Enid Catholic community celebrates 125 years

The Catholic community in Enid is celebrating 125 years of the presence of the Church in Enid. The first Mass was celebrated in Enid on Nov. 14, 1893, in the home of Hugo Jacobs. Father Joseph Beck, pastor of Saint Joseph in Hennessey, came to Enid that Wednesday evening to minister to 17 Catholics. A piano now housed in the Leven Center at Saint Francis Xavier was used as the altar. The Catholic community in Enid was serviced by the priests from Hennessey until the first parish was established in 1898.
 
The celebration of 125 years began with Mass at Saint Francis Xavier on Dec. 3, which included veneration of a relic of Saint Francis Xavier, and will close on Sept. 3 at Saint Gregory the Great. During the nine months, parishioners in Enid will reflect with the archdiocese on the soon-to-be-released pastoral letter of Archbishop Coakley and celebrate the gifts the parishes bring to the city.