A History of the Cathedral
The Cathedral’s history is one of enjoying booms, surviving busts and God always being faithful.
Since 1982 the Cathedral has expanded its campus, increased regular Sunday attendance and established an endowment. The Cathedral provides space for 12-Step meetings, community music programs and serves as a location for the opening ceremony of the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. parade.
The bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995, had a profound effect on the Cathedral as it was heavily damaged that day. Despite the tragedy of lost lives and property, St. Paul's stepped up immediately and became a triage site for rescue workers as well as providing a spiritual sanctuary for all seeking comfort and peace during that dark time.
In the early 1990's, the Cathedral purchased an adjacent junkyard and converted the lot into a child-friendly garden. As a reminder of the effect of the bombing on our community, the children of St. Paul's planted a Weeping Willow in the Cathedral Garden in memory of the children who were killed in the Murrah Building.
Eventually, St. Paul's purchased an old auto body shop adjacent to the Garden and built the Dean Back Administrative Building. A million dollar Garden renovation and Columbarium construction project was completed in the spring of 2011.
As it is, St. Paul’s abides as a sacred place on Earth and as a gateway to Heaven.
In 2023, St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral issued a Land Acknowledgement, recognizing the Native History on this land:
St. Paul’s Cathedral Land Acknowledgement
The Cathedral is located at 127 Northwest Seventh Street in the heart of downtown Oklahoma City, the capital city of the State of Oklahoma. Clergy, cathedral members and staff acknowledge that Indigenous Peoples in the past occupied, lived on or passed over the space which the Cathedral currently occupies today. The Cathedral recognizes, accepts and acknowledges the loss of life, loss of territory, the historical consequences of the violent occupation by non-Ind