From the Archives

The second of three priest brothers, Charles Albert Van Hulse was born Aug. 16, 1874, in Sint-Jan-in-Eremo, Belgium. His two brothers, Joseph and Theophile, also were missionaries to Oklahoma. All three served with fervor and excellence and are viewed as ecclesiastical royalty in the annuls of the history of the Church in Oklahoma. 

The career of the early-day horseback riding pioneer priest includes two continents and the sometimes-difficult experiences of the Indian Territory days as well as the adventure and intrigue of serving in the intelligence arm of the American Expeditionary Forces during the First World War.

Ordained in June 1897, he arrived in Indian Territory in November of the same year. His first assignment was in Muskogee, which entailed not just the town but the eastern part of the state from the Kansas border to the Canadian River. He told the Southwest Courier in an interview in 1947: “Seventy miles a day on horseback were not unusual. I was usually on the road three weeks and spent one week at headquarters. Many times, I was up to my neck in water as I forded streams. There were no roads much less bridges in those days.”

He also related being held up on a stagecoach between Tulsa and Fort Gibson as well as having a gun drawn on him by a fugitive from the U.S. Marshals Office. Amidst his travails in what could pass for a wild west show, he found time to start the first Catholic parish in a hamlet of 600 people called Tulsa in 1898.

His service to the Diocese of Oklahoma was interrupted in 1917 when he volunteered to serve with the American army in Europe due to his linguistic skills. He proudly gave of his talents for two years in the intelligence field. 

Upon his return to the United States, he was named pastor of Antlers and was moved to Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Lawton in 1925, serving as pastor until 1935. He retired due to ill health and failing eyesight but remained as pastor emeritus. It has been said that he knew hundreds of people in Lawton and was especially loved by the children of Saint Mary Catholic School as he would visit often. 

One of the true founding priests of the Church in Oklahoma, Father Charles died on Sept. 17, 1951.


Photo: The Van Hulse brothers Charles, Joseph and Theophile.