As one of the oldest parishes in the state, ours is a parish steeped in various traditions and the Catholic faith. In the late 1820s, a group of German Catholics, settled in what came to be known as the St. Nicholas community. Mainly, they came from the Province of Baden-Wurtenberg in Germany. Prior to the establishing of St. Nicholas, they had either walked or rode horseback the entire eight miles to New Alsace for Sunday Mass.
On July 26, 1836, the first Mass was offered by Father Ferending of Oldenburg in the home of member Herr Peter Baehr with eight families present. Father Ferending, a devoted man who realized the importance of our faith, came by horseback every Sunday to offer Mass and be a spiritual advisor to a small group of devout and ever-growing Catholics. The first child baptized at St. Nicholas was Margaret Muller (daughter of Franz and Franziska (Ziegler) Muller) on July 26, 1836. Fidelis Bernard and Katrina Schneider sponsored the child.
During the following year, a log church was built on the land donated by three parishioners (Louis Retzner, Joseph Schmalz, Nicholas Federle) and their protestant neighbor Mr. Pappett. When the land was cleared for the church, Nicholas Federle felled the first tree. Therefore, according to Ripley County lore, Father Ferending decided to name the church St. Nicholas in honor of Mr. Federle’s patron saint.
In 1853, Father Peter Kruesch became the first resident pastor. Under his guidance the parishioners erected a brick church in 1856. The building was 100’ x 50’. Father Kruesch raised $3,000 and the rest was donated by parishioners in work and material including making and the laying of bricks.
A one-room log school was building in 1859. The first teacher was Joseph Kline, brother of the pastor, Father Kline. The Sister of St. Francis from Oldenburg began teaching at St. Nicholas in 1860. In the late 1870s the Sisters were recalled to Oldenburg. Lay people served as the teachers until the Sisters returned in 1905. In 1881, a brick school, living quarters for the sisters and the rectory were built.
In succeeding years, many other improvements and additions were made including the construction of the parish hall in1928, an addition to the school in 1953 along with the recreation of the convent in 1965. With continuing growth of our school, two classrooms were added in the hall basement the living quarters of the Sisters had been remodeled for classrooms. The convent now housed offices and the library. During the 1996-1997 and 1997-1998 school years, portable buildings were acquired to provide four additional classrooms to our school campus.
On December 6, 1999, the parish erected a tombstone in the original cemetery to honor our founding fathers.
In 2003, Franciscan Sisters resided in the convent at St. Nicholas. Their presence blessed the community and the church in many ways. They visited the sick and elderly, brought them communion, acted as sacristans, taught religion to school children and CCD students.
On February 25, 2004, St. Nicholas opened the doors of the Divine Mercy Chapel, a chapel of perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Once again, many parishioners spent many hours remodeling and donating items and financial support to transform the former Server Sacristy into a beautiful chapel that is attended by hundreds of adorers each week.
We are proud that there have been many men and women from St. Nicholas and graduates from St. Nicholas School who have entered into religious life. The great-grandson of Nicholas Federle, Father Frank Eckstein, was ordained in 1958 is the first parish priest from St. Nicholas.
The people of St. Nicholas are grateful to Almighty God and to our predecessors in the faith for the splendid heritage that had been given to us. We pray that we may be faithful to that heritage and preserve and enrich it for succeeding generations.