The original St. Boniface Church, built at Sutter St. and Trinity place was dedicated on April 15, 1860. It was the center of the German Catholic community who then occupied much of the Tenderloin District in San Francisco.
On July 29, 1900 the cornerstone was laid for a new church at the current site on Golden Gate Avenue not far from Market Street. After only a few years, the church was severely damaged by the great earthquake of 1906 and left a burned-out shell by the devastating
fire that followed. Undaunted, parishioners , civic leaders, and the ever-faithful Franciscan Friars rose to the task of rebuilding
the church, friary, and school. Like the mythical Phoenix, a spectacular new structure rose literally from the ashes and, by 1908,
the ornate <architectural style> church welcomed the familiar faces of long-time parishioners and the new faces accompanying
the changing cultural milieu of the Tenderloin.
In 2002, in an effort to save the beloved St. Boniface from
City-mandated demolition because of seismic inadequacies, a quiet miracle was happening on Golden Gate Avenue. The persistent
prayers, works, fasting and commitment of the Franciscan Community, particularly of Friar Louie Vitale, OFM, and of St. Boniface parishioners
were rewarded with abundant graces. In one of the most financially-challenged parishes in Northern California, over 12 million
dollars was raised and a complete seismic repair and retrofit project was planned and completed within five years. Surely, God
sees the need of the continued presence of our Franciscan brothers in the Tenderloin.
