Saint Bonaventure

St. Bonaventure was established on June 5, 1957, in response to the growth of population in the North Hills.  The first Mass of the new parish was celebrated on June 14.  At first Mass was celebrated in an old mansion.  The altar was placed in the parlor and the congregation sat in the living room, dining room and hall.  These spaces were not large enough to seat the entire congregation, so the overflow spilled out onto the lawn.  For ten weeks this arrangement continued.  Knowing that they could not depend on good weather every Sunday, a parish committee searched for a larger space that could accommodate the entire congregation.  They settled on the Undercliff Volunteer Fire Company hall.

During this time, work was begun on a school building that would include a temporary church.  In the original plans, the temporary church would be converted to either a gym or auditorium once a permanent church was completed.  Ground for the new building was broken on May 11, 1958.  The cornerstone was laid on September 7, 1958, and the completed building was dedicated on June 14, 1959.

By the late 1970's, the parish began considering building a new church.  However, after studying the issue, the parish decided that it could not afford a new building.  Instead, the decision was made to renovate the temporary church into a permanent church.  The renovation began in 1981 and the completed church was blessed on February 14, 1982.