From the Archives

The events leading to the imagining and ultimate failure of Saint John Vianney Seminary in the Tulsa area became a story of the great depression and a compelling conflict between two very strong and gifted men both possessing formidable egos. 

Monsignor John Heiring was born in Dyersville, Iowa, on Oct. 24, 1874, to German immigrant parents. Ordained for the Vicariate of Oklahoma (the Diocese of Oklahoma was erected in 1905) in 1901, he became the pastor of Tulsa’s Holy Family Church, the first Catholic church in Tulsa. 
It soon became apparent that as Catholics came in droves to Tulsa, a larger and much grander facility was required. What resulted from his work and passion was the largest church in Oklahoma at the time. The new Holy Family Church was dedicated on April 1, 1914, and quickly became a Tulsa landmark. 

By 1917, the parish had become unwieldy with 4,000 parishioners and Monsignor Heiring saw the need to divide it. Buying property at 15th and Peoria, Sacred Heart Parish was born. Ten years later, Bishop Kelley’s art deco masterpiece, Christ the King, would be constructed on the property and Sacred Heart would cease to be.

A leading figure of the Church in eastern Oklahoma, his many successes lead to him being referred to as the “father of Tulsa.” Blessed with a number of admirable qualities, his many triumphs in building and his relationships with the wealthy had left him with (according to Bishop Kelley’s biographer James Gaffey) “a sense of independence and self-esteem, making it difficult to subject himself to a superior.” Being the classic introvert, his mode of operation was the direct opposite of Bishop Kelley whose freewheeling, improvisational style was a source of irritation to him.

In 1928, Heiring gave rather generously a 60-acre plot on the edge of Tulsa to serve as the location of the new seminary. Bishop Kelley requested that monsignor be put in charge of finance and building the complex and he, in turn, would recruit the faculty. Heiring’s early estimates saw September 1929 as a reasonable date for opening. This however was optimistic.

The relationship began to deteriorate quickly as Bishop Kelley made a proposition to borrow funds from the seminary to bail out Saint Anthony’s in Okmulgee, which had defaulted on a debt of $118,000. Heiring was irate in learning of the possibility and Kelley backed off.

However, trust became a problem, and as a consequence, Heiring questioned the bishop’s resolve and not without reason. Kelley had made urgent appeals publicly and lamented the whole project in private. With the oil boom in full swing in Oklahoma City, Kelley joined in the wildcatting craze and allowed drilling on orphanage property, hoping that this would be the end of the diocese’s monetary woes. Due to the inherent dangers to children, they were moved to the seminary property. 

Monsignor Heiring was incensed and resigned. He also lamented giving up the pastorate of Holy Family to take on the seminary project. He now asked for an extended leave of absence. Kelley saw the possible firestorm his resignation could cause due to his exalted status in the community. Doing his best to calm the ire of donors and priests, he continued with the project, but the stock market crash of 1929 all but paralyzed any future projects. The cost of maintaining the plant would be at least $20,000, an unacceptable figure.

In 1931, Bishop Kelley sold the property to the Good Shepherd Sisters as a shelter for girls for $50,000 – it was worth $230,000. It later would be the grounds of Saint Bernard Church. With the resolution, the diocese was relieved of a problem and the diocesan debt was paid. 

Kelley did not shirk his responsibility for the disaster: “I believe a mistake was made in building our preparatory seminary. That was mistake is mine. I can blame no one else for it.”

The clash of titans was done, but the relationship between them never improved. Monsignor Heiring served in western Oklahoma in Chickasha and Sacred Heart in Oklahoma City. He ended his career as chaplain at Saint John’s Hospital in Tulsa from 1944-1963. Bishop Kelley survived the Depression and World War II, passing away in 1948 after battling illness for the last six years of his life.