About St. Boniface · Erie, Pennsylvania
St. Boniface Parish is a Catholic country church in the Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania, located at 9367 Wattsburg Road about three miles south of I-90 and Route 8 in the village of Hammett in Greene Township. Founded in 1857 by German and Irish immigrant farmers seeking a spiritual home south of the city, the parish is led today by Very Rev. Marc Stockton, JCL, with Deacon Timothy G. Good. It is a welcoming community of roughly the same rural character, offering daily and weekend Masses, a faith-formation program, a preschool, a Knights of Columbus council, a food pantry, and a parish cemetery (Mount of Olives).
- Established
- 1857
- Patron
- St. Boniface (patron saint of Germany)
- Rector
- Very Rev. Marc Stockton, JCL
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Erie, Pennsylvania
Why belong here
St. Boniface is a country parish where nearly everyone knows each other by name. Daily Mass is offered Tuesday through Saturday, with two Sunday Masses and Saturday confession before the Vigil, complemented by Eucharistic Adoration, a parish preschool, religious education and youth ministry, an active Knights of Columbus council, a Welcome Team for newcomers, and a bi-weekly food pantry serving the Wattsburg School District. It is a community rooted in 165+ years of faith, hard work, and service along the Wattsburg Road corridor.
Mass times at St. Boniface
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:15–4:45 PM (or by appointment)
Adoration times
- Thursday 6:00–7:00 PM (last Thursday of the month)
Welcome to St. Boniface Parish
St. Boniface describes itself as a country church, built by German and Irish immigrants in 1857 and located three miles south of I-90 and Route 8. The parish's mission statement is to 'sow and nurture the seeds of God's saving love in the hearts and minds of all our neighbors and beyond by living the gospel.' Weekday Mass is offered Tuesday through Friday at 8:00 AM; weekend Masses are Saturday at 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM (Vigil) and Sunday at 7:30 and 10:30 AM. Holy Day schedules are published in the bulletin.
- 9367 Wattsburg Road, Erie, PA 16509
- Office phone: (814) 825-4439
- Email: [email protected]
- Sunday Mass also streamed online at 7:30 AM
Parish History
Founded in 1857 by German and Irish immigrant farmers who asked Bishop Young for a parish of their own. Their first pastor, Fr. Oberhofer, was sent to lead the community, which first worshipped in a parishioner's home before pooling resources to build a church. The original small wooden church was lost to fire in 1867, and the present church was erected in 1873 at a cost of $4,000. Over the decades the parish continually adapted — building schools, a brewery that bought farmers' grain for parish events, and now maintaining a preschool, religious education, and outreach ministries.
- 1857 — Parish established; first pastor Fr. Oberhofer
- Original wooden church built on a three-acre parcel with rectory and school
- 1867 — Original church burned down
- 1873 — Present church built at a cost of $4,000
- Timber cut on parish land was used to build St. Mary's Church on East 9th Street in Erie
- Parish once operated its own brewery for parish picnics and events
Clergy & Staff
The parish is led by Very Rev. Marc Stockton, JCL, Pastor, and served liturgically by Permanent Deacon Timothy G. Good. Lay staff carry out the parish's religious education, business, secretarial, music, property, and preschool work.
- Pastor: Rev. Marc Stockton, JCL
- Permanent Deacon: Rev. Mr. Timothy G. Good
- Director of Religious Education / Youth Minister: Jeanne (Jeannie) Yaple
- Business Manager: Sandee Krivonak
- Parish Secretary: Melanie Kennerknecht
- Preschool Director: Brooke Lander
- Property Manager: Carl Bozenhard
- Liturgical Music Contact: Mercita Hodapp
Faith Formation & Youth Ministry
Religious education and youth ministry are coordinated by Jeanne (Jeannie) Yaple, who serves as both Director of Religious Education and Youth Minister. The parish also offers an OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) program for adults preparing to enter the Church, an Adult Formation ministry for ongoing learning, and an Advancing Catholic Education Committee that helps parents consider enrollment in the Erie Catholic School System and access scholarship money including the STAR program and the Allgeier Scholarship.
- Director of Religious Education / Youth Minister: Jeannie Yaple
- OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults)
- Adult Formation
- Advancing Catholic Education Committee
- Allgeier Scholarship (parish-level) and STAR program (Diocese)
Liturgical Ministries
Lay faithful serve the parish's liturgies as Altar Servers, Greeters (Greeting Ministry), Choir members, and in the Ministry to the Sick and Homebound. The Choir is open to parishioners of high school age and older, with rehearsals Wednesday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 PM in the church, under the direction of Mercita Hodapp.
