From the Archives

The brothers Hanrahan, Michael and Denis, were a part of the essential influx of foreign-born priests who built the Church in Oklahoma. In truth, Father Michael was born in Brooklyn, but moved with the family back to Ireland when he was four years old. Father Denis was born in Tulla, County Clare, Ireland.
 
After attending All Hallow’s College in Dublin, Ireland, Father Michael was ordained for the Diocese of Oklahoma City and Tulsa on June 20, 1954. Father Denis followed his brother to Oklahoma being ordained on June 14, 1959. These faithful men served the Church with a quiet, effective spirit.
 
As pastor of several parishes in his career, including Sacred Heart in El Reno and Saint Patrick in Oklahoma City and his final assignment at Saint Mary in Ardmore, Father Michael found ways to relieve the stress of priestly life through golf and trout fishing. He became proficient at both.  
 
Father David Monahan had this observation: “Few, if any, Oklahoma priests were held in higher esteem by his fellow priests than he. And, it was obvious to any observer that the parishioners where he served both revered and loved him.” Battling heart disease for the last seven years of his life, he continued as pastor in Ardmore until he finally succumbed to the illness at the relatively young age of 59.
 
Father Denis recalled on the 50 ^th anniversary of ordination in 2009 that his childhood in Ireland played an important role in his discernment of his vocation. His parish was a hotbed of priestly vocations. “There were probably more than 20 ordained from my parish. When they were home on vacation they made quite an impression on me.”
 
Like his brother, he possessed a gentleness and kindness that shone through his naturally introverted personality. With his soft Irish brogue and twinkle in his eye, this faithful priest served the Church with dignity and dedication. His pastoral experience entailed a variety of parishes, but his final assignment of Saint Mary in Guthrie was dear to his heart. Upon retirement, he lived at the Catholic Pastoral Center with friends Father John Michalicka and Father Lowell Stieferman, delighting in pranks and sharing his famously dry wit with the staff. He left this life on March 20, 2016.

Photos: Top - Fr. Michael Hanrahan; Bottom - Fr. Denis Hanrahan