Oklahoma City’s first Catholic church turned 130 this year. Saint Joseph Old Cathedral’s parish family and guests will mark the anniversary with Mass celebrated by Archbishop Coakley at 10 a.m. Dec. 8.
“We hope it’s filled to the brim,” Deacon Paul Albert said. “Not just from around the state, but from around the country and around the world people come to Mass here. One of the big ministries here is to minister to tourists and pilgrims.”
The anniversary celebration appropriately falls during Advent, “a time of expectation and hope,” Deacon Albert said.
He expects Archbishop Coakley will reflect on Advent as well as the history of the church.
The first Catholic Mass in what would become Oklahoma City was offered the second Sunday after the Land Run of 1889 in a tent that served as a grocery store. The celebrant was Father N.F. Scallan, an itinerant priest from Iowa.
Soon, plans were underway to build a church just north of town, near the intersection of N.W. 4 and Harvey Avenue. The white wood-frame structure featured a steeple 63 feet tall with a 650-pound bell that called 16 families to Mass. It was dedicated in honor of Saint Joseph on Aug. 4, 1889.
The parish soon outgrew the little church, and in 1901, under the auspices of Father Ildephonse Lanslots, O.S.B., pastor, work began on the foundation for a new brick structure across the street. After initial cost overruns and a change of architects, the brick-and-mortar work was subcontracted to Robert Krueger, who had brought his new bride to Oklahoma Station six weeks after the Land Run.
The lumber yard Krueger worked for in Newton, Kan., sent him to Oklahoma to work with builders who spoke only German because he spoke both German and English, said his grandson Fred Krueger, who remains a member of the parish.
Krueger said his grandfather – who also worked on the original wood-frame church – enlisted a crew of men from many Christian denominations to do the lathe and plaster work inside the new church.
The new structure included lumber and pews from the original church along with the bell. It was dedicated by Bishop Theophile Meerschaert on Dec. 18, 1904. Saint Joseph was designated the cathedral of the new Diocese of Oklahoma in 1905.
When Our Lady of Perpetual Help was named the cathedral in 1931, Saint Joseph became known as the Old Cathedral.
On April 19, 1995, the beautifully embellished plaster and stained-glass windows were shattered by the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building just east of the church. But, the structure with its steel pillars withstood the blast.
“It makes you feel good that your grandfather did that kind of work,” Krueger said.
During the $3.5 million restoration of Saint Joseph after the bombing, Father Louis Lamb and the congregation met for Mass in the basement of Catholic Charities. On Dec. 1, 1996, a rededication Mass was held in the church with Archbishop Eusebius Beltran as principal celebrant.
“We keep getting knocked down, but we keep getting back up,” Deacon Albert said. “Urban parishes by their very nature are a challenge.”
The pastor, Father M. Price Oswalt, currently is on medical leave so a variety of priests are coming to Saint Joseph to celebrate Mass and penance daily.
“It has been a real blessing for our people to get to know so many priests,” Deacon Albert said.
Worshippers, likewise, come from all over – visiting sports teams and fans, people attending meetings and conventions, visitors to the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum.
“People tell us when they leave how much it meant to be here.”
K.S. McNutt is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
Photo: Artist Donelle Davis, of Noble, used old photos to re-create artwork that once adorned the side altars at Saint Joseph Old Cathedral. The work will be completed when the church celebrates its 130th anniversary with a special Mass Dec. 8. Photo K.S. McNutt/Sooner Catholic.