From the Archives

Father Louis Lamb, a proud native of Philadelphia, was one of the more intriguing characters (emphasis on “character”) among the presbyterate of his era.

A veteran of World War II, Father Lamb was a gunner aboard the B-29 Superfortress and arrived in the Pacific Theater as the war ended. He never saw combat but was proud of his service. Upon his discharge in 1946, he entered the Maryknoll seminary in Ossining, N.Y., obtaining his bachelor’s degree in 1950.

Unsure of his vocation as a missionary, he took time to discern his calling and worked in the secular world. Bishop McGuinness, himself from Philadelphia, helped to recruit young Louis to Oklahoma. He was ordained after his theology studies at Mt. St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Md., on May 13, 1961, at the Cathedral in Philadelphia to serve in the Diocese of Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

One of the more remarkable and admirable traits of Father Lamb was his life-long love affair with learning.

While serving in various parishes as an associate pastor and then pastor, he managed to acquire four master’s degrees and two doctorates. Well into his 80s, he spent a three-month intensive in San Antonio studying Spanish. He treasured the value of education and saw the intellectual life as an integral part of his faith.

Two of the master’s degrees involved mental health, and he was asked to be interim director of Catholic Charities in 1974-75. He was also appointed to be a defender of the bond for the tribunal.

As pastor of Saint Philip Neri Catholic Church in Midwest City for 11 years, he established a rapport with the people of the parish and was beloved. He celebrated the 25th anniversary of his ordination while pastor there and May 13, 1986, was proclaimed “Father Louis Lamb Day” by Governor George Nigh. 

Father Lamb’s next pastorate would be Saint Joseph Old Cathedral in Oklahoma City. Little did he know of the impact he would have. On April 19, 1995, the horror of the Murrah Building bombing caused severe damage to the Old Cathedral. Through the mass destruction, the solitary light of the tabernacle remained lit.

Reconstruction was painstaking and costly, but the community held together and gathered to celebrate the Mass at the chapel in Catholic Charities. After two years of work, a rededication Mass took place on Dec. 1, 1996, to the joy of Father Lamb and the faithful parishioners. This important church in our history had been preserved. 

Leaving the Old Cathedral in 1999, he was administrator in Elgin/Sterling and retired after six months as temporary pastor of Ardmore in 2000. He was genuinely interested and concerned about the people he served but could be absent-minded. There were times that his homilies could ramble, however in fairness, there was a storehouse of knowledge in his mind.

A wonderful storyteller, he lived his final years at the Catholic Pastoral Center and regaled the staff with his many yarns. Father Louis Lamb departed this life on March 21, 2016.