From the Archives

The town of Sterling had its first Mass offered in the home of Martin Ille in August 1902, with Father Urban de Hasque as celebrant from his parish in Chickasha, from which he traversed by horse and buggy. Father Urban continued to serve the community until the arrival of the famous early Oklahoma missionary, Willem Huffer, who came to establish a parish. He dedicated the first Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a wooden frame structure, in 1904.

Father Huffer was nicknamed “Wild Bill” by his brother priests due to his boundless energy and keen sense of humor. He left Sterling to build elsewhere, followed by Father A. J. Van der Grinten from Holland, who built the rectory in 1910 and saw to the continued improvement of the facilities. Father Van der Grinten would later be the pastor at Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Oklahoma City and was the first priest in Oklahoma to earn a pilot’s license.

Unfortunately, the first church was destroyed by fire on Dec. 22, 1928. The industrious and determined parishioners of Sterling began the process of building a new church, and their efforts brought about the beautiful, Roman-styled structure there today. Dedicated by the vicar general Monsignor Gustave Depreitere on Oct. 8, 1929, the new Our Lady of Perpetual Help was completed.

Father M.M. McNamee built a new rectory and school in 1942. The school reached its apex with 59 students for all twelve grades in the mid-1950s. The Adorers of the Blood of Christ out of Wichita, Kansas, provided the staff. This order of sisters was critical to the growth of the Church in Oklahoma, founding numerous schools, including Okarche, and even educating Blessed Stanley Rother. Their influence and powerful sense of vocation inspired a remarkable number of Okarche women to join them, including Blessed Stanley’s sister, Betty, whose religious name is Sister Marita.

With the school closing in the 1960s, as many did throughout the state, the parish continued to be a vital part of the community. In 2004, Archbishop Eusebius Beltran celebrated the 100th anniversary of the parish. Sterling now includes parishioners who are the fifth generation to worship in the church. It is now under the care of the pastor of Elgin and continues to be an admired architectural gem on the prairies.