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Effective Sept. 22, 2023 - Rev. Lourdu Reddy Ponnapati Parochial Vicar, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Oklahoma City.

Shortly before 5 p.m. on Sept. 9, the iconic bell atop Good Shepherd Catholic Church on the plains of the Oklahoma Panhandle began to clang announcing its 130th anniversary.

On a cool, mid-September morning, a group of almost 40 parishioners gathered for a special retreat near Stillwater. The group consisted of spiritual directors from the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, the Diocese of Tulsa and the Diocese of Little Rock who joined together at the center for fellowship and prayer as they prepare for the start of Retreat in Daily Life – a program that brings parishioners together to grow deeper in their relationship with God.

It is difficult to put into perspective just how long Catholics have been worshipping at the corner of Stanley and E Street in Ardmore. Fifteen years before Oklahoma was admitted into the Union in 1907, Saint Mary Catholic Church opened its doors.  

Father Christopher Tran has been a zealous missionary of Eucharistic adoration long before the Eucharistic Revival was introduced. For the past 15 years, he has served as a priest in 11 parishes, a chaplain for a university, a prison and a nursing home and he has been bringing Christ to people with the Eucharist.

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (1873-1897), also known as Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face or The Little Flower, was often called by Pope Pius X (1903-1914) “the greatest saint of modern times.” Her feast day is celebrated on Oct. 1.

With a life expectancy of 51 years for the general population in 1912, hazardous employment such as coal mining, tall structures with little thought given to safety, mind-numbing factory work and various unpleasant workplaces, it made perfect sense for the Church to become involved in supplying a safe place for orphaned children to have chance at a better life. 

“Inspiring, humbling and enlightening:” These are the words that best describe my experience with reading “My Son Carlo.”

The Center of Family Love (CFL), a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of those living with intellectual disabilities, is proud to announce the opening of applications for its 2023-24 Teen Board.

Oklahoma City-based Catholic and cartoonist Jillian Chapman has been selected as one of five finalists for the Paseo Arts Association annual micro-granting program: Funding Emerging Artists with Sustainable Tactics (FEAST). Each year, FEAST gives hopeful artists the opportunity to garner the financial support of the community to fund their vision. 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, This issue of the Sooner Catholic includes several encouraging stories directly from clients positively impacted by your support of Catholic Charities.

Elvira shared how Catholic Charities helped her and her son

World Youth Day is a special time of worship and fellowship for young members of the Catholic Church. Held every few years in a different city around the world, it brings thousands of young people to celebrate and deepen their Catholic faith. The most recent WYD also saw a group from across the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City embark on a pilgrimage to celebrate the history and culture of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Gospel of Life Disciples + Dwellings (GOLD) celebrated its 10th anniversary on Sept. 2 with an array of activities that highlighted the accomplishments of their decade of service.

At the Discipleship Conference on Aug. 19 in Oklahoma City, the Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma presented its 2023 Religious Educator of the Year Award to Matt Biddick of Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Norman.

Meet Corky McMullen, from Saint Philip Neri Catholic School, Jenny Richard from Christ the King Catholic School and George Meiwes from Saint John Nepomuk Catholic School.

Margaret Alacoque was born in France in 1647. From her early childhood she showed intense love for the Blessed Sacrament and preferred silence and prayer to childish activities. Her father died when she was 8 years old, and frequent visits to the Blessed Sacrament in the parish church became her only consolation.

The relationship between the Cardinal Archbishop of Chicago, George Mundelein, and the head of the Catholic Church Extension Society, Monsignor Francis Clement Kelley, later the second bishop of Oklahoma, was mercurial.

For the second consecutive year, the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City is partnering with the Saint John Paul II Foundation to present the Together in Holiness marriage enrichment conference for couples on Saturday, Nov. 4, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Christ the King Catholic Church in Oklahoma City.

Award-winning historian and author Shannen Dee Williams, Ph.D., will deliver a public lecture at the University of Oklahoma titled, “Still Mining the Forgotten: The Hidden History and Legacies of Black Catholic Nuns in the United States.”