 In
1908 oilman and philanthropist Charles Page began the Sand Springs
Home for Children, and in 1914 he opened the Widow's Colony.
The town of Sand Springs grew around these two projects. At first
Catholics had to travel to Tulsa for Mass, but later they were
served by the pastor of Collinsville, and then by Father James
Garvey, who came from Bartlesville by train. Father Garvey wanted
to build a church in Sand Springs, but Bishop Meerschaert turned
the project over to Father John Heiring of Tulsa. The Irish Father
Garvey would nonetheless provide the patron for the proposed parish
- St. Patrick.
In 1919 Mr. Page donated four lots at Fourth
and Washington, and Father Heiring employed Daniel Eichenfeld
to design the church. The young architect was a member of the
firm that had designed Holy Family in Tulsa five years earlier.
The cornerstone was laid in September 1919, the parish itself
was formally established on April 30, 1920, and a pastor was appointed.
It is not clear whether the church was ever dedicated, but the
congregation was using it by early 1921.
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