Churches of Rochester
St. Boniface

St. Boniface

Active

City of Rochester, Monroe County

St. Boniface Parish was founded in December 1859 to serve German Catholic families in southeastern Rochester who had previously worshiped at St. Joseph's downtown. A group of men petitioned for a new parish closer to where they lived, and their request was granted.

The parish's original Gothic church was built in 1887 and blessed by Bishop McQuaid on December 18 of that year. Considered one of the finest churches in Rochester, the interior measured 130 feet long and 63 feet wide, with a tower rising 195 feet above its foundation. The altars, communion rail, and pulpit were handcrafted from oak by sculptor A. Halstrick, with the main altar standing 27 feet high by 16 feet wide. Beautiful stained glass windows depicted the life of St. Boniface.

Tragedy struck on November 6, 1957, when workers installing a new roof accidentally set the 70-year-old church ablaze with sparks from a charcoal fire pot. Among those watching the three-alarm fire consume the beloved church were Cardinal Francis Spellman and Bishop James E. Kearney, who had been in Rochester for Bishop Kearney's 25th anniversary celebration.

Yet within months, St. Boniface rose from the ashes. The new church, featuring simple, modern architecture, was completed in just ten months and opened on March 6, 1960. Bishop Lawrence B. Casey consecrated the altars on March 29, 1960. Today, St. Boniface is part of the Southeast Rochester Catholic Community cluster.

Exterior Photographs

Exterior. Front seen from left angle. Right side of the church. Left side of the church. Cornerstone of church. Statue of St. Boniface. Church sign. Smaller church sign. Nativity school. School sign. Historic site marker on the rectory. Our Lady of Fatima shrine. Statue behind convent. Convent. Convent cornerstone. Historic site marker on the convent.

Interior Photographs

Interior. From back left corner. Right side. From front left corner. Back of the church. From front right corner. Left side. From back right corner. Sanctuary. Sanctuary. Sanctuary seen from right angle. Altar and celebrant chair. Ambo. St. Boniface image. Side altar with tabernacle. Right side altar. Crucifix. Statue of St. Joseph. Statue of Our Lady. Sacred Heart statue. Statue of St. Boniface. Baptismal font. Ambry. Narthex.

Stations of the Cross

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Historical Photographs

Original church. Source: Life and Letters of Bp. McQuaid Postcard illustration of the church. Source: Rochester Public Library local history division Photograph of church, 1890. Source: Rochester Public Library local history division Exterior, 1892. Source: Roman Catholic Institutions of the City of Rochester Another photograph of the church, early 1900s. Source: Albert R. Stone Negative Collection Exterior of former church, 1939. Source: Catholic Courier Golden Jubilee Edition: 1889-1939 Nice aerial photograph of the St. Boniface campus. Two houses once stood on the spot of the present parking lot. Source: Rochester Public Library Sanctuary of the former church, 1951. Child standing outside of the main entrance to St. Boniface, 1953. The stained glass windows above the door are somewhat visible in this photograph. Source: Images of America, Southeast Rochester Firefighters trying to control the fire at the former St. Boniface church.