Oklahoma Orphanage Plans Reunion

Here is an invitation for all Former Residents and Staff of St. Joseph’s Orphanage in Bethany, Oklahoma

"Did you hear about the reunion...?"

and St. Joseph’s Children’s Home in Oklahoma City. 

REUNION - SAVE THE DATE - SPEAD THE WORD

A reunion of former residents and staff members of St. Joseph’s Orphanage in Bethany, Oklahoma, and St. Joseph’s Children’s Home in Oklahoma City is being planned for Saturday, June 1, 2013.  Arrangements are pending. 

If you ever lived or worked at the orphanage or children’s home and would like to receive information about this reunion, please mail, e-mail or phone your contact information to Jane Moon, Catholic Charities, 1501 N. Classen Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73106, jmoon@catholiccharitiesok.org, 405-526-2308.

The home was opened in 1912 in Bethany, Oklahoma and later moved to Oklahoma City.

ST. JOSEPH'S CABINS: HISTORIC INNOVATIVE IDEA

Dec.12,1937 the Oklahoman, carried an article, "St. Joseph's to Try Novel Experiment", (pg.34) by building cabins on the land behind the gym and central building to house elderly people. The idea being children without families and the elderly could enrich each other's lives.  An article from the source of June 17,  1923 (pg.4), notes that they were taking care of the elderly at that early date.

In 1926 there were plans to move the institution from orphanage status to a boarding school (Oklahoman, Aug. 13, 1926, pg.4).

Here, some remaining cabins are shown. They photographed here in mid renovation (in 2010) by the present owners, Southwestern Christian University.  The original neat arts and crafts inspired bungalows contained two rooms with restroom/shower with a shared small entry hall.  Additional cabins were thought to have been planned behind these and to the west. If they were ever built is unknown at present.

This innovative approach was an early recognition of the value of inter-generational relationships.  Today numerous college campuses are making retirement communities part of their campus life following this same line of thought.  Retired alums become stand in grandparents to youthful students. Students become substitute children for retired couples who may not have had children or whose families live far away. In Bethany, Oklahoma there had been that idea decades earlier.