Father Anthony Ravalli, a Jesuit missionary and architect from Italy, designed and led the construction of the Church of the Sacred Heart from 1850–53, and the Coeur D’Alene people provided much of the labor necessary to complete the project. Father De Smet’s later writings contain numerous references to the Sacred Heart mission, and he often stayed there during his travels between missions.

On one occasion in 1863, Father De Smet stayed at the mission for six days and wrote about the changes occurring with the growing presence of white miners and settlers. He referenced a report by a U.S. Army captain that claimed that the only “salvation” for Indians would be “to be removed far, far from [the] presence [of the whites]” and that Indians “can never exist in contact with whites.” Father De Smet himself condemned this suggestion of removal and wrote, “May heaven preserve [the Coeur d’Alene Indians] from contact with the whites!” His advocacy for Indians, however, was predicated mainly on their conversion and faithfulness to Christianity.

The legacy of Pierre De Smet and his Jesuit missions, including Sacred Heart, is a subject of debate in the current postcolonial era. Traditionalist historians and biographers generally portray Father De Smet as a heroic explorer and a savior to the native peoples of western North America, specifically one who sought to understand and honor native culture. However, as theologian George E. Tinker writes, “Any Euroamerican’s understanding of or appreciation for Indian cultures was subject to severe cultural limitations.” Pierre De Smet may have tried to understand Indian culture, but ultimately the Jesuit approach was to quickly “impose European cultural values.” De Smet himself actively sought to use his missions to reorganize Indian civilization into a sedentary society that could better receive Christianity. So while De Smet himself was not directly involved in the removal and extermination of Indians (in fact he spoke against it), the cultural colonization of which he was a part was aimed at eroding Indian identity and culture. The Mission of the Sacred Heart, like other colonialist European or American religious ventures, should be viewed as a tool of western imperialism.

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In the nineteenth century, missionaries from the Society of Jesus, also known as Jesuits, traveled to the United States to teach Catholicism to the indigenous people. While their influence was felt across the United States, the Jesuits efforts were highly impactful among the Native American tribes in the Northwest. One particular missionary, Father Jean-Pierre De Smet dedicated his life to Christianizing and educating the Nez Perce and Coeur d’Alene tribes—even learning their language. Under Father De Smet’s direction, the first mission in the Rocky Mountains, St. Mary’s, was built in present-day Montana in 1841. A few years later, in 1846, other Jesuit missionaries—Father Nicolas Point and Father Huet—began plans for a new church—this time in northern Idaho among the Coeur d’Alene Indians. However, the church they designed lasted only four years, as its location was susceptible to flooding.

In 1848, Father Anthony Ravalli began building the Church of the Sacred Heart once again. Built completely by the Native Americas, the Old Church was erected—rather famously—without using any nails. The Coeur d’Alene bored holes in the rafters and interlaced willow saplings to keep the boards together. The Jesuit missionaries then added their artistry with the flowered cloths hung on the walls, three carved and decorated altars, and a large picture of the Sacred heart that hung over the altar.

The church officially opened for services in 1852 or 1853. The Coeur d’Alene were receptive to the Jesuit missionaries. A daughter of the local chief, Louise Sighouin, was one of the first people to be baptized. Local woman suffragist May Arkwright Hutton relayed that the marriage between Louise’s adopted white daughter Mary and Louise’s biological son Antelope was the first marriage performed in the Old Church.

When the Native Americans were forced from their lands, the Old Mission of the Sacred Heart fell into disrepair. However, in 1925, efforts were undertaken to restore the church. Today, the mission still stands as evidence of the unlikely meeting of European Jesuit missionaries and Native American tribes in the nineteenth century.

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While only a small, white wooden frame church is all that remains of the St. Peter’s Mission today, when it was first built, the Mission was an arresting stone structure bustling with students, nuns, and priests. Constructed under the direction of Father DeSmet—who is believed to have baptized the first Blackfoot in the area—St. Peter’s mission faced severe trials almost instantly. In order to survive, the Jesuits and Blackfoot had to rely on farming. The Blackfoot agreed to move their lodges nearer to the mission to farm, but never received the agricultural supplies they were promised. The Jesuits lacked supplies as well. Some have described St. Peter’s early years as a lingering existence of a prolonged agony.

After a decade of trying to survive, the Jesuits regrouped and decided to focus their efforts on growing the mission. They built a school for white and Native American boys and tried more earnestly to conquer the landscape. However, a deadly winter famine brought starvation and hardships. Despite the harsh conditions, the boys’ schools began to be successful, and the Jesuit priests resolved to begin a girl’s school as well. Calling on the formidable and admirable Ursuline Mother Amadeus Dunne for help, soon the Ursulines had created a small school for young Indian girls.

The Ursuline nuns were not immune to the difficult environment, and they too struggled between survival and trying to make the mission prosper. Receiving little to no financial help from their eastern counterparts, the Ursulines were barely subsisting when the Jesuit priests decided to abandon the Mission. The Ursulines then had a choice on whether or not they too would abandon the mission. When two ravaging fires destroyed many of the buildings, the decision was made for them. St. Peter’s Mission was abandoned—a stark reminder of the Catholic missionaries’ lonely battles with the Western terrain.

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