St. Boniface, Goldenthal:

... a little parish history ... Part 3

Reverend Father Dr. Francis Xavier Paulhuber (1852-1853) arrived at St. Boniface as pastor in March 1852 and left in September of 1853. During his tenure, he reports completing the construction of a 40' by 80' stone church. The church was consecrated by Bishop Henni on All Souls Day 1853. In the writing of Sister Bonaventure Schoeberle of the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, Our Missions From 1864 to 1934, she confirms the construction of a clay church. After other assignments, Father Paulhuber went on to assist Fathers Salzmann and Heiss at St. Francis Seminary finally returning to Germany in 1856 where he wrote several biographical books. In the book A History of Holy Hill by J.M. LeCount published in 1891, it is identified that Father Paulhuber purchased the Holy Hill hill top (50 acres) in 1855. The book states when Father Paulhuber visited St. Augustine, he stayed with Joseph Kohler who was living a half mile south of the church.

St. Boniface Parish records indicate that Father Sebastian Seif administered the parish and Washington County records confirm this. Father Seif was ordained on 25 September 1851 and immediately assigned to St. John's in Green Bay as an assistant. Sometime in mid 1852 he left Green Bay. Father Seif in May of 1852 performed a marriage at St. Boniface but not as pastor. It would seem that while at St. Boniface, Father Seif was an assistant under Father Paulhuber.

It may be that St. Boniface was without benefit of a resident pastor from September 1850 to March of 1852 as no parish records can be found for this period.

From 1846 to 1854, Hubertus, St. Augustine, and Richfield areas were ministered by the pastor of St. Boniface as well as other priests who may have traveled the area from Milwaukee.

On 16 February 1854, Reverend Father I.Nicholas Pfeiffer (1854-1857), ordained on 19 February 1853 and pastor of St. Mary's in Racine, replaced Father Paulhuber. It is at this time St. Hubert officially came into existence and Father Pfeiffer also ministered to it. During Father Pfeiffer's pastorate, based on sacramental registrations, the geographic area serviced by the parish went as far north as West Bend and as far east as St. Joseph's in Grafton. Father Pfeiffer remained at St. Boniface until 23 February 1857. Reverend Father Meanclere arrived 8 May 1857 and remained to 2 May 1858.

In 1856 Reverend Father Johann Baptist Haslbauer (1856-1859) born 17 July 1807 in Laaber, Bavaria and ordained 1835 arrived either at St. Augustine or St. Hubert assuming responsibility for St. Augustine and St. Hubert . His name has also been found as Hasselbauer. St. Augustine had completed the building of their stone church in 1855 and began sacramental registration in June 1856. St.. Hubert had been operating out of a log church for two years and Father Haslbauer began his sacramental registrations there in May of 1856. Father remained in the area for four years.

In June of 1858 he led a procession from St. Augustine to the top of the hill which was holy, now called Holy Hill but also known as Big Hill, Lapham's Peak, and Hermit Hill, and blessed the oak cross Roman Goetz had hewn from local timbers. On 22 May 1858, Father Haslbauer relocated to St. Boniface. He died 17 July 1879 in Ingolstadt, Bavaria. Reverend Father John Baptist Weikmann, who was pastor at St. Mary's in Port Washington, followed Father Haslbauer at St. Hubert in 1859 remaining one year.

With the transfer of Father Haslbauer from St. Hubert, St. Mary's reports that responsibility for its Mission Church followed him to St. Boniface in Goldenthal. This is not 100% true. St. Mary's did not become a mission to St. Boniface until Father Weikmann's transfer in June of 1860. It is at this time that St. Boniface also took responsibility for St. Hubert and St. Augustine. St. Mary's remained a Mission Church of St. Boniface until 1915.

Reverend Father John Michael Heiss (1860-1861), born 19 August 1833 at Boehmfeld, Bavaria, one of 14 priests ordained by the diocese 16 December 1859 and referred to as the "First Fruits" of St. Francis Seminary, arrived 1 January 1860 replacing Father Haslbauer. Father Heiss remained 18 months to 16 June 1861. Father died on 25 June 1890 as pastor of St. Andrew's Church in LeRoy, Dodge County, Wisconsin.

Father George Strickner arrived at the parish on 14 July 1861. He was born 6 December 1833 in Stadtkemnath, Bavaria and was one of the "First Fruits" of St. Francis Seminary ordained in 1859. Holy Hill records reflect Father Strickner in 1861 sanctioning the building of the log chapel on the hill which was holy.

Sister Bonaventure Schoeberle in her writing Our Missions From 1864 to 1934 reports that St. Boniface church was a spacious structure but built of clay. Lightning had hit the church tower doing considerable damage and parish members feared that sooner or later it would fall decided to construct a more permanent stone structure. They added a temporary addition of boards to the frame church constructed in 1849 and held services there while the stone church was built. Construction of the 45' by 100' stone church was begun under Father Strickner in 1861.

Father Strickner departed in March 1865. Reverend Father Francis Spath, born 30 March 1836 at Hilze, Austria ordained 22 April 1865, arrived in April and departed two months later in May to St. Martin's in Ashford. Father Spath died in 1890 while pastor of St. Peter's Schleisingerville (Slinger) and is buried in the cemetery there.

Reverend Father Anton Föckler born 13 September 1838 in Landstuhl, Bavaria and ordained 29 June 1863 followed Father Spath arriving in August of 1865. It would seem possibly that because of Father Föckler, Mother Antonia of the Sisters of St. Francis Assissi accepted St. Boniface as a mission. The sisters arrived at the parish in December of 1865. Father Föckler went personally to Nojoshing (St. Francis) via the train to escort the sisters to the parish. The sisters reported they had some difficulty in that they missed the train and had to spend an extra night in Milwaukee before arriving at the parish. They were not happy about it. The sisters were Gertrud Giaetz, Superiores, Agnes Fleckenstein, and a third lady, Raymunda Schuhmacher, was not able to come for she had contracted Typhoid Fever.

Sister Agnes reported that she taught in a Free School quite some distance from the building in which she lived. The one room school contained several heavy benches, a teacher's desk, a small blackboard, and stove. What impressed her most was not the building nor the distance but losing her shoes in the mud she traverse in rainy weather. Sister reported the one room log school had the alphabet posted by a previous teacher on the beams that held up the ceiling. All children of the area attended classes not just children of the parish. This was the fourth mission outside of Jefferson and the fifth school supported by the order.

Sister Raymunda Schurnmacher who was to have accompanied Sister Agnes and Sister Giaetz did not arrive until January looking feeble and sickly. Father Föckler thought it best that Sister Raymunda return to Nojoshing for he feared that she was not completely over the sickness and that it might spread to the parish. Sister Aemeliana Kau came to the parish as winter was almost over. She and Sister Agnes both taught in the same room until Easter of 1866. The sisters reported that initially one classroom was used for all students. It is said that the building was the church constructed under Father Salzmann. Twice each week, private evening lessons were given to the larger students, primarily boys, who would not study with the little ones; some of the mothers also attended. After the arrival of Sister Kau, two classrooms were used one for the older pupils (Salzmann frame church) and the other for the younger ones (a log church). She also reported that logs from Father Heiss' old log church were used in the parsonage. The original log church on the Knetzger property must have been moved. One can surmise from this that the parishioners dismantled the original log church in section 17 and moved it to the new parish property in section 20. ... to be continued ...

Seasons Greetings