About Saint Boniface · Westphalia, Iowa
Saint Boniface Catholic Church is a historic Roman Catholic parish in the tiny German-Catholic farming community of Westphalia, Iowa (Shelby County), within the Diocese of Des Moines. The parish was established in the early 1870s to serve German settlers who founded the town around their faith, and the 1882 brick church — along with the rectory, school, cemetery chapel and surrounding grounds — is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Saint Boniface Catholic Church District. The current canonical administrator is Father Michael Antoh, who also pastors the neighboring St. Mary parishes in Panama and Portsmouth as part of a Shelby County collaborative. Sunday and Wednesday Masses are celebrated weekly in this close-knit rural community that still gathers around its 19th-century sanctuary.
- Established
- 1872
- Patron
- Saint Boniface (Winfrid, c. 675–754), English Benedictine missionary and 'Apostle of Germany,' Archbishop of Mainz, martyr
- Rector
- Father Michael Antoh (Canonical Administrator, Shelby County cluster of St. Boniface–Westphalia, St. Mary of the Assumption–Panama, and St. Mary (Our Lady of Fatima)–Portsmouth)
- Diocese
- Diocese of Des Moines
Why belong here
Saint Boniface welcomes anyone seeking a small, historic rural Catholic community rooted in German Catholic heritage and shaped by the pioneering cooperative tradition of the Duren era. The parish still celebrates Mass on Sunday mornings and Wednesdays in its beautifully simple 1882 Romanesque Revival brick church — part of an NRHP-listed historic district that also includes the rectory, former parochial school, cemetery chapel and Shrine of Our Lady of Grace. Worship here is part of a tight-knit Shelby County cluster of three parishes served by Father Michael Antoh, and the wider community's annual 4th of July Parish Picnic remains a much-loved tradition that brings neighbors and visitors together.
Mass times at Saint Boniface
Weekly Mass schedule
History of the Parish
Saint Boniface was established in the early 1870s to serve German Catholic settlers who founded the village of Westphalia around their church. Bishop John Hennessy of Dubuque bought the land and the parish was formally established in 1873 (the parish itself commemorates a 1872 founding, which it celebrated as its 150th anniversary in 2022). After a stint in the Diocese of Davenport (1881) and the erection of the Diocese of Des Moines in 1911, the parish was incorporated in 1912 and has continued ever since as a small rural worshipping community.
- 1870s — German Catholic settlers under Herman Schwarte found the village around their faith
- First Mass celebrated in the Emil Flusche home
- 1872/1873 — parish established; cemetery laid out c. 1874
- 1882 — brick church built and dedicated by Bishop John McMullen of Davenport
- 1888 — rectory built during Msgr. Brommenschenkel's pastorate
- 1911 — reassigned to the new Diocese of Des Moines
- 1912 — parish formally incorporated
- 1926 — Rev. Hubert Duren begins a transformative 36-year pastorate
- 2022 — 150th anniversary celebrated
The Duren Era and the Complete Life Program
Rev. Hubert Duren arrived in 1926 and almost single-handedly revived the struggling farm town through the 'Complete Life Program,' an integrated effort linking religion, education, recreation, commerce and credit. His response to the Depression — the Westphalia Consumers Cooperative Association, modeled on the Rochdale cooperative and inspired by Quadragesimo Anno (1931) — gave struggling farm families a way to make a just living. He also founded the Villa Nova homes program (which pooled residents' labor so they could own their own homes), a parish credit union, a cooperative store, and a gas station.
- 1927 — parochial school built
- c. 1927 — community ball diamond laid out
- 1930 — Shrine of Our Lady of Grace constructed
- 1933 — 'First Fruits' corn crib built
- 1934 — parish clubhouse built
Architecture and the Historic Campus
The 1882 Romanesque Revival church was designed by Dubuque architect Fridolin Heer and built with bricks fired on site. A central bell tower with spire and three front entry doors define the simple, dignified facade. The interior once held a rich reredos, statues and stenciling, most of which was removed in a 1971 renovation. The 1888 two-story rectory was designed by the Omaha firm Creeglon and Berlinghof, and the 1927 parochial school was designed by Lahr and Stangel of Omaha. A small frame Romanesque Revival Chapel of St. Joseph stands near the cemetery gate.
