From the Archives

The story of the Catholic presence in Prague reflects the fluid nature of communities and townships in early Oklahoma. It began at the settlement of Keokuk Falls, approximately six miles to the south, which was the hub for Polish and Czech farmers.

The first known priest to offer Mass was a Polish Jesuit by the name of Francis Xavier Schulak in 1891. The first church was built in 1900 with the title of Saint Wenceslaus, who of course was the patron of Bohemia. By 1907, the church in Keokuk Falls ceased to function. 

One of its most famous parishioners was the great American Indian Olympian Jim Thorpe who won two gold medals at the 1912 games. He also excelled as a professional in baseball and football. His football career was acknowledged when he was inducted in the inaugural class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963. His funeral Mass was held at Saint Benedict Catholic Church in Shawnee in 1953.

The town of Prague went through a few name changes (Barta in 1901 and Polanka before that), but it is believed that the first church in what would become Prague was built about 1899. Another was constructed in 1903 but was demolished by a tornado in 1919; both had been wood, frame structures. The third church was dedicated in 1921 and was a more substantial brick edifice and larger than its predecessors. By 1947, it became clear that new building had
become necessary.

Father Jim White recounts: “That year (1947) Father George Johnson was appointed pastor; he brought with them a small statue of the Infant of Prague, which had been given by some nuns in California. The story goes that, as he pondered the need for a new church, and he asked casually, ‘Why don’t you do something?’ Before long, donations of cash, building materials, labor and talent began arriving. The building went up with the help of the parishioners and even largely non-Catholic townspeople as well.”

True or not, it’s a great story that reveals the devotion the people of Prague have to the Infant Jesus of Prague. Father Johnson had the notion that putting a shrine dedicated to the Infant in the new Saint Wenceslaus Catholic Church would be appropriate. Bishop Eugene McGuinness took it one step further, believing the church should become a National Shrine to the Infant of Prague since the original statue was housed in Prague, Czechoslovakia, which was now behind the Iron Curtain and under the control of the Soviet Union.

Upon its dedication on Feb. 12, 1949, Saint Wenceslaus Catholic Church became the home of the National Shrine of the Infant Jesus of Prague, inaugurated the same day. Since that day, pilgrims from all 50 states have come to pray at the shrine as well as those from foreign countries to express their love and devotion to the image of the child Jesus so dear to the Bohemian people.