Chaplains help guide Catholic high school students

The chaplains at Oklahoma City’s three Catholic high schools come from different backgrounds, but they share a passion for encouraging young people to grow in faith.

Father Alex Kroll is a first-time chaplain at Mount Saint Mary Catholic High School. Growing up in Enid, he attended Oklahoma Bible Academy where he was told Catholics weren’t going to heaven.

Father Linh Bui has been the chaplain at Cristo Rey Oklahoma Catholic High School since it opened in 2018. Born in Vietnam, he came to the United States with his family in 1999 as an adult.

This fall is Father Danny Grover’s fifth year to serve as chaplain of Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School, where he also is an alumni. He graduated in 2003.

Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School
Father Danny said being a chaplain in addition to being the pastor of both Corpus Christi in Oklahoma City and Saint Robert Bellarmine in Jones, “gets overwhelming at times.”

But, the assignment of Father Titus Pau as associate pastor in December has been a big help, especially with ministering to the Burmese parishioners. Father Titus translates for parents who don’t speak English as the two priests work to get Burmese students into Catholic schools.

“Catholic education is so important to our community and to me personally,” Father Danny said. “I was blessed to have the opportunity to go to a Catholic high school – and all my siblings – because our dad worked there.”

Deacon Clyde Grover still works at Bishop McGuinness as the theology department coordinator.

“We work really well as a team,” Father Danny said. “As a deacon, he serves at the altar with me at Mass.”

Father Danny said he sees the students the most during Confession and Adoration, but most one-on-one interaction happens in passing often at sporting events. They talk about everything from video games and movies to birth control and euthanasia.

“The kids are really wanting to learn more, to know more,” he said. “They’re longing to be activists in a positive sense. They’re longing to give back.”

His role is to help them grow as a whole person who knows right from wrong. Along the way, he gets to answer questions about the faith from non-Catholic students and teachers.

“What’s been cool for me personally is three teachers since I’ve been here have become Catholic,” he said. “One taught me.”

Mount Saint Mary Catholic High School
Father Alex still is getting to know the students. He especially enjoys lunch because students remove their masks and he can see their faces.

As associate pastor at Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edmond, he already was working with children at the parish school and with college students at the University of Central Oklahoma.

In a span of a few days he often works with all ages.

“Yesterday, I was reading to kindergarteners. This morning, I’m at the high school and tonight will be Mass and fun times with UCO students,” he said.

Father Alex said an important part of his role is to encourage vocations to the priesthood and religious life, to help students “discern what God wants for them not just what they want. It’s fun to see when it clicks.”

His faith was tested at his Christian high school, where he was told Catholics are not Christians.

“It challenged me in my faith and caused me to grow,” Father Alex said. “The Lord had me there and he worked it out really well.”

He went straight from high school to four years at Conception Seminary College in Missouri, followed by five years at Saint John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver.

Cristo Rey OKC Catholic High School
Father Linh is beginning his third year as a chaplain at Cristo Rey. He has learned how important it is to be there and listen to students.

“I don’t force them to have faith or to love. I just encourage them. I give them the choice what to do to follow God’s way,” Father Linh said.

He shares with students the mistakes he made when he was younger and how he “ran away from the Church.” He also tells them about the grace he received and the joy and peace he received when he returned.

Father Linh hopes admitting his mistakes helps students feel more comfortable coming to Confession.

His journey to the priesthood was long and interrupted by politics and secular concerns. He was not permitted to enter the seminary in Vietnam because his family supported the United States, but he would go there to learn and would flee whenever the Communists came.

After his family immigrated to California, he dropped the idea of being a priest because of the priest abuse scandal and the new culture he was experiencing.

But, the tug toward priesthood didn’t go away and he relented.

“I though I would give up many things to make God happy, but God made me happy,” Father Linh said.

K.S. McNutt is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.

Photo: (Above) Fr. Danny Grover celebrates Mass in the Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati Chapel at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School in Oklahoma City. This fall marks his fifth year as chaplain at BMCHS where he also is an alumni. Photo provided.



Photo: Fr. Linh Bui celebrated Mass with Archbishop Coakley in January at Cristo Rey OKC Catholic High School. Photo provided



Photo: Fr. Alex Kroll blessed students at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year at Mount St. Mary Catholic High School. Photo provided.