Parishioner Writes History of Catholic Church in Sallisaw
SALLISAW — In 2028, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church will celebrate its 75th anniversary. In advance of that occasion, Sallisaw native and long-time parishioner Earl Strebeck has authored and released a self-published history of the parish.
"In my history, I hope to imply that St. Francis Xavier has always been open to all," says Strebeck. "The church has never segregated and regardless of your race, creed, nationality, saint or sinner, you are welcome..."
Strebeck graduated from Sallisaw High School in 1958, and he received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Northeaster State University in Tahlequah and then a Master degree in Art and Architecture from the University of Missouri.
Through his research, Strebeck has traced the origins of the Catholic Church's presence in pre-Oklahoma statehood (Indian Territory) and how the parish was ultimately founded in his hometown. Under the direction of the late Father Herman J. Foken, and with the approval of the late Bishop McGuinness, property was finally acquired for a parish in 1952, but not without considerable opposition due to local anti-Catholic sentiment at the time.
Strebeck lived through most of the local parish history as he converted to Catholicism and came into full communion with the Church in 1957.
"I have always thought of St. Francis Xavier as my home church and since I go back to its beginnings, I decided to write a history of the church," says Strebeck. "I start my history long before the church was founded to show how difficult it was to have a Catholic Church in Sallisaw."
The parish, begun as a humble mission in 1953, is now in its third building which was dedicated in 2015. It is currently pastored by Father Jeffrey Polasek, who grew up at St. Francis Xavier and served as pastor from 1995 to 2005 before returning in 2024.
An online history of the church can be found on the parish website by
clicking here.