“The Harvest is Plenty” is a pastoral letter from Bishop William Murphy, Bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre.
Click here to read a digital edition of Bishop Murphy’s letter.
The Harvest is Plenty
February 22, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Church Renovation Plans
February 8, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Our Church building’s current floor plan.
A proposed floor plan for the renovation of St. Boniface Church.
New Year’s and Epiphany
December 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment
New Year’s Eve: Thursday, December 31, 2013 Mary, Mother of God
- Mass: 5:00 PM
New Year’s Day, Thursday, January 1, 2014 Mary, Mother of God
- Masses: 8:00 AM & 10:15 AM
Epiphany of the Lord, January 5, 2014
- Traditional Blessing of he Doors at all the Masses
Advent at St. Boniface
November 30, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Blessing of the Creche and Christmas Tree Lighting, Saturday, December 14, 2013 6:15pm: Caroling on a Horse-drawn Wagon, ending with Hot Dogs, Hot Cocoa, Cookies, Santa and more!
Many families display an Advent Wreath in their homes, and before dinner say prayers of blessing before lighting the candle. The Advent Wreath is the main symbol of the season. You will notice that the wreath has four (4) candles, representing the four weeks of Advent. Each week we light a candle to remind us that the time of salvation draws near. Three of the candles are purple (the first, second and fourth week) — purple is the color of waiting, conversion and hope. The third week we light a pink or rose-colored candle. It is in the third week that we first hear in the Scriptures of the coming of the Messiah. The color of joy is white and when that is mixed with purple is creates pink. But even in that joy of hearing of the Messiah, we are reminded to continue to focus on our preparations and hence the fourth week is again a purple candle. If you go online you can find prayers for each weeks blessings. How wonderful a custom to be able to bring the symbols of the season into our homes!
St. Boniface Giving Tree: The Annual Saint Boniface Giving Tree to benefit Madonna Heights has once again been set up in the vestibule of the church. Madonna Heights, helps adolescent girls, women and families overcome the devastating effects of poverty, neglect and abuse. Please help the young women in their care feel special during this Christmas season by taking a tag from the tree. All gifts should be returned unwrapped by Sunday, December 15th. Your gift will go a long way in helping those Madonna Heights serves. Thank you for your generosity.
Christmas Pageant: The Christmas Pageant will take place December 24 after 4pm Mass. More information to follow.
Fr. Fee
November 30, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Father Fee sensed in 1959 that it was time to build: the lovely small church built in 1900 seated just over 300; the School (built in 1928) needed more classrooms; the greater number of classrooms would demand more teachers and, hence, more convent space; and the rectory which had never been large enough, would in any event be demolished if a larger church were to be built.
With Father Fee’s leadership and much work and sacrifice on the part of St. Boniface lay people, a fund-raising campaign began in 1960.
The goal of a quarter-million-dollars was quickly oversubscribed, six additional classrooms were completed within the original school building; an extension providing for thirteen sisters was added to the Convent; and an adjacent house was bought and made into a Rectory. A new and larger church building was designed and constructed. All of this took until 1964 to complete.
The Parish continued to prosper and to grow, and as one observer from outside the Parish Family noted, Father Fee played “a dignified and important role in Sea Cliff”, as well as in the St. Boniface community. Father Fee was and still continues to be Chaplain of the North Shore Firemen’s Holy Name Society.
Finally he reached the age of obligatory retirement, and on February 23, 1980, his successor, Reverend Donald F. Diederich was installed as Pastor. Father Fee, as Pastor Emeritus, continues to live and serve among us. On April 17, 1980, North Shore Kiwanis Club of Long Island proclaimed Father Fee their “1980 Citizen of the Year” with a dinner at the Swan Club in Glenwood Landing, “in recognition of his leadership and unselfish contributions to his church and the people of this com-muni ty ••• ”
On June 10, 1980, Father Fee celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of his ordination; and on June 15th, the Parish held a dinner in his honor in the School Auditorium to try to express thanks for Father Fee’s countless acts of charity and grace during the nearly quarter-century he had served the Parish as Pastor. (It was later discovered that Father Fee had insisted on picking up the tab for the dinner! )
Renovation of St. Boniface Church 1985
November 29, 2013 by Leave a Comment
“The renovated church, re-dedicated on March 24, 1985, by Bishop McGann, gave St. Boniface a stronger sense of active participation in the liturgy. Further involvement with music was encouraged, and a musical director was hired. The involvement of scores of Eucharistic Ministers and lectors were also enlisted.
Changes in the church itself included removal of the altar rail, creation of a permanent altar facing the people, addition of a wide but shallow sanctuary and a re-positioning of the pews to bring the congregation and celebrant closer together. The original baptismal font was relocated to the sanctuary and the tabernacle was re-positioned to a place of prominence in the sanctuary.
Architectural history was preserved by refashioning the original marble altars into a single permanent altar, a substantial base for the tabernacle, and the eye-catching face of the ambo. Original oakleaf fretwork from the communion rail adorned the wall above the tabernacle.”
– from “Touching Lives Across a Century”, published to celebrate the Centennial of St. Boniface Martyr Parish, 1998
November 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The present church building at St. Boniface Parish, the second to stand at the same location, was dedicated in a solemn ceremony held there on May 3, 1964. The first Bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, Walter P. Kellenberg, D.D., presided, and the sermon was preached by Auxiliary Bishop Vincent J. Baldwin, who had been Pastor at St. Boniface in the early 1950’s. The new church replaced the first church, which had been dedicated on April 22, 1900 by Bishop McDonnell.
A History of Our Parish written in 1983
November 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment
This is a history of St. Boniface Parish compiled by Bill Barlow which appeared in a parish publication named “The Parishioner” in July, 1983 as Sea Cliff was celebrating its centennial.
From “The Parishioner”, July, 1983: A History of St. Boniface Parish Bill Barlow(.pdf version)
ASR Service Auction
November 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment
A fun evening, and an important fundraiser for our school!
