Home
Church History
|
|
St. John's Parish originated in 1918 as an offshoot of the Sunday School of St. Paul's Cathedral in Oklahoma City. The congregation of the original chapel at 1135 NW 31st Street found itself in need of more space, so property was purchased at the southwest corner of 31st and Classen and the congregation - along with the building itself - moved in December of 1920. The church was recognized by the Diocese of Oklahoma as a parish in 1921.
A new church building, begun in 1928, was soon completed, and served as the parish home for the next 38 years. In this location, St. John's grew under nine rectors over a period of 45 years. In 1952, St. John's School began with an enrollment of 24 children. The city changed, with much expansion to the northwest, and the Church became surrounded by business properties. During the rectorship of The Rev. Herbert Conley (1961-1971), the desirability of relocation became an issue. Room was needed for both a growing Sunday School and a Day School, the resettlement of church families, and the need for space to accommodate adult activities. The final decision was hastened by a fire which caused considerable damage to the church complex on Classen.
The Church moved to its current location on North Brookline on the Feast of Christ the King, October 30, 1965. The decades of the fifties and sixties were the years of the greatest growth and outreach in the life of the Parish. It was during this time that the Parish was led to develop the emphasis on personal devotion and the full sacramental life of the Catholic Faith (in the tradition of the Oxford Movement) which has been a distinctive hallmark of our Parish. Many parishioners were initially attracted to St. John's by her Anglo-Catholic liturgy, special music programs during Advent andLent have been a consistent features of this tradition as have daily Eucharists and celebrations of all principal feasts, and numerous other holy days.
In the mid-90's, the need to modernize and expand again was addressed. The results included a beautiful new nave and sanctuary which was dedicated on Sunday, June 28th, 1998. At the same time, significant improvements and additions were made to both the Church and the School. A new parlor was completed for the Church and the old parlor was renovated into a modern and much-needed school library. The old nave was converted into an all-purpose room for both the Church and School, and a stage was added at one end. A state-of-the-art computer lab was also completed for the School. The current School now houses about 180 students from Preschool 3's through 8th grade and offers a curriculum devoted to the development of the whole child, mind, body, and spirit, including a sound and rigorous academic program, along with highly developed fine arts and technology programs. The School is also dedicated to small class sizes with an emphasis on the individual student. Chapel services as well as religious instruction in a Christian atmosphere dedicated to character development are mainstays of the School program. The School continues to be the main outreach of the Church, and is closely tied to the life of the Parish.