About St. Joseph · Webbers Falls, Oklahoma
St. Joseph Parish in Webbers Falls is a small Roman Catholic mission church serving the rural community of Webbers Falls in southeastern Muskogee County, eastern Oklahoma. It is part of the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma and is cared for alongside St. Francis Xavier in Sallisaw, St. Kateri Tekakwitha in Roland, and St. John the Evangelist in Cookson, with which it shares pastoral ministry. The parish gathers for Sunday Mass at 11:30 a.m. and a Tuesday evening Mass at 6:00 p.m., offering the sacraments to a close-knit Catholic community in the historic Arkansas River Valley. The Diocese of Tulsa parish-finder records its pastor as Rev. Lawrence Nwachukwu.
- Established
- 1941
- Patron
- St. Joseph
- Rector
- Rev. Lawrence Nwachukwu
- Diocese
- Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma
Why belong here
St. Joseph offers the rare gift of a small, faithful Catholic community in rural eastern Oklahoma, where Mass is celebrated in a personal setting every Sunday and again on Tuesday evenings. As one of four Sister Churches shepherded together from St. Francis Xavier in Sallisaw, the parish connects Webbers Falls Catholics to a wider family of missions — St. Kateri Tekakwitha in Roland, St. John in Cookson, and St. Francis Xavier itself — so worshippers here belong to something larger than a single building.
Mass times at St. Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
St. Joseph Parish at a Glance
St. Joseph is a small Catholic mission in the town of Webbers Falls, Muskogee County, Oklahoma, listed in the Diocese of Tulsa parish finder and on GCatholic as Church of St. Joseph. It is one of four Sister Churches shepherded together with St. Francis Xavier in Sallisaw, St. Kateri Tekakwitha in Roland, and St. John the Evangelist in Cookson. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 11:30 a.m. and a Tuesday evening Mass at 6:00 p.m., both in English.
- Type: Mission church
- Diocese: Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma
- Address: 109 Smith St., Webbers Falls, OK 74470
- Mailing: PO Box 53, Webbers Falls, OK 74470
- Phone: (918) 788-3771
History & Catholic Roots in Webbers Falls
Catholic life at Webbers Falls stretches back more than a century into the missionary era of Indian Territory. From 1909 to 1925 a 'Webber's Falls station' was attended by priests from St. Paul's Church in Eufaula in the Cherokee and Muskogee (Creek) Nations. After a transfer to Assumption, Muskogee, the mission lapsed until St. Joseph Mission was re-established at Webbers Falls between 1941 and 1942 and then transferred to Holy Cross, Wagoner. Sacramental records for the mission held at Marquette University's archives cover 1887–1897, 1909–1925, and 1941–1942. From 1942 to 1954 the mission was again active, and from 1948 to 1967 the records describe it as having become a parish 'no longer Native.' Since May 1969 St. Joseph has been cared for as a mission attached to St. Francis Xavier Parish in Sallisaw.
- 1909–1925 — Webber's Falls station, served from St. Paul's, Eufaula
- 1941–1942 — St. Joseph Mission re-attached to Holy Cross, Wagoner
- 1942–1954 — Mission records held by Assumption, Muskogee
- 1948–1967 — Becomes a parish (no longer Native)
- 1969 — Attached to newly independent St. Francis Xavier, Sallisaw
- Today — One of four Sister Churches in the Sallisaw pastoral grouping
Pastor & Clergy
The Diocese of Tulsa parish finder lists Rev. Lawrence Nwachukwu as the current pastor of St. Joseph, Webbers Falls. The St. Francis Xavier Sallisaw website's 'About' page additionally names Father Jeff Polasek as the priest who shepherds St. Francis Xavier together with the three Sister Churches at Roland, Webbers Falls, and Cookson, reflecting the shared regional pastoral model. The parish has no resident clergy on site; priests travel from the Sallisaw grouping or the diocese to celebrate the two weekly Masses.
- Pastor (per Diocese of Tulsa parish finder): Rev. Lawrence Nwachukwu
- Shared pastoral care from St. Francis Xavier, Sallisaw: Rev. Jeff Polasek
- Parish Secretary & Sacramental Records: managed centrally from St. Francis Xavier, Sallisaw
The Sister Churches of St. Francis Xavier, Sallisaw
Because St. Joseph has so few Catholics of its own, it is grouped with three nearby parishes and missions into a single pastoral family under St. Francis Xavier in Sallisaw. This 'four-church' model means St. Joseph's parishioners regularly worship alongside their neighbors across Sequoyah County and eastern Muskogee County.
- St. Francis Xavier — Sallisaw (mother parish, founded 1953)
- St. Kateri Tekakwitha — Roland (mission established 1981)
- St. John the Evangelist — Cookson (built 1957 to serve Lake Tenkiller area)
- St. Joseph — Webbers Falls (mission)
Community, Town & Setting
Webbers Falls sits on the Arkansas River in southeastern Muskogee County, named for Walter Webber, a Western Cherokee chief who established a trading post there in 1828. The town is on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, since it was a Cherokee settlement before the forced removal of 1838–1839. Today it is a small rural community of about 300 residents, and St. Joseph is one of only a handful of active churches in the town, anchoring Catholic life for families along the river.
- Town named for Chief Walter Webber, who founded a trading post and salt works in 1828
- Site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
- 2020 census population: 332
- Located on U.S. Highway 64 and State Highway 100
Contact & Visiting
Because St. Joseph is a small mission, most administration and sacramental records are handled through the central office at St. Francis Xavier in Sallisaw. Visitors are warmly welcomed at either the Sunday or Tuesday Mass.
- Parish address: 109 Smith St., Webbers Falls, OK 74470
- Mailing address: PO Box 53, Webbers Falls, OK 74470
- Phone: (918) 788-3771
- Central office (St. Francis Xavier): (918) 775-6217
- Facebook: facebook.com/p/St-Josephs-Church-Webbers-Falls-100081461794176
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Herman J. Fokencirca 1940s–1960s
Pastor of Assumption, Muskogee, who also cared for the Webbers Falls mission and helped establish the Sallisaw mission in 1953.