Sooner Catholic: A Glimpse of How Oklahoma Catholics Live Their Faith

As the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, The Sooner Catholic is supposed to be a twice- a- month reminder that God and the Church are always with us.

It’s supposed to provide a glimpse of how the Catholic people of Oklahoma are working to bring hope and light to this part of the world by living out their faith. It can only provide a glimpse because there is so much the faithful of The Church are involved with- helping the poor, the sick, the abandoned and the hopeless. The Sooner Catholic is supposed to be a reminder that no matter what troubles we face in our lives, no matter how desperate situations become, we are never alone because God is always with us, always ready to accept us, to lighten our earthly burden if we allow Him. That’s why in

The Sooner Catholic Archbishop Beltran writes his Good News column, to remind us that because of our faith we are promised eternal life with God. What an incredible promise.

The Sooner Catholic is supposed to remind us that while we await the fulfillment of that great promise we should do the best we can to make God’s earth a better place, especially for those who have been pushed aside or forgotten by society. At times, disagreement arises in how best to make this happen. Passions can run high and people express their pleasure or disappointment through and at the pages of The Sooner Catholic. And that’s

OK. A newspaper reflects the words and actions of men, women and children- people all less than perfect and who are so very dependent on a loving and merciful God. As

Catholics, while we share in human weaknesses and differences, we are so very blessed because more importantly we share in the Holy Eucharist which unifies us with Christ and with one another. We may disagree on an editorial, but division created by an editorial is no match for the unifying love created by the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist.

A letter to the editor that appeared in the Dec. 18, 2005 issue of The Sooner Catholic may sum up the intended mission of the archdiocesan newspaper. The letter was written by a woman from Ponca City who said she had been away from The Church for years. She didn’t give a reason for staying away and it really isn’t all that important why she chose to turn away from the Church. What is important is she followed God’s path of Grace and found her way back.

 “My sojourn “in the desert” is over and my new life has begun,” Trish Lawler wrote. “I am grateful that The Sooner Catholic followed wherever I moved, gently reminding me that God loves me.”