Just west of Echo, Oregon, near the old Oregon Trail. stands a small historic Catholic church that has watched more than a century of local history unfold.

Construction began in 1912 and the church was dedicated in 1913, it served generations of families in and around Echo. Today, more than 100 years later, Mike Duffy and the Echo Heritage Association are working to preserve the building, restore its original beauty, and ensure it remains a meaningful part of the community for decades to come.

Duffy, who serves as secretary-treasurer of the Echo Heritage Association, said the church’s story is deeply connected to the early immigrant families who settled in the area.

“This was a location that was along the Oregon Trail,” Duffy said. “People, even before the Oregon Trail, tended to be in this area as part of a passageway through this area.”

Many of the families who helped establish the church were Portuguese immigrants who came to the Echo area to farm and raise sheep. They brought their Catholic faith with them, but had no nearby place to worship. Around 1910, local families began raising money and organizing the effort to build a church of their own.

By 1912, the building construction was in full swing. It was dedicated the following year.

The church itself reflects the craftsmanship of another era. Duffy said much of the building was constructed with locally cut 2-by-6 lumber. The exterior is stucco, while the interior features lath and plaster throughout. The church never had plumbing, and electricity was added only later.

Despite those limitations, the church remained active for more than 80 years.

“It held the congregation here for a little over 80 years,” Duffy said. “Very active, very active participation.”

Eventually, regular services came to an end. But local parishioners, especially members of the church’s altar society, fought to keep the building from being torn down, sold, burned or dramatically altered.

“They absolutely insisted on not having it torn down, burnt, sold, remodeled — none of that,” Duffy said. “We’re going to keep it.”

The Catholic Church eventually transferred the building to the Echo Heritage Association, with an agreement that the church could still be used by the Catholic community if requested and coordinated.

The restoration effort gained momentum in 2018, when local supporters began cleaning up the site and organizing around a larger vision. Before restoration could begin, the building needed serious attention. The property was overgrown, birds had gotten inside, and the church required extensive cleaning.

Duffy credited volunteers, donors, contractors and local organizations for helping bring the building back to life. He said O So Kleen of Hermiston spent days cleaning the church and later returned to provide additional support.

Since then, the Echo Heritage Association has secured grants and donations to complete major improvements. Support has come from organizations including the Ford Family Foundation, the Port of Umatilla, the Greater Hermiston Community Foundation, Union Pacific, Amazon Web Services through ChangeX, the Echo Community Benefit Plan Board, and Umatilla County commissioners.

The roof has been replaced, with Duffy emphasizing that the association chose quality work over the lowest bid. The pews, which had deteriorated badly, were removed, rebuilt and refinished by a craftsman from Stanfield. The entry doors have been restored, and the church’s cross has been taken down and rebuilt using Alaskan yellow cedar by a master carpenter and cabinet maker.

McCormick Construction removed the old cross and is expected to reinstall the restored version.

For Duffy, the goal is not simply to patch up an old building. The goal is to restore it properly.

“We really want this to be done well,” he said. “When you look at what’s happened with these doors, with these pews, with the roof — we didn’t take the lowest bidder. It’s a good job. If we’re going to do it the way we need to do it, the way we want to do it, it’s going to be a quality job.”

While the association has made significant progress, Duffy said much more work remains. The long-term vision includes restoring the church and developing an activity center next to it, creating a sustainable business model to help maintain the property into the future.

Since 2018, more than 200 people have contributed in some way to the effort.

“We’ve had donations — not a million yet,” Duffy said with a smile. “But the donation list of people for our town is pretty good.”

The church is located just outside Echo, west of town, near the corner of Marble and Laser. Although closely tied to Echo’s history, Duffy said the property sits just outside the city’s urban growth boundary and falls under county jurisdiction.

For those who want to learn more, volunteer, or contribute to the restoration effort, Duffy said the best place to start is online. The Echo Heritage Association can be found on Facebook and Instagram under Echo Heritage, and its website is Echo Heritage Association – Culture, 501c3, Non Profit Organizations

More than a century after Portuguese immigrant families first built the church as a place of faith, community and belonging, Duffy and the Echo Heritage Association are working to make sure that legacy is not lost.

“This is a beautiful old church,” Duffy said. “And we want to keep it that way.”