From the Archives

After the Land Run of 1889, El Reno was slow to emerge as a town, but missionary activity began in earnest with the arrival of the Benedictine priest Germanus Guillaume in 1890. Fort Reno had been established in 1874 as a U.S. Army post named after Civil War Gen. Jesse Reno.
 
The first church building, dedicated to the Sacred Heart, was erected in 1892 and was a frame structure. This structure was sold to the Lutheran congregation and moved to the southeast section of town. A new church was constructed of brick in 1902 and remained until the present structure was completed in 1951.
 
By 1899, Sacred Heart had grown to 600 parishioners and opened a school operated by the Sisters of Mercy and later the Sisters of Divine Providence. To accommodate the expanding number of students, Sacred Heart Academy was built in 1912. A new school was built in 1961 only to close in 1968. Through the determination of the community and the desire for Catholic education, the decision to reopen occurred in 1999.
 
In the photo, the 1939 iteration of the church is pictured complete with a magnificent art deco altar and communion rail. It had been refurbished at some point as the style of art pictured was certainly not the 1902 version.
 
The parish in El Reno continues to be a vibrant community steeped in the history of Oklahoma as well as the Catholic experience in the state.