From the Archives

Since 1885, in the community of Krebs, Oklahoma, Saint Joseph Catholic Church has continued to be a beacon of faith in this small mining town. Boasting a population of around 1,000, the current building is the oldest in what is now the Diocese of Tulsa. Built in 1903, while Oklahoma was still a Vicariate Apostolic (the Diocese of Oklahoma was erected in 1905), this edifice served what was a predominantly an Italian population.

Many of the immigrants had come to work the thankless job of coal mining. It was common at the time that many were not fond of the clergy. And while they would never think of not baptizing their children or marrying in the Church, Sunday Mass attendance was not seen as a must. Tithing was also a foreign concept, as the state funded churches in Italy. The intense poverty they had fled in the homeland did little to inflame the desire to support the Church, and some turned to socialism and saw the clergy as part of the problem.

This tension between the people and their pastor came to an boil when it became known that Father Germanus Guillaume had mortgaged the church to build a new rectory without informing the congregation, although Bishop Meerschaert had given his approval. Due to the antagonism of the parishioners, Guilaume was replaced by a fellow Benedictine, Father Louis Sittere, who hailed from the Alsace-Lorriane region that was sometimes part of France and at other times Italian depending upon the treaty. Father Louis was not a man to be trifled with and when he explained that he had been sent to pay off the debt. He had not anticipated the anger he faced. Being painfully honest, he admitted that the property would be seized unless the cash was forthcoming. To his chagrin, much of the parish welcomed this eventuality as they planned to purchase it in the sheriff’s sale and would run it as they saw fit.

Obviously, they were not familiar with canon law and didn’t actually care. In February 1916, Bishop Meerschaert, who was determined not to give in, put the parish under quasi-interdict. With this action, the parishioners would not be allowed to gather at the church and could not go to nearby parishes. This proved to be a poor solution as the difficult faction in the parish became increasingly more virulent in their protests.

The decree of quasi-interdict was lifted in March and the situation began to cool. Very slowly, the parish shed the “baptized, married and buried” Catholicism that permeated the original community. It has done its best to maintain its Italian heritage and for many years celebrated the Our Lady of Mount Carmel feast day in July as a major parish event. Many were from the province of Abruzzo where Our Lady’s feast was held in high esteem. 

Saint Joseph Catholic Church, the architectural gem, remains a parish church even though it is in close proximity to McAlester. With the shortage of clergy, the fact that it still retains that status is a testament to the people and their faith.