Baptism

King Islanders holding baby

According to the "History of St. Joseph's Church, Nome,

Alaska, July, 1901 to July 1904," by Father Bellarmine

LaFortune, S. J. the Jesuits established a Church for

the King Islanders on November 17, 1901. The first

Friday after inauguration, the church saw only five

communions. 

Couple with baby in front of what appears to be church.

The growth of the church was reliant on multiple factors,

including Father Cataldo’s immersion into the King

Islander and Nome community, which also stabilized

the Catholic influence in Nome. In August of 1903, the

church had seen a gradual increase of an average of 30

communions.

Adults and a child in front of building

The noted rise of people receiving communion is directly

correlated to the amount of people being baptized. In

the images it appears that the babies are wearing white

christening gowns indicating they have or will be baptized

at what appears to be the church.