Parish History - An Overview

• 1886-1909 • 1910-1929 • 1930-1949 • 1950-1969 • 1970-1989 • 1990-2009 •

During this period of time, the Santa Fe Railroad was extended through Indian Territory, railroad siding stations were built, and approximately 150 people ended up at Edmond station at the end of the day of the April 22, 1889 Land Run.

Father Nicholas Scallan, working in the territory at the time of the Land Run, asked four Catholic men to build a Catholic Church in Edmond. Land was obtained on the southwest corner of First and Boulevard and the church was built. The church was dedicated, with a Mass, on June 24th, 1889, the feast of St. John the Baptist. Mass was said one Sunday each month at St. John's. On other Sundays, the church was used by other religious denominations. 

In 1891, St. John's acquired a mission church, St. Patrick's at Lockridge. A small church was built there on five acres of land. Fifteen priests were pastors of St. John the Baptist during this period. Six of these priests were Benedictine Fathers. A new church was built in 1900 on the same site at a cost of $4,000.

Pope Leo XIII elevated the Oklahoma and Indian Territories to the status of Vicariate Apostolic and Father Theophile Meerschaert was appointed Vicar Apostolic. In 1905, the Oklahoma and Indian Territories were elevated to a full diocese and named the Diocese of Oklahoma. Father Meerschaert became the first bishop of the diocese. In 1907, Oklahoma became the 46th state of the union.

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An additional mission, Sacred Heart Church at Navina, was added to the responsibilities of St. John's in 1913. Father Dudek, a St. John parishioner, said his first Mass after ordination at St. John's in 1918. And, anti-Catholic bigotry reached its highest level in Oklahoma after World War I .

Bishop Meerschaert died in 1924 and Francis Clement Kelley became the second bishop of Oklahoma. There were six different pastors at St. John's during this period. Father Dannis remained pastor for an unprecedented fifteen years. One pastor, Father MacLeod, was a Redemptorist priest from Boston and another pastor, Father Hartmann, was a Precious Blood Father. 

In 1925, a new addition to the church was completed and major repairs to the rectory were made at a cost of $1,564.47. Mass began to be said every Sunday of the month. In 1928, the estimated value of the church property in Edmond was $10,000, with the church valued at $6,000 and the rectory at $4,000.

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St. John's Church was redecorated in and out and a new garage was built for the rectory, all for $446.91. A papal directive changed the name of the diocese to the Diocese of Oklahoma City and Tulsa. The rich Edmond oil fields were discovered. And, the population of Edmond jumped to 4,500.

In 1936, a fire destroyed the belfry and roof of St. John's Church. The damage was extensive and the cost to repair it was $3,371.41, paid for by the Catholic Mutual Insurance Society of America.

Father James McNamee, pastor of St. John's in 1937, was far ahead of his time by presenting arguments for the use of English at Mass. This created a great deal of controversy and some people wanted him to be excommunicated for heresy. He did succeed to some extent by having the epistle and gospel read in English by a layman while he read in Latin.

Precious Blood Sisters came to Edmond to teach catechism on Sundays and to teach Religious Vacation School in the summer. 

The country was thrown into war on December 7th and Edmond citizens went off to military service or defense work. Father McNamee became a military chaplain. And, Eugene J. McGuinness became the third bishop of the Oklahoma Diocese.

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Because continuing growth was expected in Edmond, St. John's purchased an entire block of land from 9th to 10th streets between Littler and Boulevard. The parish moved to that location in the spring of 1954. The property included an old house which became the rectory and an old feed store which became the temporary church and parish hall. In 1955, a new brick church was built and dedicated. The population of St. John's reached 280 during the 1950s.

In 1958, John XXIII was elected pope, the Second Vatican council was convened, and Victor J. Reed was appointed the fourth Bishop of Oklahoma. The impact of these three happenings on the church in Oklahoma was tremendous. So many changes were experimented with at St. John's that it was referred to as the "experimental parish." Some parishioners became so upset with the changes that they left the parish and attended Mass in Oklahoma City churches that were not experimenting with changes.

