Since 1899, Holy Trinity Church serves the faithful in Nezperce

Above, Michelle Koepl and her daughter Kerstin by the votive candle stand at Holy Trinity Church. (Courtesy Photos/Phillip A. Janquart)

By Kerstin Koepl

for the ICR

On July 5, 1896, 13-year-old Fred Baldus was working in one of his family’s fields.

His parents, Karl and Elizabeth Baldus, had just taken possession of a 160-acre homestead outside the newly established town of Nezperce City (later renamed simply Nezperce).

Like many new homesteaders on the prairie, Fred’s family were Catholic immigrants from Germany, but there was no Catholic Church in Nezperce.

That was about to change, beginning with a chance meeting on a warm summer day.

Fred was probably not expecting to look up and see a priest making his way beside the field, riding a black pony. The priest noticed that Fred was having a hard time with his farm work, so he stopped to help, introducing himself as Father Aloysius Soer.

He was one of the Jesuit priests who served the mission churches of St. Stanislaus in Lewiston and St. Joseph in Slickpoo. He was making the two-day trek to Kamiah to offer Mass at the mission for the Nez Perce tribe. Fred invited him to his family’s home, and after gathering a few of the Catholic neighbors, Father Soer offered the first Mass in Nezperce.

There were twelve Catholic families in Nezperce at the time, and Father Soer returned eight times in the following year to say Mass for them in the home of the Kemper family with the permission of Bishop Glorieux of Boise.

Father Soer suggested building a permanent church as more Catholics came to the area. In 1898, the community purchased four lots at the north end of the town for $80 and built a small wooden church that measured 30 by 60 feet. The construction cost was $400, with parishioners supplying all the labor. Despite its tiny size, the church had both a bell tower and a choir loft. It was named Holy Trinity, and Father Soer presided at the first Mass in 1899.

Father Soer and several other Jesuits from the Slickpoo and Lewiston missions came to offer Mass once or twice a month, often making the long journey in inclement weather, in both the summer heat and the winter cold.

The other early missionaries of this period were Father J.G. Nicholson and biological brothers Father John Post and Father Hubert Post. The parishioners of Holy Trinity were deeply affected by the devotion of these priests and thought highly of them. The Jesuits called Father Soer “The Saint of the Rockies.” In 1903, Father Van der Velden was assigned as a permanent pastor for Holy Trinity.

Not least of those affected by the example of these priests was young Fred Baldus. Father Soer had taught him to serve at Mass, and Fred would also accompany him to Kamiah and nearby Russell to serve. Eventually, Fred left the family farm in Nezperce and became a Jesuit priest.

The little church at the north end of town was only used for a few years. A bigger church was built on the hill on the western edge of town. Once again, much of the work was done by the parishioners. This new church—which kept the name Holy Trinity—was consecrated in 1904. The hill where it was built was the highest point in town, and the new church made an impressive landmark. The original church building was demolished, and the lots where it had stood became part of the campus for the public school. The church stood atop the hill for about 80 years but was not to stand alone for long.

In 1900 or 1902, the newly formed Holy Trinity Parish parishioners recognized a need for catechism lessons for their children so that they could receive their First Holy Communion. They pooled together $35 to pay John B. Lauby to teach the children for a month. Mr. Lauby quickly saw that a month would not be sufficient for the task at hand, partly because many of the children needed to be taught to read in addition to their catechism.

Within a few years, this led to the formation of a Catholic school built next door to the new church. In the fall of 1907, the first classes began in the new St. Anthony’s School.

The 1902 church and 1907 school were eventually demolished. In 1980, the building across the street, which had been part of the school grounds, was converted into a church, becoming the third and current Holy Trinity Catholic Church, still overlooking the little town of Nezperce.