Photo Caption: Father Robert Rayson, pastor, and Msgr. Albert Hallin, pastor emeritus, ring a century-old church bell that members of St. Boniface Parish in Seymour named “St. Isidore” after the patron of farmers.

By: By Tom Dermody

SEYMOUR, Ill. (CNS) — The desperation of drought-stricken farmers in the Midwest was evidenced by what topped Mary Margaret O’Connor’s “day’s best memory” list as the July 8 celebration of her parish church’s centennial came to a close.

“It looks like we’re going to get rain,” said O’Connor, eyeing dark clouds approaching the grounds of St. Boniface Church, where a tent had been erected for a parish luncheon.

Rain at an outdoor parish celebration months in the planning and including a visit from the diocesan bishop would normally be prayed against. But not this summer at St. Boniface Church, a Catholic landmark rising above the fertile corn and bean fields of western Champaign County. Like much of the Midwest, farmers here are on the edge of disaster from lack of rain and scorching heat.

“Hopefully it will come,” said Father Robert Lampitt, parochial vicar of the rural parish, of the approaching storm as he prepared to lead the meal blessing.

“It would be a God-send,” agreed Bill Klein, a fourth-generation farmer whose great uncle willed the rural parish an 80-acre tract of land upon his death in 1954. The field north of the church is planted in soybeans this year.

Klein, O’Connor, and other farmers of St. Boniface Parish compared the current drought to one experienced in 1988. The region is 10 inches or more below normal rainfall for the year. What rain comes now would already be too late for some corn crops, but would be greatly benefit soybeans.

As of early July, about 60 percent of U.S. corn acreage was experiencing moderate to extreme drought, up from 49 percent a week earlier, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“This is one of those events that supposedly comes along once in a lifetime,” said Klein, whose two sons also farm. “I’ve seen four,” he added, though Klein claimed the fields around St. Boniface Church often seem to get rains that may miss other areas.

The celebration of a church centennial is a rare occasion of a much happier kind. And St. Boniface’s close-knit group of 60 families had many reasons for joy and thanksgiving beyond the rain.

Among them was the presence of Bishop Daniel R. Jenky, CSC, and the welcoming of a new pastor, Father Robert Rayson. The parish also celebrated the return to health of Msgr. Albert Hallin, 83, pastor emeritus, who had guided the parish since 2005 and was granted senior status after undergoing a medical procedure in the spring.

“Think of all the sacraments celebrated in this church,” said Bishop Jenky, principal celebrant of an 11 a.m. Mass that drew a capacity crowd to the well cared for neo-Gothic edifice. Bishop Jenky later would bless the graves of parish ancestors resting in the cemetery near the church.

But as St. Boniface celebrates its history, the parish must also “be ready for God to amaze us” in the future through the power of his grace, said Bishop Jenky.

“Let us thank God for everything that has brought us to this moment,” said the bishop, “and be open to surprises God may have in store.”

After Mass, as parishioners and a Knights of Columbus Honor Guard from nearby Ivesdale gathered around, Bishop Jenky blessed a bell that had been removed from the church tower and set in a newly built place of honor on the church’s front lawn. Knowing there is a tradition to naming church bells and unable to determine one given to their century-old bell, the parish took a vote.

The refurbished bell was named “St. Isidore” after the patron saint of farmers. Taken down from the tower three years ago, its deep tone was heard again across the fields following the blessing as Msgr. Hallin and Father Rayson teamed to turn its wheel.

Farming brothers Bernie and Greg Magsamen, who served as ushers for the centennial celebration, were among those involved in restoring and painting the bell and building its new brick housing.

“We’re pretty proud of our little country church,” said Greg.

His brother kept an eye on the sky, hoping for what he called “a million-dollar rain” and acknowledging there is little that a farmer can do without needed moisture. The next hours, however, brought only a mild shower and about one-tenth of an inch of rain in the fields around St. Boniface Church.

“We’re at the mercy of the Lord,” said Bernie. Most farmers, he added, carry crop insurance “which helps” in years such as this.