Bismarck Tribune

By KAREN HERZOGBy KAREN HERZOG

The churches are about 25 miles apart, close enough that the former parishioners of St. Boniface Church can drive to St. Katherine's if they want to visit the beloved furnishings from their now closed century-old rural church, which celebrated its final Mass on Dec. 31.

St. Boniface is southwest of Napoleon in the Fargo Catholic Diocese and St. Katherine's is in Braddock in the Bismarck Diocese, but both observe Catholic canon law, which is very specific about what a church may do with its furnishings upon closing.

St. Boniface decided to take its bells, its statue of St. Boniface and its Pieta to create a shrine in its cemetery. Other items, including a nearly 100-year-old high altar originally from a church in Aberdeen, S.D., side altars, statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Virgin Mary, large angel candelabra, vestments, a baptismal font, Stations of the Cross and more, were given to St. Katherine's.

Members of St. Katherine's were excited to receive the furniture and fittings, and spent an intense five weeks refurbishing the church to fit them into their new spaces. The three-dimensional Stations of the Cross are 80 to 90 years old, St. Katherine's members estimate, and were in very good shape, needing only a bit of touch-up paint. The large altar consists of six pieces, which were taken apart for easier transport and painting, they said.

"St. Boniface people are happy to have (these) saved," said the Rev. Gary Benz, pastor of four Emmons County parishes including St. Katherine's.

And St. Katherine's members were happy to receive them. While Masses moved downstairs during Lent, church members worked hard to get the walls freshly painted and new carpet and laminate floor laid down in time for Easter. Connie Wolbaum said that workers were there every day during the five weeks; others, including Pete Naaden, joined her in putting in 12- to 14-hour days, including weekends, to get the work done.

"When we needed people for special projects, they came," Wolbaum said. "We had the talents."

Members decided to sell the old, now very collectible, Fire King dishes used for church suppers to pay for the wall paint, Wolbaum said. After advertising in the church bulletin, enough money was raised from the sale of the dishes to buy the paint as well as the laminate flooring, with some left over, she said.

The next project, this summer, will be to repaint the basement, she said.

Now the white high altar, with just 2 inches taken from the top, fits snugly into the back of the sanctuary, its gold detailing gleaming from the light coming through the western windows. An alcove off the sanctuary holds the baptismal font, and the two angel statues flank either side of the altar. Facing the congregation are the Sacred Heart and Virgin Mary statues. St. Katherine's tabernacle and crucifix were placed into the high altar, which was painted white with soft green accents. The 14 Stations of the Cross line the church on both long walls.

"We had the resurrection Easter Sunday when we moved back upstairs," Benz said.

Pius and Veronica Schmidt, who had been members at St. Boniface, went to St. Katherine's on Good Friday to see the familiar altars, statues and stations in their new home.

St. Katherine's folks thanked them for giving the altar, she said.

"They were very thankful, and so was Father (Benz) for the things we gave," Schmidt said.

Though parishioners were sad at the closing of their church, "I'm sure glad we could give it to Braddock, so we could go up and see it," she said.

"It's really beautiful. I think it's the nicest church around now," Schmidt said.

"If Mass is heaven on earth," beauty like this helps elevate the worship experience, Benz said.

Along with furniture, St. Boniface donated magnificent vestments, including one in purple that will be used next Lent, Benz said. Exquisite bands of embroidery in a vine-and-flower pattern edge the garment; the back is embroidered with a pelican shown offering pieces of its own flesh to feed its young.

Appropriately for this gift from one church to another, the pelican motif symbolizes sacrifice for the nurture of others.

(Reach Karen Herzog at 250-8267 or karen.herzog@;bismarcktribune.com.)