About St. Boniface · Fort Smith, Arkansas
St. Boniface Catholic Church is a bilingual (English/Spanish) parish in Fort Smith, Arkansas, belonging to the Diocese of Little Rock's West River Valley Deanery. Founded in 1886 by German Catholic immigrant families who came to build the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad, the parish has grown from 50 founding families into a multicultural community of roughly 550 families. Today the parish is pastored by Fr. Mario Jacobo and offers perpetual Eucharistic adoration, a parish religious education program (PREP), a vibrant music ministry, and active Hispanic ministry, all rooted in a striking English Gothic church with stained-glass windows made in Munich.
- Established
- 1886
- Patron
- St. Boniface (Wynfrith of Wessex), Benedictine monk and Apostle of Germany
- Rector
- Father Mario Jacobo
- Diocese
- Diocese of Little Rock (West River Valley Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Boniface is a rare parish where five-generation families still sit alongside newly arrived Hispanic families under the same roof, all welcomed in their own language — English at the 4 pm Saturday vigil and 10 am Sunday Mass, and Spanish at the 8 am and 1 pm Sunday Masses and the Wednesday evening Mass. Worship is enriched by a restored 1896 pipe organ, Munich stained-glass windows, perpetual Eucharistic adoration in the Divine Mercy Chapel, and First Friday devotions. The parish offers a Parish Religious Education Program (P.R.E.P.) for K–12, lay-led music and Hispanic ministries, OCIA for adults, a school-to-parish legacy, and a strong commitment to sacramental preparation — a community where the Benedictine heritage of welcoming newcomers remains a lived tradition.
Mass times at St. Boniface
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 3:00 – 3:30 p.m.
- Wednesday 5:00 p.m.
- By appointment (call the parish office)
Adoration times
- Perpetual adoration 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in the Divine Mercy Chapel (west side of the church office at 1820 N. B St.)
Our Parish Story
St. Boniface Catholic Church was organized in 1886 as a German-heritage parish to serve the wave of Catholic immigrants building the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad. From those 50 founding families the parish has grown into a multicultural faith community of about 550 families, served today in both English and Spanish.
- Mission: 'To grow as Saints through our commitment to our Baptismal promises to serve others, share the Gospel, and pray for each other.'
- Located in the Diocese of Little Rock, West River Valley Deanery, Sebastian County, Arkansas.
Church History
Bishop Fitzgerald granted German-speaking Catholics permission to form their own parish in the 1880s and donated the Fitzgerald Addition block of land on which the first frame church, rectory, and school were built. The first pastor, Father Pius Boehm, OSB, organized 50 families; Benedictine priests and sisters then staffed the parish and school for over a century.
- 1886 — Parish organized; Father Pius Boehm, OSB appointed pastor.
- 1887 — Ecclesiastical permission to build St. Boniface Church; original frame church, rectory, and school completed.
- 1896 — First pipe organ in Fort Smith installed at St. Boniface.
- 1911 — St. Boniface School built.
- 1938 — Current English Gothic-style church built.
- 1939 — Emil Frei (Munich) stained-glass windows installed.
- 1998 — Benedictine priests withdrawn; last Benedictine pastor was Father Placidus Eckart, OSB.
- 2002 — Sanctuary, statues, stations of the cross and Nativity restored.
- 2007 — Historic pipe organ refurbished.
- 2011–2012 — 125th anniversary year celebrated (German dinners, open house, Father Placidus Memorial Golf Tournament, Our Lady of Guadalupe dinner).
- July 2019 — St. Boniface School closed after more than a century.
Mass & Worship Schedule
St. Boniface offers a robust bilingual Mass schedule each week, with weekday Masses celebrated in the Adoration Chapel on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Holy Day Masses are announced as scheduled.
- Saturday Vigil: 4:00 p.m. (English)
- Sunday: 8:00 a.m. (Spanish), 10:00 a.m. (English), 1:00 p.m. (Spanish)
- Tuesday: 8:00 a.m. (English, Adoration Chapel)
- Wednesday: 6:00 p.m. (Spanish)
- Thursday: 8:00 a.m. (English, Adoration Chapel)
- Friday: 8:00 a.m. (English, Adoration Chapel)
- Holy Days: As announced
Parish Staff & Clergy
The parish is staffed by a bilingual pastor, two deacons, and a team of parish-office personnel responsible for faith formation, Hispanic ministry, music, business, and administration.
- Father Mario Jacobo — Pastor ([email protected])
- Deacon Brad Brown — Deacon
- Deacon Jaime Flores — Deacon
- Mrs. Sarah Nguyen — Parish Secretary
- Mrs. Tara Carter — Director of Faith and Formation (Director of Religious Education)
- Mrs. Elizabeth DeLeon — Business Manager
- Mrs. Maria Vazquez — Hispanic Ministry Secretary
- Ann Furr — Music Director
Faith Formation & Religious Education
The Parish Religious Education Program (P.R.E.P.) — Educación Religiosa Parroquial — supports parents as the primary educators of their children, providing religious education for students in kindergarten through 12th grade who attend non-Catholic schools. Sessions meet Wednesday evenings from 6:00 – 7:15 p.m. in the school building. Sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation is coordinated through PREP and the parish Director of Faith Formation.
