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Centennial Date Celebrated With Prayers, Food
Oklahoma’s priests, religious sisters and deacons celebrated the creation of the Diocese of Oklahoma on Aug. 17 with a dinner at Saint Gregory’s University. The evening was courtesy of Love’s Travel Stops and Country Stores. Prior to the dinner, Solemn Evening Prayers were held at Saint Gregory’s Abbey with Abbot Martin Lugo, O.S.B. presiding. Archbishop John R. Quinn, the first Archbishop of Oklahoma City, returned to the state for the celebration. Archbishop Beltran joked with the retired Archbishop that he once told him he was the only archbishop to ever leave Oklahoma alive. Archbishop Quinn praised the clergy for their dedication to the Church and recalled many of the Christ-filled leaders of the Church who helped plant the seeds of faith in Oklahoma. “The short five years I spent here were one of the great blessings of a lifetime,” Archbishop Quinn said. “Among the many reasons Oklahoma will live in my heart forever is that my years here brought me into contact with great, memorable and, in some instances, heroic priests.” He mentioned “Monsignor Depreitre, Monisgnor
Finn and Bishop Sullivan, Bill Eichhoff, Clem Pribil, the unique
Joe Thompson, priests who died young such as the Benedictine
Father Bernard, and all that great procession of Oklahoma
priests who have gone before us, the fragrance of whose
unselfish lives rise up as a sacrifice of praise to God.” Like the heroes of the past, Archbishop Quinn said the priests of today continue to carry the good news of Jesus Christ to an often uncaring society. “...We remember the heroes of our past. But you are the heroes of today. You are traversing hundreds of miles every week in the humble service of people who are unimportant to the media or to public opinion. You are faithfully standing in the dark hours of the night with people who await the moment of death in great city hospitals. You patiently listen to the worries of ordinary people who come to the priest for advice and hope. You prepare your homilies on the Word of God each week in the hope of stirring the embers of faith in people whose lives are so beseiged by noise, by unrelenting concerns and worry about their jobs and their families. You are the strong and quiet servants of justice, peace and love, of grace and truth, vigilant tenders of an invisible kingdom that ennobles the human spirit and brings people to touch the face of God,” said Archbishop Quinn. He said the late Father Stanley Rother is a model of how Oklahoma priests live their lives in service toChrist and people of hope and faith. “These are the things that have made Oklahoma
priests great over more than a century. And when I try to describe
the priests of Oklahoma in a few words, I think that words spoken
by St. Cyprian in third century Carthage describe you best:
“We do not say great things. We live them.” Earlier, Father Lawrence Stasyszen, president of Saint Gregory’s University, paid tribute to the religious sisters, permanent deacons and their wives. Speaking of the Sisters, Father Lawrence credited them for the many contributions they have made to the Church, and to society in general. He cited education, health care and social justice as some of the areas in which Catholic religious sisters have always been on the front lines in the battle for good. “The women religious of Oklahoma are an indispensable part of our history, certainly, but they are not to be relegated to a museum. Oh, no! They are a dynamic force in our Church and Society, and will continue to be for generations to come,” said Father Lawrence. He said the Church in Oklahoma is especially grateful the “Holy Spirit has guided the Church to reinvigorate the ancient order of Deacons to enhance our mission to spread the gospel and to embody the love of God. The first martyr for the sake of the Gospel, St. Stephen, gave his life while fearlessly preaching the Kingdom in witness to Christ. It is with this same spirit and zeal that the Order of Deacons serves the Church of Oklahoma today. “ In his homily at the Solemn Evening Prayer, Abbot Lugo said the joy of celebrating the first 100 years of the Catholic Church in Oklahoma is equaled by the hope of the next 100 years. “It is a marvel to see the beautiful parish churches and catechetical centers and halls which have been built in Oklahoma, even though the number of families in some parishes may have been small,” Abbot Lugo said. “A great advantage arising from the reality that Catholics are a minority in Oklahoma is that we have had to become a closer knit parish and Church in order to fulfill our call to live a life of love and service. The faithful have taken on more responsibility for the well being and building up of the Church on the local, Archdiocesan and Diocesan levels. “We pray for God’s continuing grace and blessing upon all of us of the Church in Oklahoma so that we continue to grow in our love and service. “May God continue to be glorified in the
Church of Oklahoma in this new century and may His Will be done!”
Top right, Sisters Assumpta Betzen, OSB; and Veronica Sokolosky, OSB find the back of a motorized cart quite comfortable. Bottom right, Sisters Merly Joseph, MSJ; Rosemilla Michael, MSJ and Renjana Joseph, MSJ, walk from the Abbey to the site of the Aug. 17 dinner at Saint Gregs. At left,Father Charles Schettler, Father Gerard MacAulay and Father Denis Hanrahan join in discussion prior to the dinner. Photos Sooner Catholic |
