Woman preserves church history

ST. HENRY-Mary Beckman Niekamp, 91, is no stranger to searching through records and pictures in the name of remembering and honoring the past.

Her latest project is a pictorial book on the history of the 183-year-old St. Henry Catholic Church.

"I really wrote it because … most of the people in the parish today have no concept of what the church looked like before 1970, and I thought that's a shame," she said. "I had all of my sacraments and everything from this church, so I'm really attached to it. I was attached to it in 1972."

In the book's preface Niekamp writes only the oldest church members can remember the previous grandeur of the church with its magnificent altars, paintings and statues. Few parishioners know the history of the church and its founding. The book, she said, seeks to record both.

The 105-page-book, "Touched by the Finger of God," has been in the works for more than nine years, Niekamp said. The book explores the church's early founding in 1839 to present day. She drew inspiration for the title from Renaissance artist Michelangelo's fresco painting "The Creation of Adam." She wasn't actively thinking about a title, but when she thought about the painting which depicts God giving life to Adam, the title came to her, she said.

To compile the book, Niekamp collected church records, postcards, church members' photos and records from The Telegraph Register, the Coldwater Chronicle, The Celina Democrat, The Daily Standard and C.P.P.S. Today. Niekamp said she received her first 200 copies of the book about two weeks ago. Since then, she's sold 98 copies. She plans to order more if it continues to sell.

The response to the book has been unbelievable, she said.

Niekamp said the day she received the books, Art Bernard's brother ordered 10 copies and told her to drop one off at Bernard's house. Bernard took his book and gave it to Dan Hemmelgarn, who almost died from COVID-19.

"When (Hemmelgarn) got off the ventilator, he lost his memory and it took him a long time," Niekamp said. "He (Hemmelgarn) called me the next day, he said 'The pictures brought back so many memories for me that I just can't hardly tell you how much that book means to me.'"

Similarly, a family she knew who lived in St. Henry had moved to Tennessee and their daughter bought two books. She called Niekamp and said her mom had Alzheimer's but when she looks at the book, she can say who lived in which house.

Niekamp said stories like that make her cry and make her feel "wonderful."

Niekamp writes that in 1837 when the town was formed, 18 Catholic families came to Ohio for farming opportunities. The nearest church was 12 miles away and the woods were too thick for a house or cart. In 1839, the Cincinnati bishop permitted St. Henry to found the parish under the ministry of Father Louis Navarron, she said. Navarron served parishes in an area from Greenville to Lima. In 1970, the parish underwent a renovation to comply with Vatican II changes.

Rev. Joseph Hoying became St. Henry's pastor in 1965 and "believed that the paintings and statues were a distraction and needed to the removed," Niekamp writes in her book. "In a written review of his church renovation plans, Rev. Hoying wrote: 'We need to remove the huge, over-decorated altar backs and side altars that no longer serve a purpose in church; also all unnecessary statues and images that detract from the central altar of sacrifice.'"

The church's murals, altars, statues, pews, pulpit, stations, communion rail and floral motif painted on the ceiling were all lost, Niekamp writes. The organ pipes replaced the high altar and the tabernacle was moved to the west side of the sanctuary. The renovation removed everything except the sanctuary lamp, the windows, the pillars and the groined ceiling, Niekamp said.

"The majority of the people were against it. Actually, a lot of people started going to other churches. It took a long time before the people (who) were really, really against it to come back to the St. Henry church," she said.

"Their (Precious Blood) priests took care of this parish from the time that was founded until this last year when Precious Blood had to give up some of their parishes because they don't have enough priests now to take care of all their churches," Niekamp said.

St. Henry is now part of a five-church Archdiocese cluster with St. Aloysius, St. Bernard, St. Francis and St. Wendelin.

Those wishing to purchase a copy of "Touched by the Finger of God" should contact Niekamp at 419-678-3850. Copies are $45 each.