- Church (1882) — Romanesque Revival, Fridolin Heer of Dubuque
- Rectory (1888) — Creeglon and Berlinghof, Omaha
- Parochial school (1927) — Lahr and Stangel, Omaha
- Chapel of St. Joseph near cemetery gate — frame, Romanesque Revival
- Stucco applied to church and rectory in 1919
National Register of Historic Places
On October 3, 1991, the parish campus was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as the 'Saint Boniface Catholic Church District' (reference No. 91001449), within the 'Ethnic Historic Settlement of Shelby and Audubon Counties' multiple property submission. At nomination the district contained 16 resources: six contributing buildings (the church, rectory, parochial school, clubhouse, cemetery chapel and barn), one contributing structure (the 'First Fruits' corn crib), two contributing sites (the cemetery and ball diamond), one contributing object (the Shrine of Our Lady of Grace), six noncontributing buildings, and one noncontributing object.
Parish Cemetery
The parish cemetery was laid out c. 1874, the year after the parish was established, and is one of the two contributing sites on the historic district. It is distinguished by a significant collection of cast-iron and hand-wrought-iron grave crosses — a folk-art feature called out specifically in the historic nomination.
Shrine of Our Lady of Grace
Built in 1930 during Father Duren's pastorate, the outdoor Shrine of Our Lady of Grace stands on the parish grounds and is listed as the district's contributing object on the National Register.
Current Pastor and Shelby County Cluster
St. Boniface is currently served as a canonical-administrator parish within a tri-parish Shelby County cluster. Father Michael Antoh — a priest from Ghana, ordained in 2001 and formerly a parish priest of four parishes with 18 outstations in his home diocese — was welcomed to the Diocese of Des Moines and assigned as canonical administrator over St. Boniface in Westphalia together with St. Mary of the Assumption in Panama and St. Mary (Our Lady of Fatima) in Portsmouth.
- Father Michael Antoh, ordained 2001
- Originally from Ghana
- St. Peter's Regional Seminary (Ghana), 2001
- Post-graduate work at the University of Cape Coast, 2002
Mass and Worship Schedule
Worship at St. Boniface is intentionally simple and rooted in its rural setting. The parish publishes a weekly Mass schedule through the Diocese of Des Moines and a Parishes Online profile; current published times as carried by the diocese directory and Discover Mass are Sunday morning and Wednesday morning Mass.
- Sunday — 8:30 a.m.
- Wednesday — 8:30 a.m.
- Diocesan Rite: Roman-Latin
Parish Life and Community
Although a small parish in a village of roughly 126 people, St. Boniface remains a focal point of Westphalia's community life — a role it has held since the 1870s. The parish and town cooperate closely, and the annual St. Boniface 4th of July Parish Picnic remains a marquee fundraiser and community gathering.
- Annual 4th of July Parish Picnic (see the parish Facebook page)
- Historic cooperative heritage still celebrated locally
Visiting and Contact
Visitors are welcome at the parish office, rectory and weekend Mass. The mail and physical address is on Duren Street in the heart of Westphalia. Because the parish is part of a three-parish cluster, scheduling for sacraments such as weddings, baptisms and funerals typically goes through the central parish office.
- Address: 207 Duren Street, Westphalia, IA 51578
- Phone: (712) 627-4255
- Email: [email protected]
- Profile: Parishes Online / Diocese of Des Moines directories
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Weberprior to/during 1882
Pastor when the brick church was built; Bishop John McMullen of Davenport dedicated the finished church in 1882.
- Msgr. Brommenschenkelafter 1882
Built the two-story rectory (1888) and the carriage house/barn during his pastorate.
- Rev. Hubert Duren1926–c. 1962 (36-year pastorate)
Transformed the community through the Complete Life Program, the Westphalia Consumers Cooperative Association (inspired by Quadragesimo Anno and the Rochdale cooperative), the Villa Nova homes program, a parish credit union, cooperative store and gas station. During his tenure the parochial school (1927), ball diamond (c. 1927), Shrine of Our Lady of Grace (1930), corn crib 'First Fruits' (1933) and clubhouse (1934) were built.