Pastor chosen for Rother shrine set to open Nov. 4
A pastor has been chosen for the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine being constructed in south Oklahoma City.
The Rev. Don Wolf, Rother’s cousin, will become the pastor of the shrine church, Archbishop Paul S Coakley said. The shrine church, with grand opening set for Nov. 4, will be the largest Catholic church in Oklahoma.
Coakley also announced other plans for the highly anticipated shrine named for Stanley Rother, the Okarche native and martyred priest on the path to Catholic sainthood. The archbishop said two local Catholic parishes, Sacred Heart and Holy Angels, will merge, with the shrine church to become their new home parish.
Members of the two predominantly Hispanic parishes were told of the coming merger on Saturday. Coakley’s letter announcing the merger was read in English and Spanish at weekend Masses at Sacred Heart, 2706 S Shartel, while Hewes shared the news with his congregation at weekend masses at Holy Angels, 317 N Blackwelder.
Wolf discussed the importance of the parish merger and how it would impact church members, particularly because of overcrowding issues in recent years.
“For years, parishioners at Sacred Heart have had to celebrate Mass in a gymnasium,” Wolf said in a news release. “They deserve a beautiful sacred space to worship. The shrine church with its Spanish colonial architecture, Blessed Stanley’s tomb and 2,000 seats will be an amazing place to carry on this rich tradition.”
Coakley also talked about how the shrine church will address the growth of the two parishes.
“One of the things we identified at the start of planning for the One Church, Many Disciples capital campaign was the need for a larger church to accommodate our growing Catholic communities,” he said in a news release. “Parishioners from Holy Angels and Sacred Heart will make the shrine their home, and their families will be the first to breathe life into its walls, celebrating weddings and baptisms surrounded by its beauty.”
Archdiocese leaders said Holy Angels and Sacred Heart each have unique and important histories in dealing with the development of Oklahoma City. Holy Angels was built on what was then the outskirts of Oklahoma City in 1926 to provide a place for the Rev. James Garvey, first head of Catholic Charities in Oklahoma City, to serve as pastor. The current brick structure was completed in 1950 and the parish is home to 1,500 families, most of whom are from Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Argentina and Colombia.
Sacred Heart was built across the street from what was then Mount Saint Mary Academy atop Capitol Hill southwest of downtown Oklahoma City. Its first Mass was celebrated in April 1911. The parish has grown significantly during the past 10 years, requiring nine Masses each weekend, most of which are being celebrated in the school gymnasium.
Wolf, who is currently pastor of St. Eugene Catholic Church, will be joined by two priests who will be associate pastors of the new shrine: the Rev. Rusty Hewes, currently pastor of Holy Angels Catholic Church, and the Rev. Brannon Lepak, currently serving as an associate pastor at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Norman. Hewes said his Holy Angels church members will be pleased to celebrate Mass in a new, larger church.
Archdiocese leaders said Wolf and Lepak will start their new pastoral assignments at Sacred Heart on July 1. Hewes will continue to celebrate Mass at Holy Angels through October until the shrine is open.