St. Elizabeth Parish began as a mission of Groveport in 1947, under the sponsorship of Bishop Eugene J. McGuinness and the society of the Precious Blood. Father Sylvester H. Kleman was assigned to assist the pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Miami, Oklahoma, in evangelizing the northeast Oklahoma area. On July 27, 1947, Father Kleman offered the first Mass at the Grove Community Building.
A more permanent arrangement came when several summer visitors and local residents approached Father Walter Wartinger, pastor at Miami, about a church in Grove. After a few delays Father Vincent Nels, a former Navy Chaplain and assistant pastor of Miami organized the construction f the church. Construction was assisted by a grant of $2,000.00 from the Catholic Church Extension Society of Chicago. Bishop McGuinness dedicated the three sided structure on June 6, 1948. At the request of the Extension donor, the church was named in honor of St. Elizabeth.
In 1955, St. Elizabeth Catholic Church was serving about ten families in the vicinity of Grove, Jay, and Afton, but visitors to Grand Lake regularly swelled the local Catholic population as they do today. The Parish was served by the associate pastors from Miami. In 1956, the mission of Welch and Grove were transferred from Miami to Vinita.
A new St. Elizabeth Church was built and dedicated on August 14, 1966. The church was converted into a parish hall. Father Paul L. Becquet served as the parish priest at the time of construction of the church.
Father Joseph Scharrer, a longtime pastor of Nowata, was placed in charge of the Grove mission in 1961, and in 1980, he was replaced by Father William Higgins, whose official residence was at Sacred Heart Parish in Miami. In 1982, Grove became an independent parish and Father Higgins move to Grove. In 1983, additional space was added to the hall for a new kitchen and office. Parts of the hall were converted into classrooms for religious education and teachers began training to serve the youth of the parish.
In December 1986, Father Kenneth King, a Diocesan Priest, became the new pastor. Improvements continued with the addition of paneling in the inside wall, a new vestibule on the front and outside siding to the entrance of the hall.
Father Alex
Kennedy replaced Father King in June 1997, and was also given responsibility for
the Holy Ghost Parish in Vinita. As the parish grew, so did the church. In
addition to improvements to the parking area, a new Parish Hall was completed in
2002.
St. Elizabeth Parish now claims over 200 families. It is hoped this website will help in our continued growth.
In January 2010 the purchased the lots and building behind the church which will be used by the Knights of Columbus and for some church activities.