Born in Hull, Yorkshire, England, in 1905, Alexander Andrews came to Oklahoma, leaving one mission field for another.
Ordained in 1933 as a missionary for the Mill Hill Fathers, he was serving in Punjab, India, at the outbreak of the Second World War. Feeling duty bound, Father Andrews joined the British Army as a chaplain in 1940. He spent the war in Burma and when the United States became a participant, helped their troops as a translator.
Following his meritorious service in the China-Burma-India theater of operations, he returned to England, and upon his discharge in 1947, began teaching at a boys’ college in his native Hull. This was however, hardly fulfilling.
Ill-health had plagued him for a number of years, and he sought a warmer climate due to doctor’s orders. Why he chose Oklahoma is not documented. However, there were two priests from the UK serving in the state (Fathers Duffy and Loftis) and both participated in his Requiem Mass. It is not difficult to ascertain that they must have been some influence in his choice to come to serve in Oklahoma.
He was put to work immediately upon his arrival in 1949 and was assigned as an assistant in Chickasha. The following June he became pastor of Ardmore. From all accounts he was an excellent speaker and well-liked by his parishioners. In need of a housekeeper, he sent for his widowed sister and her two children to come to Ardmore from England. One of these children, Bernard Jewitt, was later ordained a priest for Oklahoma and spent most of his priestly life in the Diocese of Tulsa.
Father Andrews’ legacy was overseeing the building of the Church of Saint Mary. On Dec. 8, 1951, Bishop McGuinness dedicated the new building under the title of Saint Mary, Our Lady of the Rosary. He also built the church in Sulphur. Tragically, he died of cancer the day it was dedicated in 1954.
This courageous soul led an exemplary priestly life by his service as a missionary in India and Burma as well as providing spiritual guidance to men in combat. Coming to Oklahoma, he brought his experience and talent to a different kind of mission territory. Admired and beloved, his scant five years in the diocese were filled with accomplishment and satisfaction.