How has a priest helped you?

Priest Appreciation Week is April 21-27

In 2021, Archbishop Coakley instituted the first Priest Appreciation Week in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. During this week, which will start on Good Shepherd Sunday each year, parishioners and families are encouraged to do something to thank their priests from writing a thank you note to spending time in adoration.

How has a priest helped you?

That was the question posed to parishioners in the archdiocese, with Good Shepherd Sunday and the beginning of Priest Appreciation Week approaching. A few responses:


Father Linh Bui
“Father Linh took time to talk to me and we shared stories about our respective cultures. He always expressed how happy it made him feel whenever he saw me up in the choir loft and how amazing the choir sounded. He demonstrated to me that no matter where you come from, we are one. Truly brothers and sisters in Christ.”
Phillipa Mandewo
Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Oklahoma City




Father Arokiasamy (Swamy) Andarias
“Father Swamy has been our Shepard here at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Hollis for 11 years.  He has baptized my children, given them first communion, and tragically buried one. I lost my 12-year-old daughter on Feb. 28, 2023. As we were in the middle of the tragic mess. The only thing I could think of is, I need my priest. I called him and informed him what was happening. I was not aware he was in Oklahoma City, almost three hours away. Father was with his fellow Indian priest celebrating his birthday. I later found out, Father Swamy left the knife in his birthday cake and hurried out. He made it to Hollis in record time just as the morgue was taking my daughter. I watched as he gave her a blessing. His hand trembling and eyes filled with pain. He accompanied us every day. Spending time in our home, offering masses for my daughter daily. I was extremely touched when I found out Father Swamy requested to stay at least one more year because he could not leave his sheep in this state. Father has helped my family and especially my children heal throughout this grieving process. Father Swamy truly is a Shepard that smells of his sheep. He knows us by name. Thank you Father for your priesthood.”
Ester Flores
Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Hollis




Father Charles Murphy 
“We had an extremely complicated marriage prep situation, with me a recent convert finishing school in South Carolina and the groom in RCIA in Texas. Father Charles Murphy helped us navigate getting everything done to satisfy all the requirements for the three dioceses, and graciously handled our silly neophyte questions along the way.”
Sarah Epps
Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Oklahoma City




Father Charles H. Schettler 
“Not to take away from any of the priests I have had the honor of knowing the past 34 years, there is one that stands out a little more, Father Charles H. Schlettler. Not just me, but anyone who knew Father Schettler was blessed with his wittiness, vast intellect, humbleness and most importantly, his kind and generous heart. Father Schettler, being very monotone in speech, made his homilies a little rough at times to get through; but if you listened real close, he always had something special to say and teach.” 
Jackie Konarik
Saint Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Oklahoma City




Father Linh Bui
"In just a few months of having Father Linh as our new pastor, he has focused so much on the Eucharist that he has helped our family fall in love with it more. Is it possible to fall in love with Jesus even more? Yes, it is because we are experiencing it. Thank you, Father Linh for being a blessing in our lives. Thank you for being part of the reason our family is going on the pilgrimage in July. May God continue to bless him, so he may continue to bless us."
The Oregon family 
Saint Ann Catholic Church in Elgin




Father Don Wolf
Father Scott Boeckman
Father Jonathan Lepak
Father Miguel Ayuso
“The priests of (Historic) Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Oklahoma City and the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine, beyond celebrating Mass, confessing, and administering communion to me, also make me feel welcome and appreciated in the church. Therefore, I am grateful for the kindness, inclusion and support offered to me and all parishioners by Father Ayuso, Father Boeckman, Father Lepak, and Father Wolf. We are in a time where inclusion is fervently promoted in schools and universities across the United States. On the other hand, in the Catholic Church, this is not a current fashion but a lifestyle of the past, present and future. I have seen my priests promote respect, tolerance and dignity of all members of society and the church. Specifically, at Sacred Heart and the shrine, I have seen a focus on social, racial and political inclusion and equality in the sermons and the church's daily activities. For example, I read on a social media website that the priests of my parish Father Ayuso, Father Boeckman, Father Lepak, and Father Wolf along with other members of the clergy signed a letter to oppose the anti-immigrant bill called Oklahoma HB 4156, issued by the Oklahoma House of Representatives. I am grateful to them for helping me be a good practicing Catholic and for protecting my human dignity.”
Luvia Estrella Morales, Ph.D.
Sacred Heart Catholic Church at the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine in Oklahoma City

Good Shepherd Sunday is the beginning of Priest Appreciation Week. It is a week dedicated to praying for and thanking the men who said "yes" to God's call to serve the Church as priests.

Quotes compiled by Courtney Rhone, freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic, and from a Sooner Catholic Facebook post. Photos provided.