By 1965, the parish population increased to 590, more changes in the liturgy were implemented, and the sanctuary was redecorated. The parish hall (old feed store) was ending its usefulness. A parish annex to the church was approved and built, and dedicated on November 5, 1966.

In April 1968, parish member Tom Boyer became the third parishioner to be ordained to the priesthood and to offer his first Mass at St. John's.

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John R. Quinn was appointed bishop of the Diocese of Oklahoma City and Tulsa, replacing Bishop Reed who died suddenly of a heart attack. In one of his first messages Bishop Quinn said, "The 70s will be the harvest years when the ideas expressed at the Second Vatican Council will bear solid and worthwhile fruit." People began to accept the changes in the church. Bishop Quinn became the youngest archbishop in the U.S. when the Oklahoma City diocese became a metropolitan see which included the Tulsa and Little Rock diocese

Plans were carried out to build a new rectory on the north side of the church. The old house was used by the Edmond Youth council as a place for Edmond teenagers to meet. In 1975, a Saturday night Mass at 6:00 pm was added to the weekend schedule that included Masses at 8:00, 10:00, and 12:00 noon. The parish directory listed 518 families registered in the parish.

The church was renovated and the new sanctuary was dedicated on August 29, 1977 by Archbishop Quinn. Later that year, Charles Salatka was installed as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. The first full time associate pastor started at St. John's in 1979 when Father Marvin F. Leven was appointed pastor.

Because of the projected growth in the population of Edmond a building fund was started for the purpose of constructing a new worship center. In 1980, the parish census showed almost 900 families in the parish. The building fund netted $700,000 in donations or pledges.

Construction of the new worship center started in 1981 and in 1982, on August 29th, Archbishop Salatka dedicated the 825 seat church. In the fall of 1983, the parish began using the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RICA) as the principle way of welcoming new Catholics into the community.

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PREPARING FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM

1990 - 2009

The Catholic School of St. John the Baptist Parish, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton School, opened in 1990 with Ellie Seward as principal and four classroom teachers. That year, the student body consisted of 85 students in grades Kindergarten through the third grade. 

In the fall of 1992, a Fund Drive got underway to seek pledges for the building of a new parish Activity Center which would house a gym, commons area, kitchen, nurseries, Youth Center, meeting rooms, and Parish Offices. 

Eusebius J. Beltran was installed as Archbishop of Oklahoma City in January, 1993. A second parish in Edmond, St. Monica's, was developed because of the rapid population growth in Edmond. St. John's lost 200 families to St. Monica's: however, Edmond continued to grow and so did St. John's. 

The dedication of the commons area and the gymnasium (Great Hall) in the new Parish Activity Center was held on June 26, 1994. Two years later, a new school library was built and dedicated. Two years after the library was dedicated, a new marble altar was installed in the church sanctuary.

As a new school year began on August 16, 2000, student enrollment in grades one through eight, kindergarten, and preschool at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School rose to 500 students. 

During the last decade of the 20th century, several associate pastors were assigned in and out of St. John's. They were: Father Edward Menasco, Father John T. Zagar, Father Joseph A. Jacobi, Father Carl W. Janocha, Father Thomas O'Toole, Father Kevin J. Ratterman, Father Showry Ponnapati, Father Louis Vander Ley, OSB, and Father Joseph H. Arledge.

The year 2000, added Father Stephen V. Hamilton as an associate pastor of St. John's, replacing Father Joseph Arledge. 

In June 2002, Father John R. Metzinger was named pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish by Archbishop Beltran. Father John A. Petuskey, pastor since 1989, was named pastor emeritus. Father Francis Tuan Nguyen, newly ordained, was named associate pastor, replacing Father Stephen V. Hamilton. Father Louis Vander Ley remains associate pastor of St. John's.

In November 2003, Father John Petuskey, pastor emeritus, passed away peacefully in St. John's rectory.

In June 2004, newly ordained Father Rex Arnold was assigned as associate pastor replacing Father Francis Nguyen who was reassigned to Christ the King Parish in Nichols Hills. Father Louis Vander Ley remains associate pastor.

In 2005, construction began on the expansion of St. John the Baptist's church building to increase seating and gathering space areas. completion due by Easter, 2006.

In 2006, construction began on the expansion of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton school.

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