“This is all for my school. That is what is closest to my heart, and I do not spare any expense in order to offer my students every opportunity to learn, first what is necessary, but then also that which is useful and pleasant, to the extent that it contributes Read more
“I have also found several Catholic families who now have no religion at all, and whose children are not even baptized. But they are also the ones who live farthest away from the church… How much care I have already put into talking to them, visiting them, instructing them! And Read more
“Pastoral ministry we practice in the two counties, Westmoreland and Indiana, with the exception of a limited region that lies between the two, surrounding the town of Blairsville. In that district, the vicar general of the diocese, Father Stillinger, ministers. He is of German descent, born in America. These counties Read more
One year after Boniface Wimmer arrived at the future Saint Vincent, he wrote: “We now are three priests, three clerics, three scholastics, and one organist (who also is a teacher), which equals ten. Then there are 24 lay brothers. Several of the brothers have more than one trade, such as Read more
At the request of the bishop, Fr. Boniface had agreed in the summer of 1847 to celebrate mass for the Catholics of the little town of Indiana once a month. Since this place is located along the road between St. Vincent and St. Mary’s, about 90 miles from the latter, Read more
The truth of these words was also proven in the young monastic community of St. Vincent. If it is true that “all beginnings are difficult,” it was all the more so for Fr. Boniface and his brothers, since they had to lay the ground work for a great endeavor far Read more
“America is not Germany, and there is only one Bavaria. Many of the Bavarian immigrants who live out in the country have only water to drink, which is often not even good. If they knew that at home, most of them would have no reason to emigrate. I have already Read more
“Will I take in yet more brothers? I would indeed be very happy to accept a cartwright, as well as a cabinet maker and a competent bricklayer who would be knowledgeable enough to draw up a building plan and work from it. I would also be happy to have a Read more
“We do suffer a good deal from winter. There is nothing nastier than an American winter. Up until close to Christmas the weather is rather mild. However, then it gets ferociously cold. At times, there is pouring rain, then east and north winds bring loads of snow, which the southern Read more
My parish covers a whole county of 42,000 inhabitants scattered over 19 towns and many individual farms. How long it takes for the shepherd to get to know his sheep! Those farthest away need eight to nine hours to get to church. Only when there will be more churches and Read more