From the Archives

Throughout the history of the Church, religious orders have been established to the meet the needs of the people; whether it be primarily for prayer, education, hospitals or even needed reform. With this in mind, the story of the Brothers of Saint Joseph is all the more intriguing.

The brothers began in 1960 at Saint Joseph’s Orphanage in Bethany and was constituted as a pious association with diocesan status by Bishop Reed using the Rule of Saint Benedict. Their charism was unusual to say the least. Founded to serve as the workers to maintain the new Resurrection Cemetery, consecrated in 1962, the brothers led by their founder French-Canadian Joseph Levesque, who designed the unique chapel, began their work. 

In the beginning, they followed a more traditional monastic existence; that is, the liturgy of the hours in common, a modified habit that was basically a cassock with a belt, daily Mass and communal life. The first few years were only devoted to cemetery work to help build and establish Resurrection. In a book written about the order in 1963, “To Bury the Dead,” an explanation of the ministry is articulated: “Reverence remains the objective, and having lived as a Christian has a desire to die and be buried as one. The Brothers of Saint Joseph dedicate themselves to this unique vocation.” At its apex, purportedly 26 men had joined the community.

By 1966, the winds of change began to blow, a gale in this case, and this specialized lifestyle and ministry became increasingly relaxed. In the July 29, 1966, issue of the Oklahoma Courier, Brother Joseph declared radical reforms in the order. The habit was jettisoned, profession of vows was deleted with the brothers signing civil agreements binding them for one year. Their apostolate of cemetery work was no longer the only service they offered – one would suspect that working in a cemetery for the rest of one’s life may have been a hard sell. Many worked in the secular world and Mass attendance, as well as the liturgy of the hours, was optional, although encouraged. The order proclaimed: “Ours is the type of community that will be found in the twenty-first century. It offers positive, progressive Christian joy that fits the dynamism of our age.”

Lacking structure, and more importantly vocations, the Brothers of Saint Joseph dwindled to one member by 1972, that being the founder Brother Joseph. On Oct. 31, 1973, Archbishop Quinn officially declared that the pious association ceased to exist.

The experiment was over and losing sight of their original vocation, the brothers became a part of diocesan history. Joseph Levesque continued to reside in Oklahoma City and eventually declared that he was “out of the monk business.”


Photo: The brothers at Resurrection Chapel.