When an accusation was made that a young black man had sexually assaulted a white woman, racial violence broke out in the city. In the midst of the riot, Father James Heiring, the pastor of Holy Family Cathedral in Tulsa, opened the doors of the church to provide refuge and protection for those fleeing the violence. According to an article published by the Tulsa Tribune on June 6, 1921, the Cathedral’s nuns, its ladies of the St. Vincent de Paul Society and its Knights of Columbus provided food, clothing, and shelter to some 400 Black victims of the riot. The Diocese has collected many stories from the black Catholic community and published them in this month’s issue of the Eastern Oklahoma Catholic.
On May 30, 2021, the Most Rev. David A. Konderla, Bishop of the Diocese of Tulsa, will lead an ecumenical Vespers prayer service with Rev. Dr. Robert Turner of the Historic Vernon Chapel A.M.E. Church in Tulsa to remember the centennial anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The service will be held at Holy Family Cathedral, 820 S. Boulder Ave., Tulsa at 7 p.m.
“The prayer service will be a time to acknowledge a grave evil that took place and mourn the lives lost and destroyed as well as a time to celebrate the courage of those people who served as shining lights in that dark time to help the victims,” said Bishop Konderla. “It is hard to believe that 100 years ago people could think and act in such a way. It is unthinkable. Still, it happened. And it is important that we take the time to pause and reflect on how such an unspeakable horror could take place so that we can avoid any such evil in our own day.”
“Every human being possesses an inherent dignity that can never be taken away,” added Father Gary Kastl, the pastor of Holy Family Cathedral. “This is the fundamental principle within the Catholic tradition that drives the mandatory respect not only for life but also for the diversity that exists within the human family due to culture, race, and ethnicity. When we come together seeking that which unites us, our faith and salvation in Christ, the diverse places from which we come help inform our understanding and appreciation that different cultures bring to a community.”
The witness of our parishioners from the time of the Race Massacre should not just make us proud of what the cathedral did at that tenuous time, but rather inspire all of us to be individuals who work to bring peace and mutual respect back into our communities today,” Fr. Kastl concluded.
Further reflections from the June 2021 Eastern Oklahoma Catholic: