Letter from Fr. Peter Blake, Wed, February 08, 2006 4:59 pm via e-mail to the History mailbox:
Hi Colleen,
Many thanks for the message and for the link to St. Boniface's website. I enjoyed
reminiscing as I saw the beautiful pictures of the Church.
I was assigned to St. Boniface in 1982 as an acolyte. Fr. Dave (Means) and Fr. (Charles) Clavenna were most gracious and I enjoyed being assigned there. Those were the days of Renew and I met many parishioners as I visited Renew groups. The people of St. Boniface were wonderful. I remember fondly the quilters, our housekeeper Gladys (Matthes), and the parishioners to whom I brought Holy Communion to each week. St. Boniface was a genuine faith community beginning to face the changes of a declining population, but committed to the mission of evangelization for the Carondelet neighborhood.
I was ordained a deacon
in 1983 and served for six more months at St. Boniface before being transferred.
Fr. Clavenna was reassigned, (to Wentzville, I think). In December I was ordained
to the priesthood and celebrated my first Mass on Gaudete Sunday, December 16th,
1983 in St. Boniface Church. I remember the Parish couldn't have been more wonderful
in helping me to celebrate such a wonderful beginning of ministry.
God Bless,
Fr. Pete
Father Pete is currently serving as the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Crystal City (Jefferson County, MO)