Historian and archivist Stephanie George will present “From Colony to Community: 150 Years of St. Boniface Church, Anaheim,” at the March 9, 2017 meeting of the Orange County Historical Society. The meeting will be held at 7:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. 

St. Boniface—located in downtown Anaheim—was once the only Catholic parish in what’s now Orange County. From its beginnings, it’s been the worship community of regional and nationally-recognized individuals, provocateurs, immigrants, the devout, and the profane.

This presentation traces the roots of the parish through modern times within the context of Orange County history, including its relationship with Rancho Cañón de Santa Ana and Anaheim pioneers, its shifting ethnic profile, the influence of culture and Church tradition on its members, music, architecture, and practices, and its impact on and in the city of Anaheim and surrounding communities.

Stephanie George is Secretary of the OCHS, a local historian, an author, a board member for the California Council for the Promotion of History, and is Special Collections and Archives Librarian at Chapman University’s Frank Mt. Pleasant Library of Special Collections & Archives.