When Father Gary Zerr came to St. Edward Catholic Church more than 20 years ago, the Keizer church had fewer than 400 members. 

Zerr said the membership had dwindled and those who remained were shaken from losing three priests in the span of a few years. One left after injuries from a car accident left him unable to continue the role, the next was from another country and unable to stay in the U.S. after his immigration visa expired and the most recent had died after serving nine months.

Now, Zerr heads into retirement, leaving a church which has 1,500 families regularly attending Mass in a church that cost $5.5 million when it was built more than 10 years ago.

In membership size, it ranks No. 10 in the Portland archdiocese. 

He recalled entering the old, hot St. Edward church building along River Road in 2004, before many of the businesses and residences along that section of the road were built. Zerr said he found a “fervent little community” in those who were part of the church, filled with the volunteer spirit Keizer prides itself on.

“There was something special about this place, from the very beginning,” Zerr said. “I just tried to nurture it.” 

Most of Zerr’s years as a priest have been spent in Keizer, which he said equates to roughly a third of both the church’s history and his life. The parish was created in 1968, according to the church’s website. 

Zerr said the stability of having a long-term priest contributed to the growth in church membership, as well as dedicated staff. Since he came to the church, the number of staff members has grown from a skeleton crew to about 20. 

The church held a retirement celebration for Zerr on Saturday, June 20, and he will celebrate his last Mass on Saturday, June 27, and Sunday, June 28. 

Zerr said is retiring because an autoimmune disease has left him unable to continue in the role. Last year he was diagnosed with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis, an incurable autoimmune disease.

Since then an associate priest has helped. After Zerr retires, a different priest, David Jaspers from Eugene, will take over the role.

Zerr said he intends to continue helping the church after retiring. Born in Ohio before spending nearly 30 years in southern California, Zerr moved to Oregon to be close to family and study theology. He was drawn to religion as a child after the death of his sister, and had wanted to be a priest for much of his life. 

Zerr was not ordained until he was around 40 years old, after a career as a flight attendant. The job allowed him to meet people with diverse backgrounds and experiences, and he believes this experience helped him connect with churchgoers as a priest.

Zerr said the St. Edward congregation was a “very good fit,” for him, and that he “clicked” with the church members. The parish brings together those with a variety of backgrounds and political beliefs, he said. 

During his time, he led efforts to build the church that now stands at 5303 River Road N., featuring more parking, natural light, wooden arches and a more orthodox Catholic church design than the previous building. The design was selected by a vote of church members, which Zerr said he is proud of. 

He said the previous building was half the size of the current church and needed to be replaced due to age. 

The large cross that now stands in front of the church was also a project led by Zerr, meant to be a visible representation of the building’s purpose.

While Zerr said he only expected to stay with the church 12 years, he was asked by leadership to stay in the role for a few more years while the church paid off debt from the new building. At that time, Zerr was asked to stay until he retired – something he said he was happy to do. 

He said he will most miss his relationships with the churchgoers, citing “every Christmas, every Easter, every Mass” as memorable moments. 

“I know everybody, I know their stories. I’m marrying people I baptized,” Zerr said. “I just love it here.”

NEWS TIP? Contact reporter Krista Kroiss at [email protected].

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