OKLAHOMA
233
OKLAHOMA
held is wholly exempt from taxation, assessments, lien,
attachiiifiit, and sale upon execution.
VII. niocEsi; OF Oklahoma. — What is now the Dio- cese i if Oklaliiinia was formerly the Vicariate Apostolic of Iiiili;iii 'Pcriitory. The diocese comprises the entire Stall- 1 if ( )khihoma. Prior to the opening of Oklahoma in INSO there were only a few missions and scarcely any churches. At the present time (1910) there are within the state 53 churches with resident priests and 71 missions with churches, 300 stations attended occasionally and 12 chapels, 60 secular priests and 34 Benedictines, 14 of whom are in the missions. The Benedictine Fathers were the first missionaries and they established themselves at Sacred Heart Abbey in Pottawatomie County in 1880. The first prefect- Apostolic was the Rt. Rev. Isidore Robot, O.S.B., his appointment dating from 1877. Catholicism in Okla- homa owes much to his persevering efforts. A native of France, he introduced the Benedictine order in the Indian country, choosing the home of the Pottawa- tomie Indians as the centre of his missionary labours. M this time a few Catholics other than the Potta- watomie and Osage Indians were scattered over this vast country. Soon after Robot's appointment as prefect Apostolic he had the foundations of Sacred Heart College and St. Mary's Academy well estab- lished, the latter under the care of the Sisters of Mercy. These institutions have grown and prospered. Father M. Bernard Murphy was the first American to join the Benedictine order and from 1S77 was the constant companion and co-worker of Father Robot until the latter's death. Father Robot fulfilled his charge well and laid a solid foundation upon which others were to build as the great state developed. He died 15 February, 1887, and his humble grave is in the little Campo Santo at Sacred Heart Abbey. Well did he say: "Going, I went forth weeping, sowing the word of God; coming, they will come rejoicing, bearing the sheaves."
The second prefect Apostolic was Rt. Rev. Ignatius Jean, O.S.B., whose appointment followed immedi- ately after the death of Father Robot. Father Jean resigned in April, 1890. From the coming of Father Robot, Oklahoma and Indian Territories had been a prefecture Apostohc, but by the Bull of 29 May, 1891, it was erected into a vicariate Apostolic. The Right Rev. Bishop Meerschaert was the first vicar Apostolic of Indian Territory, being consecrated in Natchez, Miss. On 23 August, 1905, by a brief of Pius X the vicariate was erected into the Diocese of Oklahoma with the see in Oklahoma City. Prior to this time the see had been in Guthrie. The Right Reverend Bishop Theophile Meerschaert, the first Bishop of Oklahoma, was born at Roussignies, Belgium. He studied at the American College, Louvain, Belgium, finishing his course there. Coming to America in 1872 he laboured in the Diocese of Natchez, Mis.s., until 1891. By his example and his labours he has endeared himself to his own flock, and also to fair- minded non-Catholics. When his administration be- gan, his labours were difficult and perplexing; he was compelled to travel long distances and weary miles on horseback, railroad facilities being very meagre and accommodations poor. In those days Alass was cele- brated many times in dugouts, no house being avail- able, and churches were very few and only in the larger towns. Development has come with the multitudes of people who have come to this new country to make homes, bringing with them the best ideas of the old states from which they came. The labours of the laishop have been manifold on account of the great influx of people, but the Church has kept pace with all the other developments under his guidance and per- severance, until at the present time (1910) there are within the diocese about 32,000 Catholics and 86 priests (22 from Belgium, 12 from Holland, 15 from France, 12 from Germany, 3 from Ireland, 1 from
Canada, 1 Indian, and 20 American priests). The
majority of these priests were educated at Louvain,
Strasburg, or Rome. There are two parishes for
non-English speaking Catholics in the diocese, one
Polish at Harrah and one German at Okarche. The
parochial schools are conducted by both Brothers and
Sisters, some few by lay-teachers. The Brothers of
the Sacred Heart and the Christian Brothers have
schools within the diocese. The sisterhoods within
the diocese are: Sisters of Mercy (mother-house in
Oklahoma City), Sisters of Divine Providence
(mother-house in San Antonio, Texas), Sisters of St.
Francis, Sisters of St. Benedict, and Sisters of the
Precious Blood. There are thirty-six schools for
white children, fifteen for Indians, two for coloured
children; thirty-six parishes with schools; one indus-
trial school; two colleges for boys: St. Joseph's College
at Muskogee, under the direction of Brothers of the
Sacred Heart, and the College of the Sacred Heart
under the direction of the Benedictine Fathers.
There are eight academies for young ladies, the princi-
pal ones being Mt. St. Mary's Academy at Oklahoma
City conducted by the Sisters of Mercy and the acad-
emy at Guthrie conducted by the Benedictine Sisters.
There is one seminary for students of the Benedictine
order. There are in the diocese 14 Benedictine
Brothers, 5 Christian Brothers, 8 Brothers of the
Sacred Heart, and 234 Sisters in the various congrega-
tions. The novitiates are: Sisters of Mercy at Okla-
homa City, Benedictine Sisters at Guthrie, and Bene-
dictine Fathers at Sacred Heart. St. Anthony's
Hospital at Oklahoma City is conducted by the Sis-
ters of St. Francis.
Oklahoma City, the metropolis, with a population of about 65,000 (1910) has one church, St. Joseph's Cathedral, the pastor of which. Rev. B. Mutsaers, D.D., has two assistants: Rev. John Gruenewald and Rev. Victor Van Durrae. Muskogee has a popula- tion of 25,000 and one church. Rev. Jos. Van Hulse pastor; Enid has a population of 20,000 and one church. Very Rev. Gustave Dupreitere, vicar-general, pastor. Other cities having one church and a resident priest are Shawnee, Tulsa, El Reno, Guthrie, Chickasha, and McAlester. There are three churches and two schools for negroes, the latter attended by 120 children.
Most of the Indians within the diocese are Baptists and Methodists. Some of the Pottawatomies are Catholics, among the Choctaws there are a great many, and the Osage tribe in the northern part of the state is entirely Cathohc. The spiritual interests of the Osage Indians are attended to by Rev. Edward Van Waesberghe at Pawhuska. There are Indian Mission Schools at Purcell, Anadarko, Chickasha, Antlers, Pawhuska, Gray Horse, Quawpaw, Ard- more, Muskogee, and Vinita. 1590 Indian pupils at- tend these mission schools. These schools are sup- ported by money coming from Re\'. Mother Katherine Drexel, the Indian Bureau at Washington, D. C, and from Catholic residents of the state. Much credit is due Rev. Isidore Ricklin, O S.B., of Anadarko, Rev. Edw. Van Waesberghe of Pawhuska, Rev. Hubert Van Rechem, and Rev. F. S. Teyssier of Antlers, all of whom have laboured many years in the Indian Mis- sions.
In regard to the immigrants the Italians, Bohe- mians, Germans, Syrians, Mexicans, and French form settlements; but the people of other nationalities as- similate because they are not numerous enough to form settlements and for the further reason that by assimilation they can learn the English language more rapidly. From the time of the opening of Oklahoma in 1889 many Catholics have moved into this diocese. At the present time (1910) there is a good class of Catholics in the diocese and many practical Cath- olics are constantly coming from all parts of the world. There are retreats for clergy every two years and eccle- siastical conferences are called every four months. In
