Perry church celebrates 100 years

There was a festive spirit at Saint Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Perry on Oct. 15. The church was packed with parishioners and their families, as well as families who once called the church home – those who made the pilgrimage back to the parish to celebrate. They were recognizing the 100-year anniversary of the church, and 130 years as a Catholic congregation in Perry.

Officiating the Mass was Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, who marveled and remarked at the church’s beauty.

Father Bala Raju Putoda, pastor of the church for the past nine years, reflected on the importance of the celebration and the archbishop’s attendance.

“We are celebrating this historic event to show our gratitude to God,” Father Putoda said. “It was a great honor that he (Archbishop Coakley) gave his time. He came here to pray for the community and offer the 100-year Mass. It was a blessing for the community.”

Celebrating 100 years of the current church and 130 years of the whole community too several years to plan. Four years ago, the church sat down to begin planning the momentous occasion, starting with the parish council, which includes Lerin Lynch, Elise Bolay and Carol Dvorak.

“The parish council is our governing body of our church. At our meetings, we talk about finances, things coming up, events that we’re holding,” Lynch said. “We act as a voice to this parish.”

They put together a team of committees, each with a separate role in planning the event, which included communications and decorations committees. There were also many church repairs that needed to be dealt with.

“The whole idea started about four years ago, and the window restorations, where we restored all the stained glass, took place between 2019 and 2020,” Lynch said. “In 2022, we restored our roof. We got the carpet cleaned and that was the first time the carpet was cleaned in at least five years.”

All the candleholders were cleaned and refurbished, and the backdrop behind the altar was also upgraded.

“Our candleholders were all powder-coated and the gold on them is all shined up,” Lynch said. “Behind the altar, we had Saint Rose, Saint Joseph and Jesus. The statues were recently added, and so was the lighting.”

With all preparations in place, it was time to celebrate the anniversary of the parish, and centennial of the church. The excitement began Saturday night with the school reunion. It was held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

“We had about 45 – 50 people show up, so it was a great turnout,” Lynch said. “There was a lot of memorabilia, old church photos, old photos of the classrooms.”

Prior to the Mass, parish children recited the Rosary, and the Mass began at 10:30 a.m., celebrated by Archbishop Coakley.

“That was a very special thing for us, our parish. We have 40 families, and they all come from a rural community, so having someone like the archbishop, that opened our eyes to how strong our parish is, and the archbishop was very complementary to how beautiful it is,” Lynch said.

The Mass was followed by an outdoor banquet. It was catered by Click’s Steakhouse in Pawnee, and delivered to the parishioners by members of the Perry High School Leadership program. 

The parish recognized its history and celebrated everything that made it great. 

“I thought it was great. It was wonderful to have so many people, people who came from out-of-town, people that grew up in the church and moved away, who came back to the church,” Dvorak said.

Everett Brazil, III is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.


Photo: St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Perry held a special celebration Mass Sunday, Oct. 15. They celebrated the Centennial of their church building and 130 years as a Catholic community in Perry, having been established in 1893. Archbishop Coakley celebrated Mass, followed by a catered banquet. Photos Everett Brazil, III/Sooner Catholic.