St. John Church History

Catholics began coming to Bartlesville in the late 1800?s before the community was an incorporated city in the Indian Territory. Priests from Muskogee came once a year to say Mass in the home of a resident Catholic. Starting 1901 Fr. Edward Van Waesberghe came from Pawhuska as a missionary priest to say Mass more frequently in the homes of the growing Catholic population. Irish families came to work in the oil fields, and Lithuanian, German and Polish families came to work in the developing foundry businesses on the west side of town. A few Catholics started their own businesses, like the Filkins family millinery shop and the Govreau family harness and leather goods shop. The Stokes family had a ranch north of Bartlesville where Mass was said occasionally. They also had a daughter, Olive, who married Tom Mix.

Fr. Edward Van Waesberghe laid the corner stone of the first Catholic Church in Bartlesville in 1903. Parishioners built the 30 foot-by-40 foot rectangular, red brick church (Fig.1). Mass was celebrated twice a month in the new church by the end of 1904. Bishop Theophile Meerschaert purchased the church property from William Charles Rogers, Chief of the Cherokee Indians, for $70. The bishop also dedicated the church in 1905 and name it ?St. John Outside the Latin Gate.? The parish was officially established in May of 1906 when Fr. John Van den Hende became the first resident pastor.

Figure 1. The original church and rectory and Fr. John Van den Hende?s picture.

Fr. Van den Hende expanded the length of the church in 1910 and added a transept (Fig. 2). Although there are records that claim the church could seat 400, several parishioners who attended that older church say it could only seat about 150 people.

Figure 2. Expanded church and rectory.

As the oil industry and foundry businesses expanded and the population grew in Bartlesville to support the banks, shops, and oil industry support businesses that developed the church became inadequate for the growing number of Catholics coming into town. Fr. John Lynch had the old church razed in October 1958, and he moved the altar, pews, statues, etc. into the gymnasium of St. John School to hold religious services until a new church could be built.

The new church is the one you currently see on the original site (Fig. 3). It was designed to be 8,790 ft? and seat approximately 600, including the lofts and chapel. Religious services began in the new edifice in April 1961. Bishop Victor Reed dedicated the church October 22, 1961.

Fifteen windows in the church were designed and made by Gabriel Loire in Chartres, France. One window over the Baptismal font depicts the baptism of Jesus. The other fourteen windows are the Stations of the Cross. Each station has a wooden cross on it to comply with the pre-Vatican II supposition that the Stations were to be made of wood.

The chapel on the south side has a mural of the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary painted on the walls. They were painted by the artist Pat Patterson, a convert, who used local people as models for many of the figures. He included a self portrait in the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles. His face is the second from the left. He claimed to be an Apache Indian, and he signed the wall with his Indian name Kemoha.

The shields of the Apostles can be seen outside the church on its south and east walls.

The church organ is a high quality instrument made by Casavant Fr貥s, Lt襬 Quebec.

In the Jubilee Year 2000 Bishop Edward Slattery dedicated a new Ministry Center that was built onto the north side of the church. Fr. Steve Austin raised over $1.2 million for this addition and for major maintenance work on the church and school. The new Ministry Center has administration offices, a religious goods store, conference rooms, a library, a nursery and a gathering area.

This page thanks to Carroll Kirwin.

Figure 3. Current church and Ministry Center.