From the Archives

With the closing of Saint Michael Catholic Church in Goltry, another small rural parish is confined to history. However, the beautiful structure that was home to this community was the source of sacramental life in the area since 1927. Children were baptized, received First Communion, and Confirmation, adults were married and buried there; so, the ending of its life as a parish is not without pain to those whose memories of the faith have always been tied to the church.

The history of the parish is typical of the spirit of early settlers in the new state. The original church was constructed on the plot where the parish cemetery is today. Beginning in 1903, Czech families gathered under the care of Monsignor Gustave Depreitere, pastor of Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Enid. 

In the year of statehood, another building was erected at the present site. Soon a rectory and convent were built, and the parish received its first resident pastor in Father Alfred Deckmyn in 1912. Tragically, the church and rectory were destroyed by fire in 1925, and being wooden structures, they were consumed quickly. The pastor, Father Hulshoff, lost everything he owned in the fire but quickly started the process of rebuilding. At this juncture there were about 35 families who belonged to the church.

The result of his work is the classic and attractive design that stands out on the landscape of the prairie. The architect was Harold Gemino of Norman, who also designed the first Catholic student center, Mater Admirabilis, on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. 

A parish hall was added in 1931, and in 1942, a convent for four Benedictine sisters who came to be involved in the community helping with religious education and home visitations was added. 

Father Bernie Havlik was the pastor in 1951 and had the idea of opening a church in Ringwood, just 11 miles south of Goltry. It was dedicated with the name Saint Ethlebert, due to the instructions of the donor. It was not successful, however, and closed in 1968. Resident pastors were the norm, and as of 1955, Goltry was a town of eight hundred people and an agricultural center for the main crop of wheat. However, inevitable change occurred, and the town now is approximately two hundred residents.

When Saint Gregory the Great Catholic Church was established in Enid in 1971, Goltry became its mission and the pastor no longer resided on the premises.

The number of parishioners attending Mass soon dwindled to eight and the ability to maintain the facility became untenable. On Nov. 13, 2022, the last Mass was celebrated at Saint Michael’s, closing the book on more than one hundred years of service to the town of Goltry.