KELSO — Though celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, the story of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Kelso began around the same time Washington officially became a state in 1889.

While the present church was built and opened a century ago, early Catholics in Kelso worshiped at the homes of local Catholics Joseph Baxter, Daniel Baxter, Louis Plamondon and Richard McAuliffe.

At some point, Joseph and Daniel Baxter purchased a former Methodist church building in Kelso to serve as the town’s Catholic mission, and, in 1899, the 11 practicing Catholics in town petitioned the Franciscans for a priest but were told it was only possible for one to visit around four times a year.

After the Baxters sold and then repurchased the original church, the Diocese of Nesqually appointed a pastor for the parish, and Father Leonard Bose helped lead the purchase and construction of the present-day church for $20,000, calling it St. Mary Parish, later changing to Immaculate Heart of Mary sometime in the ’90s.

A graphic containing a photo of Father Leonard Bose describes the priest’s joy due to the completion of the new church. (Photo courtesy of Mary Dunivan)

Mary Dunivan grew up attending the church in the 1950s, ’60s and early ’70s but later moved away for work. Now retired, she is a parishioner there again and spent the past three years creating a booklet documenting the parish’s history for its centennial celebration this year.

She traveled to Santa Barbara, California, to visit the Santa Bárbara Mission Archive-Library, spoke with families who’ve been at the parish for generations and ventured north to Seattle where she met with archdiocesan archivists who provided her with supplemental information.

Dunivan pieced together the booklet with photos, newspaper clips and a document of parish history written in 1945 by former pastor Father Patrick Lyons, making sure everything she picked up was verified before including it in.

In the ’50s, Father Lyons wrote a letter to Seattle Archbishop Thomas Connolly describing the increased presence of the Ku Klux Klan in the town and looking for guidance on what to do. Dunivan said that 243 Klansmen marched down the street through the town’s Fourth of July parade.

Archbishop Connolly wrote back that if they weren’t interfering with the ability to practice the faith or doing physical harm to anyone, then there should be no retaliation as it would only give them the attention they were seeking.

But Dunivan recalled hearing about how a group of KKK members from Rose Valley broke into the parish in the ’60s. She said that people said they stole a relic and lit all the candles in the church, which led to the parishioners deciding to lock the church’s doors when left vacant.

Much of this, and a lot more history, is in the booklet Dunivan crafted. She hopes it, as well as the parish’s celebration event, will help reconnect families and draw them back to the church. She said that, in a small town, a lot of names don’t change over the years, and there are still many families in town who were there in 1926.

“It goes way back,” she said. “People are rooted into the church, and it’s special for all of us, but it’s especially special for” the longtime families.

At 73, Dunivan said she was a little old to be starting a project like this but said that her “heart just drew me to it.” The booklets will be given out during the church’s anniversary celebration on June 14.

The celebration will begin with Mass celebrated by Seattle Auxiliary Bishop Frank Schuster. After Mass, the parish will offer a lunch with sandwiches, salads and cake. The parish has reached out to many of its past priests in hopes they’ll return for the celebration as well.

Dunivan also highlighted the event’s impact on the budding parish family, mentioning that members from each parish plan to attend to show their support and learn a little about the history of Immaculate Heart of Mary.

“I can’t believe how connected we are already,” Dunivan said. “These women are just molding together from the other parishes just great. It’s really drawing people in.”

The celebration will take place June 14 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Kelso, beginning with Mass at 10:30 a.m.