- Altar Servers
- Greeting Ministry (greeters)
- Choir (high school age+; Wednesday 7:00–9:00 PM)
- Ministry to the Sick and Homebound
Outreach & Charity
The parish's Outreach Ministry uses collaboration with other ministries inside and outside St. Boniface to identify resources and offer support to those facing financial, mental, or physical need. The St. Boniface Food Pantry distributes food free of charge to individuals and families in the Wattsburg School District (with an exception for Venango), operating every other Saturday morning with prep on Friday and early Saturday. Monthly Coffee and Donut Sundays (except June and December) are sponsored for the Food Pantry and offer fellowship after Sunday Masses.
- Outreach Ministry — contact Marty Kosiorek, 814-825-3854
- Food Pantry — held every other Saturday morning; call 814-825-1041 (Karen Allgeier)
- Coffee and Donut Sundays — sponsored for the Food Pantry; contact John Jaworski, 814-823-3116
Knights of Columbus — Council #13427
St. Boniface-Erie Council #13427 is the parish's Knights of Columbus council, open to any Catholic man age 18 and older. Guided by the principles of Charity, Unity, Faith, and Patriotism, the council continues the vision of the order's founder, Fr. Michael J. McGivney, who chartered the first Council on March 29, 1882 at St. Mary's Parish, New Haven, Connecticut. The council meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 PM in the Zapolski Conference Room.
- Grand Knight: David Lunger (814-897-3917)
- Meets first Thursday, 6:30 PM, Zapolski Conference Room
- Open to Catholic men age 18 and older
Welcome & Fellowship
The Welcome Team personally contacts and welcomes new parishioners and newly baptized into the parish family, preparing a special package of information and gifts for each new family and gift bags for newly baptized babies. The team connects newcomers with ministries and helps them feel a real sense of belonging.
- Welcome Team — contact Linda Gladitz, 814-873-9270
- Gift bags prepared for newly baptized babies
St. Boniface Preschool
St. Boniface Preschool operates at 9363 Wattsburg Road, Erie, PA 16509, sharing the parish's address on Route 8. The preschool is part of the parish's family of ministries and is directed by Brooke Lander. The main parish phone line — (814) 825-4439 — is used for preschool inquiries.
- Address: 9363 Wattsburg Road, Erie, PA 16509
- Phone: (814) 825-4439
- Preschool Director: Brooke Lander
Mount of Olives Cemetery & St. Mary Magdalene Columbarium
Mount of Olives Cemetery sits directly across Route 8 from the church and is a much-loved, much-visited sacred place offering affordable plots for both parishioners and non-parishioners, bodily burial and interment of cremains, and dutiful grounds maintenance. Its mission is to witness to the faith that 'Christ has gone before us to prepare a place for us.' A newer St. Mary Magdalene Columbarium offers 32 single niches and 32 double niches for cremated remains. Bodily burials and in-ground interment of cremated remains are not conducted November 15 – April 15 due to wet conditions.
- Parishioner grave: $450; non-parishioner $550
- Raised monument graves (Sections II & III)
- Infant graves under 36 inches in depth
- Two cremains permitted per grave
- Single columbarium niche from $605; double niche from $1,210
- Contact the parish office at 814-825-4439 for plot or niche purchases
Facilities & Contact
The parish campus includes the church at 9367 Wattsburg Road, the Coleman Center (814-825-8101), and hall rental space. The St. Boniface Preschool is located at 9363 Wattsburg Road, and Mount of Olives Cemetery is on the same address as the church.
- Office: 9367 Wattsburg Road, Erie, PA 16509
- Office phone: (814) 825-4439
- Coleman Center: (814) 825-8101
- Hall Rental: (814) 825-4439
- Email: [email protected]
Sacraments
Reconciliation is offered Saturday afternoons from 4:15 to 4:45 PM, or by appointment. Baptisms are celebrated in the parish and welcomed by the Welcome Team with gift bags. The Ministry to the Sick and Homebound brings Communion and pastoral visits to those unable to attend Mass, with parishioner visits three weeks per month and the pastor visiting once a month. Couples should contact the parish office to begin marriage preparation.
- Reconciliation: Saturday 4:15–4:45 PM or by appointment
- Baptism: contact the parish office
- Marriage: contact the parish office
- Anointing / Visitation to the sick: Ministry to the Sick and Homebound
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Oberhofer1857 (first pastor)
Sent by Bishop Young at the request of the founding German and Irish immigrant families.