Rev. Philip Loftus 1948-1950
Rev. George F. Brown 1950-1951
Rev. Joseph Luther 1951-1954
Rev. Patrick Mutagh, LT 1954-1959
Rev. VR William C.Garthoeffner 1959-1962
Rev. James F. McGlinchey 1962-1963
Rev. Stephen MacAuley 1963-1967
Rev. David F. Monahan 1967-1978
Rev. Anthony Taylor, 3 Admin. 1990-1991
Rev. Edward Menasco, Admin. 1991-1992
Rev. Carl Janocha, 1992-1993
Rev. Gary W. Kayler, 1993-2000
Rev. James A. Goin 2000-2002
Rev. David Lafferty 2003-2009
Rev. John Zupez, SJ 2009-
Pat Reynolds 1992-94
Louis Huff 1995-2001
Dunn Cumby 2000-
Bernard Hollier 2007-
Rev. Ed Prather 1964-1969,
Rev. Ward J. Pankratz, 1963-1965,
Rev. Thomas G. Liktsch 1965-1967
Rev. John E. Dolan 1967-1968
Rev. Joseph D. Dillon 1968-1969
Rev. Thomas McSherry, 1978-1983
Rev. Howard Anthony, 1983-1990
Rev. Mark Mason, 1990-
Dedication of First Church on
October 18, 1948
First Communion on April 2, 1949
First Baptism on April 3, 1949
First Funeral on September 8, 1949
First Marriage on February 14, 1950
First Confirmation on
June 21, 1953, of 44 people
Dedication of Second Church on
January 20, 1964
Planning for a church in Jones began under the auspices of St. John the Baptist in Edmond in the Summer of 1948. Early parishioners came from Corpus Christi and from the Polish church in Harrah. St. John's Pastor Msgr. Gavan Monaghan met with a dozen families at the Hopcus residence to plan the church. Robert and Rosa Martin donated an acre of land, and the Catholic Extension Society added $2500 to funds raised locally; parishioners labored to build the church, which was debt-free when dedicated.
October 18, 1948, St. Robert Bellarmine was dedicated by Most Rev. Eugene J. McGuinness of Oklahoma; the membership is 15 families. The 30x70 foot building was named in memory of Robert Hopcus, son of Henry and Katy, recently killed in a motorcycle accident, and perhaps in recognition of the land donor.
In the Spring of 1949, a rectory was built North of the church. Occupied by Revs. Loftus, Brown, Luther, Murtagh. Jones has regular collections and Labor Day carnivals (with bingo and a wrestling match) to pay off its rectory.
On Good Friday of 1962, the church building, valued at $25,000 and now serving 30 families, was destroyed by a pre-dawn fire, likely originating with candles left burning after the Thursday service or possibly from a new heating unit. Residents pulled out most of the pews as Jones, Oklahoma City, and Nicoma Park fire trucks arrived. The Rock Island Railroad had discontinued passenger service in Jones, and its depot was donated to St. Robert and moved to the west of the church in 1960. It was used as a temporary church until a new building could be built.
On January 20, 1964, the new church building was dedicated. Rev. Stephen MacAulay, the pastor of Our Lady of Fatima in Nicoma Park, served Jones as a mission and oversaw the construction of the new church with seating for 160 people. Parishioner Gerald Gill drew up the plans for the 40x80 foot, wood and steel building, with Anthony Grill and Company of Spencer laying the foundation and doing the interior work. The US Catholic Extension Society granted a $10,000 donation for the new church. The rectory north of the church was sold and moved just east of the North Canadian River on NE 63rd St.
A replacement hall building was purchased from Jones Central School in October 2007, their former library, and was situated West of the church where the old hall stood. The Jones Historical Society paid the church $7,000 for the old hall, which they moved to its property North of the church. After submitting a high bid, the church waited two years for the school to complete other buildings and relinquish the library to St. Robert’s. Then it took two years to refurbish, with Ed Richardson overseeing the project, at a total cost of around $60,000.
In January 2007, there were 60 families and an additional 26 persons registered in the parish. Mass attendance averaged about 40 in 2009 and 55 by mid-2010. Then, Our Lady of Fatima in Nicoma Park closed, and Sunday attendance grew to an average of about I00.
The Knights Council 5396 from Our Lady moved to St. Robert. In October 2011, there were 81 families and a total of 173 persons registered in the parish. The parking lot was given an asphalt surface at this time.