Historic panhandle parish celebrates 130 years

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.

“Just as the bell rang out over the Oklahoma Territory 130 years ago, it called the faithful together today to celebrate the Holy Eucharist and our Catholic faith!” said Beth Hathaway, a long-time parish leader.

The anniversary Mass at the vibrant parish was celebrated by Archbishop Coakley; Father Joseph Schwarz, pastor; Father Don Wolf, who served at the parish as a young priest; and Father John Herrera and Father Udayakumar Kandula, parochial vicars.

“What a joy it is to join in this celebration with you this afternoon as we mark 130 years of living and bearing witness to our Catholic faith here in Cimarron County,” Archbishop Coakley said during his homily.

“As we heard in the Gospel just a moment ago wherever two or three gather in my name, there am I in your midst. By your gathering all of these years, we have been making the Lord present in this part of the panhandle of Oklahoma. Through the Church, Christ is made manifest through your living and celebrating and bearing witness to your faith, and the Gospel is being proclaimed.”

Archbishop spent the remainder of his homily reflecting on the second reading from Saint Paul where he writes, “owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”  

“Love can make many different kinds of demands on us. But one of the real challenges that love sometimes can make upon all of us is the duty of correcting others who have gone astray, who are going astray,” he said.

“It’s a challenging thing. The questions are still with us today because today in our time just as in Jesus’ time and Saint Matthew’s time we are still a Church of sinners in need of ongoing repentance and continuing conversion.”  

The Mass was the highlight of a day-long celebration that included a cake walk, piñata, a reception with Archbishop Coakley and Good Shepherd’s “World Famous Cow Chip Throwing Contest,” won by Aldo with a throw of 80 feet, 5 inches.  
 
The first Mass was celebrated in what is now Cimarron County in 1893, thanks to the efforts of Virginia Luan, a devoted Catholic woman who ranched with her husband Juan Lujan in “the strip.” The first Mass was celebrated by Father Salvador Persone, a Jesuit priest from Trinidad. 

Soon after, the Luans built a chapel on their ranch in “No Man’s Land,” which grew and was officially dedicated as La Capilla del Buen Pastor by Bishop Theophile Meerschaert in 1895 in Indian Territory. 

The diocese eventually built a church in Boise City and named it Sacred Heart. As the number of parishioners grew, the diocese built a new church in the current location in 1967 named Saint Philip Benizi Catholic Church. In the 1990s, the Luan Family gifted the church the bell and a statue of the Good Shepherd from the original chapel. To honor the gift, the church name changed to The Church of the Good Shepherd.

“The Catholic Faith in Cimarron County from the ‘La Capilla del Buen Pastor’ to the present-day Good Shepherd Catholic Church has been a journey of time, places and people,” the congregation wrote in the program for the 125th anniversary. “God has blessed this church with a diverse congregation (and) we celebrate with joy the gifts that all bring to the table of the Lord.”

Diane Clay is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.