Holy Family Church About 1890, the Rev. Wm Ketcham, the Roman Catholic pastor of
Muskogee (then part of
Indian Territory), visited Tulsa from time to time to say Mass in a private residence. He and his superior, Bishop
Theophile Meerschaert, then vicar apostolic of Oklahoma, obtained permission from the
Creek Indian tribal chief to build a church. However, no building was constructed until several years later. Beginning in November 1897, the Rev. Charles Van Hulse visited Tulsa (then also part of Indian Territory) once a month to hold Roman Catholic church services in a private residence. At the start of 1899, a subscription drive raised pledges of $1,400 for the purpose of building a church. A contract was let in May, 1899 and the building was dedicated on September 10, 1899. Construction of the sanctuary was completed in only two years with construction of the rectory beginning five years later, in 1919. In 1899, Mother
Katharine Drexel (later canonized), an heiress to the Drexel banking family of Philadelphia, responded to the request by providing funds to construct St. Theresa's Institute for Creek Indian Girls. Mother Katharine intended the school to benefit Indian and African American children of the Oklahoma and Indian Territories but she allowed children of all races. The initial loan was repaid by 1902 and the school was renamed Holy Family School, adopting the same patrons as the church. Three Sisters of Mount Carmel came from New Orleans to teach at the new school. They were replaced in 1902 by
Sisters of Divine Providence from San Antonio. In January 2020, Holy Family Cathedral School transitioned to a classical Catholic school. ==See also==