29	16	160
Flannery, John	18	30	15	160
Frost, James	5	33	15	160
Frost, John	12	33	16	160
Hallock, Orange	35	31	16	160
Hallock, Orange	1	30	16	160
Hamik, Egnaz	32	29	16	80
Hytrek, Fritz	17	29	16	160
Hytrek, Fritz	2	29	16	160
Hytrek, Stanislaus	10	29	16	160
Kramer, Jacob	5	29	15	160
Kramer, John	19	3	15	160
Kramer, Martin	6	29	15	160
Kramer, Philip	8	29	15	160
Kramer, Wenzel	30	30	15	160
Kozisek, Frank	17	29	15	160
Krobot, Henry	21	29	16	160
Krysl, Vencel Jr.	19	29	16	160
Krysl, Vencel	30	29	16	160
Krysl, Vaclav	30	29	16	160
Krziza, Vincent	21	29	16	80
Kubik, Joseph	13	29	16	160
Kunz, Max	21	30	15	40
Kunz, Max	23	30	15	160
Meusch, John	13	32	16	160
Meusch, John (heirs of)	22	32	16	160
Meusch, J.W.	19	32	15	160
Miksch, Martin	33	29	16	160
Murphy, Jeremiah	25	30	16	80
Murphy, Jeremiah	30	30	15	160
Schneider, Herman	23	29	16	80
Schneider, Mathias	23	29	16	80
Stanton, Thomas	22	30	15	160
Stanton, Thomas	7	30	15	160
Steinhauser, John	18	30	15	160
Steinhauser, Thomas	20	29	16	160
Stuart, Peter	12	30	16	160
Timmerman, Simon	35	32	15	160
Ulrich, Leopold	28	30	15	160
Wedige, Carl	21	31	14	160
Wedige, Nicholas	23	31	14	160

St. Boniface Parish established a parochial school early on. In 1906, Mrs. Valentin Krieg taught in the school until 1908, when the School Sisters of St. Francis came to Stuart to take over the teaching duties; they have remained at this school since then. The first nuns who taught were Sr. Concordia (Superior), Sr. Hortensia (teacher) and Sr. Thecia (homemaker). In 1912 the school held classes in the basement of the church; in 1962 a new school, which is in use today, was built and dedicated.

The School Sisters of St. Francis, who came 1908, lived on the second floor of the first school building where there was no plumbing, central heat, or electricity. In 1920, a private residence was purchased by the parish, and in 1921 the nuns took up residence there, where they remained until 1995. In 1995, this convent was sold, arid is now a bed and breakfast, appropriately called "The Sister's House".

Sources:
1) Saint Boniface Church 1899-1974. Atkinson Graphic Publishing Co., 1974
2) St. Boniface Church Stuart, Nebraska 1899-1999. United Church Directories, Galion, Ohio. 1999