- P.R.E.P. for K–12, Wednesday evenings 6:00 – 7:15 p.m.
- First Reconciliation and First Communion preparation: usually age 7 / 2nd grade, with one prior year of religious education required.
- Confirmation preparation: 9th grade in the West River Valley Deanery; one prior year of religious education required.
- OCIA for unbaptized adults and for baptized adults seeking Confirmation.
Music Ministry
Music Ministry supports the Saturday 4 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. Masses, drawing on cantors, an Adult Choir, and a guitar group. The Adult Choir sings for Christmas Eve Midnight Mass, Holy Week, Confirmation, and about once a month at the 10 a.m. Mass, and rehearses on Wednesdays from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. in the choir loft. The parish's historic pipe organ, first installed in Fort Smith in 1896, was restored in 2007.
- Anne Furr — Director of Music (also credited on site as Anne Furr).
- Adult Choir — rehearses Wednesdays 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. in the choir loft.
- Cantor Ministry — including Lori Boyd, also a lector and Eucharistic minister.
- Guitar Group — Frank Sprick and Steven and Janet Gabrey present music at three Masses per month.
Hispanic Ministry
Hispanic Ministry supports the Spanish-speaking members of the parish, who are the newest wave in the parish's long tradition of welcoming immigrant Catholics. Spanish-language Masses are celebrated on Sunday at 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m., and on Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m.
- Maria Vazquez — Hispanic Ministry Secretary.
- Spanish Mass schedule: Sun. 8:00 a.m., Sun. 1:00 p.m., Wed. 6:00 p.m.
- Annual cultural celebrations include the parish's Our Lady of Guadalupe dinner.
Sacraments
The parish prepares members for the seven sacraments in keeping with the Diocese of Little Rock's guidelines. Sacramental preparation begins with the parents' intention and a baptism information session, and, for older children and adults, with OCIA. Marriage requires a six-month preparation period; First Communion and Reconciliation are typically received in 2nd grade; Confirmation is typically received in 9th grade.
- Baptism — Register at the parish office; baptism preparation class for parents and godparents; older children and adults enter OCIA.
- Eucharist — First Communion typically at age 7, after one year of religious education.
- Reconciliation — First Reconciliation preparation paired with First Communion; communal services during Advent and Lent.
- Confirmation — 9th grade in the deanery; adults through OCIA; contact the Director of Faith Formation.
- Marriage — Six-month diocesan preparation including catechesis, interviews, premarital assessment, retreat, and liturgy planning.
- Anointing of the Sick — By appointment.
The Church Building & Sacred Art
The parish's English Gothic church of 1938 is recognized locally for its stained-glass windows and pipe organ. The sanctuary houses 42 relics, more than any other church in Arkansas according to parish sources.
- English Gothic-style architecture, completed 1938.
- Stained glass: Emil Frei Company, Munich, installed 1939, restored and protected.
- Pipe organ: the first installed in Fort Smith, 1896; restored 2007.
- Bells and the altar of the Blessed Virgin transferred from the original 1887 frame church.
- Sanctuary, statues, stations of the cross and Nativity restored in 2002.
- 42 relics displayed in the sanctuary.
Getting Involved & Heritage Events
Parish life is rooted in a multicultural, multi-generational community where descendants of the original 50 German families sit alongside recently arrived Hispanic families. The parish has historically used cultural events — most recently an annual Christkindl Market — to raise funds for ongoing restoration and parish needs, including the bells of the original church.
- Volunteer opportunities in music, faith formation, lectors, and Eucharistic ministry.
- Hispanic Ministry engagement through Maria Vazquez in the parish office.
- Heritage celebrations: Christkindl Market (renamed from the holiday market), German dinners during Catholic Schools Week, Father Placidus Memorial Golf Tournament.
Visit, Contact & Office Hours
The parish office is at 1820 N. B Street, Fort Smith, AR 72901, and is staffed Monday through Friday. The parish welcomes newcomers, visitors, and those interested in becoming parishioners.
- Address: 1820 N. B Street, Fort Smith, AR 72901.
- Phone: (479) 783-6711.
- Email (pastor): [email protected].
- Office Hours: Mon.–Thu. 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (closed for lunch 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.); Fri. 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon.
- Website: https://www.stbonifacefortsmith.com/
- Facebook: St. Boniface Catholic Church.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Pius Boehm, OSB1885–?
First pastor; a Benedictine from St. Meinrad's Abbey in Indiana. Organized the 50 family congregation and oversaw construction of the original frame church, rectory, and school.
- Father Placidus Eckart, OSB
Recognized as the last Benedictine pastor to serve at St. Boniface before the order's withdrawal in 1998; honored by a memorial golf tournament during the 125th anniversary celebrations.
- Father Jon McDougal
Pastor during the parish's 125th anniversary celebrations in 2011–2012.
- Father Mario Jacobo
Current pastor.