After the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, it became the plan of the U.S. government to force Native American tribes from the Eastern United States into the Great Plains region.

[2] The first Catholic church in the Indian Territory was constructed in 1872 in Atoka by Irish workers building the Missouri-Kansas-Texas railroad.

The next bishop of Tulsa was Reverend Eusebius J. Beltran from the Diocese of Atlanta, appointed by Pope John Paul II in 1978.

[8] Most notable among his charity work were his efforts to assist persons in need, including unwed mothers, HIV/AIDS victims, homeless families, and women who had just been released from prison.

Pope John Paul II selected Reverend Edward Slattery of the Archdiocese of Chicago to replace Beltran in Tulsa in 1993.

[9] The current bishop of Tulsa is David Konderla from the Diocese of Austin, named by Pope Francis in 2016.

[10] A 13-year-old girl and her parents reported to the diocese in 1999 that she had been sexually molested that year by Reverend John Jangam, a visiting priest from India.

[11] In July 2002, the diocese abruptly removed Reverend Kenneth Lewis from St. John the Evangelist Church in McAlester after several parents complained about his inappropriate behavior with their children.

[15] The diocese in October 2019 released a list of 11 clergy with credible accusations of sexual abuse of minors dating back to 1973.