State's Catholic History to be Featured at Pastoral Center
Heritage Room Will Bring  Oklahoma's Catholic Beginnings To Life for Students, Adults Alike

By Eileen Dugan
For the Sooner Catholic

OKLAHOMA CITY — 2005 marks the Centennial Year for the diocese of Oklahoma. To help celebrate this historical event, starting in February a Heritage Room will be set up in the space adjacent to the chapel, at the Pastoral Center in Oklahoma City.

When the Pastoral Center was first built as a seminary, this space was a series of private chapels where Mass could be said by up to six priests, at a time. “The altars have long since been removed,” said Jim Weinmann, Director of the Pastoral Center. As part of its celebration, “the diocese of Oklahoma will provide something for people to view and take some pride in, and realize the tremendous amount of energy and effort by the priests and religious of the paSaint”

The Heritage Room will feature “artifacts and items that bring us in touch with the bishops, priests, religious men and women, and lay people who built the
foundation for Catholicism here in Oklahoma” he said. “If we look back 80, 90, 100 years, we will be amazed at the energy put forth by people like Bishop Meerschaert, the first bishop of Oklahoma. He traveled on horseback, establishing churches and schools,” Weinmann said. In the beginning, he worked primarily with Native Americans and set up several Indian schools as Vicar-Apostolic for the Indian Territory, before becoming bishop.

The theme chosen for the Centennial Year is “Seeds of Faith, Works of Love, Harvest of Hope”. The Heritage Room will focus on “Seeds of Faith”. The room will open “in February of 2005 so we will have most of 2005 to invite people and celebrate the Centennial with them,” Weinmann said.

A pilgrimage booklet has been prepared for selected sites around the state, relating to the history of the diocese; the Heritage Room is one of the stops on this tour. The Heritage Room will address the Catholic history of Oklahoma from the standpoint of the diocese and the Church. Parishes will address their own histories.

 “The Heritage Room will reach into the future, well beyond the Centennial Year. It will be an ever-changing presentation. Displays will change from time to time to maintain interest and to continue to educate and inform,” Weinmann said. “We will notify the public of different presentations through the Sooner Catholic.”

Weinmann hopes that people coming to the Heritage Room, in addition to making a “Come, Look, and See journey” will make a spiritual journey, as well. The Heritage Room will highlight both the historical and “spiritual aspects of our leaders of the past,” he said.

During the tours, volunteers will “give some of the history of the Pastoral Center: how it was and how it has evolved into the central space for the archbishop and the archdiocese. The tour will begin in the lobby and will feature portraits of the bishops and archbishops who have led Oklahoma in the past 100 years. The pilgrims will then visit the Heritage Room. After learning the history of “some of the people instrumental in the development of ‘Seeds of Faith’ in Oklahoma, the visitors will view the Chapel where they will be reminded of the Eucharist, the source and foundation of our faith, the Real Presence. In the chapel they will also view the beautiful-stained glass windows and will see the story line, the process of the vocation to the priesthood, and how that has been so artistically developed in the main aisle. The artist was the late Father John Walch, a diocesan prieSaint

Those organizing and bringing the Heritage Room to life are Sister Immaculata Commet CST, Joanne Forgue, Susan Alig, Diane Culbertson, Connie Robles, Dennis Mueggenborg, Mary Fahy, and Chairperson, James Weinmann.

This committee is focusing on a display that would contain a number of alcoves in the Heritage Room. One alcove would highlight Bishop Meerschaert and the other early leaders. Another would present the priests and sisters who played a role in Oklahoma’s Catholic history. And still another alcove would feature Catholic schools, including Saint Joseph’s Orphanage that dates to the early years of the diocese. Early hospitals such as Saint Anthony’s and Saint John’s in Tulsa would be presented in another alcove. Weinmann said this alcove would demonstrate the social teaching, “the living of our faith.”

 Another alcove would recognize the history of early Catholic churches, the ones dating back, at least 100 years. A final alcove would be dedicated to those Catholic families that helped build the faith in early-day Oklahoma.  

“We visualize that pilgrims, especially the elderly and school children who have the freedom to visit during the day, will come from the parishes. They will have the opportunity to attend Mass at the Pastoral Center, have lunch, and take our tour which will bring the history of the Church here in Oklahoma to them,” Weinmann said.

Many interesting artifacts, photographs, and historical documents will be displayed, such as the frontier diary of Bishop Meerschart and photographs of churches like the one in Okarche, a particularly old parish, and those of the nuns in Guthrie who started one of the first black schools in Oklahoma. “The cope of Bishop Meershaert, on display at Saint Mary’s in Guthrie” will also find its way to the Heritage Room. “Saint Mary’s will lend it to us,” Weinmann said. “We’re still searching for other artifacts and items. We want to enhance our displays in every way we can,” he said. Those willing to lend photos, documents, or other items of a Catholic historical nature are encouraged to contact Weinmann at 405-721-5651.

“Catholics, although their numbers were small, have had a profound effect on this state,” Weinmann said. “Oklahoma Catholics were very active as a group, determined and committed to making things happen.”