Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa

After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, it became the plan of the U.S. government to force Native American tribes from the Eastern United States into the Great Plains region. The eastern part of present day Oklahoma was part of this loosely defined region known as the Indian Territory.

For the Catholic church, all of the Indian Territory became part of the Diocese of St. Louis in 1826.[2] It was passed to the new Diocese of Little Rock in 1843.[2]The first Catholic church in the Indian Territory was constructed in 1872 in Atoka by Irish workers building the Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroad.[3]

In 1875, the Diocese of New Orleans sent French Benedictine monks to minister to the tribes in the Indian Territory. They established St Gregory's Abbey in Shawnee in 1876. That same year, Pope Pius IX erected the Apostolic Prefecture of Indian Territory, taking jurisdiction for the Indian Territory away from the Diocese of Little Rock. In 1890, the US Government separated western Oklahoma from the Indian Territory, founding the Oklahoma Territory.

In 1891, Pope Leo XIII elevated the apostolic prefecture to the Apostolic Vicariate of Indian Territory, continuing its jurisdiction over the Oklahoma and Indian Territories. The first parish in Tulsa, Holy Family, opened in 1899.[3]

In 1905, Pope Pius X erected the Diocese of Oklahoma City, covering both the Oklahoma and Indian Territories. Two years later, the two territories were combined to create the new State of Oklahoma.

Pope Pius XI renamed the Diocese of Oklahoma City to the diocese of Oklahoma City-Tulsa in 1930, due to the population growth of Tulsa and its surrounding communities. The Tulsa area would remain part of this diocese for the next 42 years.

Pope Paul VI erected the Diocese of Tulsa on December 13, 1972, removing eastern Oklahoma from what became the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. The pope named Monsignor Bernard Ganter as the first bishop of Tulsa.[4] [5] He served in Tulsa for four years before being named bishop of the Diocese of Beaumont.[4]

The next bishop of Tulsa was Reverend Eusebius J. Beltran from the Diocese of Atlanta, appointed by Pope John Paul II in 1978. Most notable among his charity work were his efforts to assist persons in need, including unwed mothers, HIV/AIDS victims, homeless families, and women who had just been released from prison. Beltran was appointed archbishop of Oklahoma City in 1992.

Pope John Paul II selected Reverend Edward Slattery of the Archdiocese of Chicago to replace Beltran in Tulsa in 1993. Slattery served for 23 years before retiring in 2016.

The current bishop of Tulsa is David Konderla from the Diocese of Austin, named by Pope Francis in 2016.

1. Bernard J. Ganter (1972–1977), appointed Bishop of Beaumont
2. Eusebius J. Beltran (1978–1992), appointed Archbishop of Oklahoma City
3. Edward James Slattery (1993–2016)
4. David Konderla (2016–present)

• Peter Bryan Wells, appointed titular Archbishop and nuncio in 2016
• Daniel Henry Mueggenborg, appointed auxiliary bishop of Seattle in 2017

• Bishop Kelley High School, Tulsa
• Cascia Hall Preparatory School, Tulsa