Our Lady of Tears
Silver City, Owyhee County
- Grant: 1995, 2020 – siding replacement
Location: Silver City, Idaho 83650
Our Lady of Tears Catholic Church has overlooked the historic mining town of Silver City since 1898. Originally christened St. James Episcopal Church, the Catholic church purchased the building in 1933 for the grand sum of $1 to save it from becoming a roadhouse. Services are still held here in the summer as part of St. Paul’s Church in Nampa’s mission program, making Our Lady of Tears the third-oldest surviving Catholic parish in the state. The name is in reference to the seven traditional sorrows Mary, Mother of Jesus, suffered through in her lifetime. Sadly, the church also saw its fair share of sorrow and suffering at the hands of inclement weather and vandalism. The original leaded glass windows were destroyed, along with most of the interior. In recent years, the Friends of Our Lady of Tears with support from the Boise Archdiocese have lovingly restored the interior, sourcing pews, an organ, and the altar from buildings of a similar era.
