St. Joseph Church has had a unique history. The
parish was established in 1902 and Mass was offered by Father F. Hall, a priest from Ardmore, in the
home of Jerry Cragin. As the
Catholic population increased, the site for the Mass moved to the home of Mrs.
Gray, then to the Moose Hall. A
frame store building was then purchased as a gathering space and moved to the
Jerry Cragin property.
While the citizens of Ada debated whether 12th
street or Main Street would become the main street, the Extension Society, at
the direction of Father Theophile Caudron purchased Lots 1 and 2 of Block 3 of
the Ford addition and in 1916 a stone-faced concrete block church was built at
213 S. Hope Street.
The Benedictine priests from Sacred Heart Abbey, near
Konawa, took the pastoral reigns in 1917. The
pioneering spirit and zeal of the early priests and laity, in establishing a
church in Ada, resulted in a community of believers who were hard working and
dedicated to extending the Catholic presence in Pontotoc County.
A succession of priests from Sacred Heart Abbey and St.
Gregory’s Abbey continued to come to St. Joseph to celebrate mass.
On January 1, 1935, Father Hildebrand Brunnett, O.S.B., was appointed
Pastor of the parish with Coalgate and Lehigh as missions.
In 1948, Father Maurice Costello, O.S.B., awakened parish
spirit, solidarity, parish activities and growth. A new parish hall was constructed. The parish continued to grow and it soon was evident that the
existing parish facility on 12th and Hope would not be adequate for
the projected school and church of the future. A parcel of land adjoining the
old Valley View Hospital was donated to the church by the Norris estate in
January 1950. This tract of land
upon further consideration would not accommodate the future building needs. Mrs.
P.A. Norris graciously traded the property for the present site.
With the untimely death of Father Maurice, Father John Bloms, O.S. B.
became pastor in 1952.
Ground breaking ceremonies for the new parish plant took
place on May 4, 1953. The first
Mass in the new parish hall was Midnight Mass, 1953.
The parish plant would continue to develop as the school and rectory were
built and dedicated on March 14, 1954. On
April 15, 1962, ground was broken for the new church.
The first Mass in the new church was celebrated at Midnight Mass in 1962.
The church was consecrated May 7, 1963, by Bishop Victor Reed, D.D.,
Bishop of the Oklahoma Diocese.
In 1987, the parish celebrated the 25th
anniversary of the present church building at 1300 East Beverly.
The current pastor is Rev. Ray K. Ackerman, a priest of the
Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, who was appointed in June of 1999.
Fr. Ackerman has served the Archdiocese since 1991 as an Associated
Pastor at St. Philip Neri Church in Midwest City, and as President of Mount St.
Mary High School in Oklahoma City.
As the parish moves into the new millenium with all the
challenges that it will bring, the people of St. Joseph continue to strive to be
a “pilgrim people” who look to Jesus as their God and Savior, a people who
treasure the Bible as the word of God and are guided on their journey of faith
by the teachings and Traditions of the Church.
