For about 1-1/2 years, the St. Boniface Catholic Church rectory in Elgin has set virtually empty. Aside from an occasional meeting held there or the hum from the heating/air conditioning unit and kitchen refrigerator, silence has been the norm. A light coating of dust settled on furniture and that distinctive smell of a building being closed up became noticeable.
Now, all of that has come to an end as new life has been given to the historic building.
Beginning in January, volunteers of the St. Boniface parish began the task of cleaning, refurbishing and re-purposing the 77-year-old structure.
The project was put into motion with some idle talk during an Altar Society meeting last summer.
“We (Altar Society members) saw the rectory sitting empty”, said Altar Society President Betty Getzfred “and we knew the need for housing or a place for people to stay when they visited”. All there taking part in the discussion agreed that it could be beneficial as a service to the parishioners in the instance of weddings, funerals, family reunions and more. Getzfred approached Fr. John Norman about the discussion and he agreed, giving the green light to the Altar Society to tackle the project.
….see more at this week’s Elgin Review.
