History of St. Boniface School in Brunswick, 1870-1968

The following feature on the St. Boniface School of Brunswick was written by Joe Welschmeyer of the Kenrick-Glennon Seminary of St. Louis. The picture of the 1947 graduates was furnished by Sister Kathleen Reichert OSF, Savannaister Kathleen Reichert OSF, Savannah, MO.

By Joe Welschnmeyer

For nearly 98 years the St. Boniface Catholic Church in Brunswick operated a parish school for the religious and secular education of her youth. This feature traces a bit of the history involved in the operation of the elementary school. Such a feature covers years when little publicity about the school appeared in newspapers. Often when such a parish school closed, there was little mention made of it or the religious Sisters who taught there.

St. Boniface Church was established in 1870 following missionary activity in the area already begun by Father John Hogan in 1859 in western Chariton County. The parish heats the name of St. Boniface, Apostle to the German Lands. He was an English Benedictine monk who lived 680-754. Eventually he was named Archbishop of Mainz, Germany. As Father (and later bishop) Hogan father (and later bishop) Hogan found mostly German-Americans at Brunswick, he supplied a German saint’s patronage for the parish. The custom is usually to name the parish school after the local sponsoring parish, and so St. Boniface School was born.

During the initial years, lay teachers were employed to conduct the one-room school. In 1872 the Benedictine Sisters from Clyde, Mo. began teaching in the school. They remained until 1877 when the parish was assigned to the spiritual care of the Franciscan Fathers from Chillicothe, Mo. Sometimes, priests from religious orders such as the Franciscans made arrangements whereby women from various Franciscan Sisters would teach in their parishes. This happened at Brunswick, but it is not clear where these Franciscan Sisters had their Motherhouse. These Sisters left after a few years, and lay teachers were again given charge of the school. In 1896 the school was closed due to financial problems facing the parish. The number of students at this time was nominal, pthis time was nominal, perhaps two dozen students, with one teacher.

Father Columban OFM, reopened the school in 1898, employing a lay teacher. The former frame church was dismantled and the building was con-veiled into use as a school. In 1903, Sister Edward End, OSE and a companion Sister arrived from the Olivetan Benedictine Sisters in Jonesboro, Ark. to conduct the school of 60 pupils. This community of Sisters wore a distinctive white habit, which stood in contrast to the black religious garb of many Sisters in the early 1900’s. The "White Benedictines left after the Spring of 1905. School records in the Official Catholic Directory show one teacher and 21 students in 1910. The same directory shows only 13 students for 1913.

This converted school-building was used from 1902 until 1930, when a more modern building was constructed under the leadership of then pastor, Father John J. Meinhardt. The new school was built with parish funds and dedicated in January, 1930.

It was Father Meinhardt who began an endowment fund to help keep the school’s finances solvent. It had been built during the Great Economic Depression of 1929, and its financial future was muddied. A parishioner, Mrs. Marname donated $3,000 to begin this fund. The Sisters of the Precious Blood (CPPS) from O'Fallon, Mo. arrived in the Autumn of 1930 and taught an annual enrollment of 38 pupils until the Spring of 1933.

It was appareof 1933.

It was apparently a difficult task to attract students, and to keep faculty members, lay or religious Sisters in the first 63 years of the schools existence. One wonders if the primitive conditions of the school and financial support from the parish might have been part of the problem. In. 1935 a parish historical booklet stated there was a $3,000 debt on the school building.

In the Autumn of 1933, Franciscan Sisters from Conception, Mo. began teaching at St. Boniface School. Sister Albertina OSF, and Sister Joan Lomer OSE were the first of this religious community to teach here. The Motherhouse of the Sisters was at Conception, Mo. from 1922-1935. (From 1935-1957 the Motherhouse was at Chillicothe, MO before moving to Savannah, Mo. where it remains.)

One of many Franciscan Sister-hoods, the School Sisters of St. Francis of Savannah, MO. were founded by Mother Franziska Wimmer (1824-1886) in Volkiabruck, Austria, in 1850. The first Sisters of this community came to Conception, nmunity came to Conception, northwestern Missouri in 1922. It was 13 years later that the Sisters were obtained to teach at Brunswick. Highest enrollment of 50 students was attained at the school in 1936.

The Sisters living at Brunswick meant that they also taught the students music, trained the altar servers and had charge as sacristans of the vestments and preparation of the sanctuary for Mass. In 1966 they taught the students the newly revised liturgy in the English language, as the former Latin and Gregorian music models were set aside. At their chapel, the Sisters prayed early in the morning, at mid day and at vespers in the evening for those they taught, lived among and the families of these people. While their lifestyle up to 1968 was proscribed by earlier monastic tradition, the prayerful presence of these women was evident in the Brunswick community.

Through the years, several young ladies in the Brunswick community admired the lifestyle of the Sisters of St. Francis and joined s of St. Francis and joined them. The following information was supplied by the Archives of the Sisters of St. Francis at Savannah, Mo. These six Sisters were Sister M. Agnella Straub OSF, Sister M. Ellen Straub QSF, Sister M. Jane Straub OSF, Sister Raphel Speichinger OSF (entered 1949 from St. Raphel Parish, Indian Grove, Mo.); Sister Mary Ellen Reichert OSF (entered 1953); and Sister Kathleen Riechert OSF, (entered 1963). Sister Kathleen Riechert is currently the Provincial Sister in the leadership of the province.

Sisters who were assigned to teach at St. Boniface School in the 1960’s include: Sr. Agatha Wanah, taught grades one-four from 1959-62; Sister Patricia Kepplinger was housekeeper from 1959-1964; Sister Bernadette Vierling taught grades five through eight, 1956-1962; Sister Robert (now Margaret) Walker taught grades one through four, 1962-1966; Sister Hilda Schweiger taught grades five through eight, 1962-1966; Sister Fidelis Murry taught grades one through four, 1967-68; and Sister Anur, 1967-68; and Sister Ancilla Grovijohn taught grades five through eight, 1965-68. Sister Ancilla served as the last principal of St. Boniface School. It was in 1968, following the directives of the Second Vatican. Council that the Sisters of St. Francis changed their religious dress to the contemporary veil and shorter dress. (In the 1980’s the term ‘Sister Superior’ was changed to ‘local leader’ in designating a Sister in charge of the local convent.)

Faced with declining enrollment, availability of teaching Sisters and financial problems, the St. Boniface School closed in May 1968. Religious education of the youth continued on the basis of a CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) program using lay catechists. These classes are held in the remodeled church basement. In 1983 the former school building was razed and the space is now a parking lot.

Although the School Sisters of St. Francis are not present in the community of Brunswick, their former students and , their former students and families, and the total people of Brunswick are kept in the prayerful hearts and minds of the Sisters at their present ministries, in the spiritual heritage of St. Francis of Assisi, the Sisters remain "channels of God’s peace" St. Boniface Parish too continues the spiritual development in 1998 that the original parishioners sought in 1870, 128 years ago.