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September 21, 2023It is difficult to put into perspective just how long Catholics have been worshipping at the corner of Stanley and E Street in Ardmore. Fifteen years before Oklahoma was admitted into the Union in 1907, Saint Mary Catholic Church opened its doors.
To commemorate the 125th anniversary, there will be an outdoor Mass and a festival at 10 a.m. on Oct. 8 in Central Park in Ardmore. All other weekend Masses will be cancelled so parishioners, former parishioners, friends, visitors and family members can attend. After Mass, there will be food, an outdoor picnic, games, t-shirts and banners. More than 300 people are expected to attend.
Heading up this massive endeavor is long time parishioner, Trish Maher. Maher has a great deal of corporate meeting experience and is well familiar with the tremendous amount of logistics required for an event of this magnitude.
Maher said, “My family worshipped at Saint Mary for a long time, and the greatest thing about this parish is that people stepped forward when I needed. I needed many people to help with food preparation, ushers, parking, organizing games, and general help. This parish is a great testament to our faith.”
In 1893, the tract of land was donated by a member of the Chickasaw Tribe, Dick McLish, who also gave them enough property to build a school and rectory beside the church. Mclish was a widower and needed someone to look after his small girls. The Sisters of Mercy built the Saint Agnes Academy where his daughters could attend. The white framed church was dedicated to “Our Lady of Prompt Succor.”
Twenty-five years ago, at the 100th anniversary, then pastor, Father John Vrana, stressed his vision for the next century: “a church that is very open to the diversities that exist in the church and more unity.”
Saint Mary Catholic Church now has two Spanish Masses a week. Six years ago, Juan Jimenez answered God’s call to become a deacon of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and was assigned to Saint Mary Catholic Church – his home parish.
Deacon Jimenez described the upcoming celebration and parish of Saint Mary Catholic Church.
“The importance of the 125th anniversary of our parish is that many parishioners have benefited from the opportunity to be nourished by the word of God and the Holy Eucharist. As a result, we have been forming a beautiful community of faith, and we will continue to work so that this faith continues to spread, and we can continue to celebrate the name of God for many generations. Saint Mary Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us. This parish is special because not only do we feel like a big family, but it has been, by the grace of God, the place where some of us had an encounter with God which transformed us.”
The current pastor, Father Kevin Ratterman, said he admires the spirit and tenacity of both present and past parishioners.
“The original parishioners were so poor they relied on donations from people in Belgium and the Chickasaw Tribe to get started. The parish had to rebuild three times from fires and a tornado,” Ratterman said. “It is a great testament to their tremendous Catholic faith and an inspiration to future generations in Ardmore to continue this tradition of service to Christ and his Church. We are hoping for a great turnout at 10 a.m. on Oct. 8.”
Charles Albert is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
