St Boniface Catholic Church

By the 1860s the congregation of St. Boniface had outgrown the original church and land was purchased at the corner of Miami and South Downing. The congregation began worshiping in the present church upon completion in 1865. In 1878, under the leadership of Rev. George Steinlage, the Sisters of Christian Charity came to teach the children of St. Boniface. The old rectory was converted to a convent and a new rectory next to the church was built.In 1901, major renovations to the church took place. Sacristies and a large sanctuary were added. A chapel, dedicated to St. Clare and to be used for the daily celebration of the Mass, was built below the sanctuary of the church. The flat ceilings of the church were replaced with a steel ceiling of Gothic design. Members of the congregation donated stained glass windows, oak pews, communion rails, and a pulpit. In 1919, under the leadership of Rev. Aloysius Monter, a vestibule was added to the front of the church. A hallway was built connecting the church to the rectory and the exterior of the church and rectory was stuccoed. Again under the leadership of Fr. Monter, St. Boniface School, at the corner of Wood and Downing Streets, was completed in 1954. In 1969, under Rev. Charles Rohrkemper, the church tower clock was renovated and an electronic chime system installed in memory of Fr. Monter. In addition, Fr. Rohrkemper oversaw the renovation of the interior of the church in light of the renewal of the Second Vatican Council.In 1990, under the leadership of Rev. Angelo Caserta, Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration began at St. Clare Chapel. Since then, parishioners of St. Boniface, St. Mary (Piqua), St. Patrick (Troy), St. Teresa (Covington), Holy Angels (Sidney), and other surrounding parishes have come to adore the Blessed Sacrament twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. During the pastorate of Fr. Caserta, the school was consolidated with St. Mary (Piqua) Parish School to form Piqua Catholic Elementary School. This consolidation necessitated the building of a new cafeteria, new classrooms, parish meeting rooms, and gymnasium.