Set Construction

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Construction and renovations begin on what will be a replica of the 1920s Catholic Church in Fairfax, Okla., for the upcoming Martin Scorsese-directed film, “Killers of the Flower Moon.” The building is a former Nazarene church that has stood vacant for many years.

The film is based on David Grann’s bestselling book of the same name and the main heroine, an Osage woman named Mollie Burkhart, is a devoted Catholic. In 1925, following the deaths of her three sisters and mother, Mollie wrote a letter to her priest claiming that her life was in danger. She claims she’s not dying from diabetes, but from poison.

The Osages relationship with the Catholic Church stems back to 1844. The Osage were heavily influenced by the French in the 1800s. When they were forced to move to their reservation in Kansas, they rebuked missionaries and instead asked for “Black gowns” or “Black Robes,” Catholic priests.

Catholicism had similarities to traditional Osage religion. The priests were a class of men who were like the class of Little Old Men, who served as Osage priests in their traditional religion. Catholics prayed to the “great mysteries” and the Osage’s word “Wakanda” translates to “The Great Mystery.”

All photos by Shannon Shaw Duty