e-newsletter companion of Eastern Oklahoma Catholic magazine
Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City Elected President of USCCB
BALTIMORE – The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), meeting last week for their plenary assembly, elected Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, as Conference president, and Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, Texas as Conference vice president.
"I’m humbled by the trust which my brother bishops have placed in me by choosing me to serve as president of our episcopal conference," stated Archbishop Coakley on social media following his election. "When I became a bishop I chose as my episcopal motto, 'Duc in altum,' or 'Put Out into the Deep.' Once again, the Lord is inviting me to put out into deep waters in calling me to accept this service and burden of leadership today. I accept it in faith and with great hope."
The president and vice president were elected from a slate of 10 nominees. They succeed Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, the Archbishop for the Military Services, USA, and Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, who are concluding their terms as Conference president and vice president, respectively.
"I am so happy to see Archbishop Coakley elected to be our new USCCB president. All those gifts of his that we have enjoyed in Oklahoma will now be shared with the country and beyond. Let us all support his additional work with our prayers." — Bishop David A. Konderla
Archbishop Coakley was elected president with 128-109 votes over Bishop Flores in a runoff on the third ballot. In the vote for vice president, Bishop Flores was elected vice president on the first ballot from the remaining nine candidates. Both bishops assumed their respective new offices for a three-year term after the adjournment of the plenary assembly last Thursday. Archbishop Coakley previously served as Conference secretary, a position he had held since 2022.
"Please pray that I may be a faithful steward and a wise servant of unity and communion with our Holy Father, Pope Leo, and with my brother bishops and priests," said Archbishop Coakley.
On Dec. 16, 2010, Bishop Coakley was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as the fourth Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. He was installed as metropolitan archbishop on Feb. 11, 2011, at Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edmond, Oklahoma. To learn more about Archbishop Coakley, click here.
Photo by Chris Porter/The Sooner Catholic
Archbishop Paul Coakley and Bishop David Konderla are pictured together at the recent Sesquicentennial Mass celebrated at the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine in Oklahoma City.
A Recap of the USCCB Fall Plenary Assembly:
BALTIMORE — The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) gathered for their Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore, last week. As the public session of the plenary began, the bishops sent a message to the Holy Father. Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and president of the USCCB, delivered his final address to the bishops as USCCB president. He was followed by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the papal nuncio to the United States, who offered remarks.
During their gathering, the body of bishops also elected a new president, vice president and secretary (see story above) and elected new chairmen of six standing committees. Executive sessions (limited to bishops) were not livestreamed but included fraternal dialogues and informational sessions on a variety of topics: the ongoing implementation of the synod; best practices to continue the instruction of Laudato si’; the importance of post-abortion healing ministry; Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (the bishops’ teaching document on the political responsibility of Catholics); and the apostolate of the laity.
In their message to the Holy Father, the bishops assured the pope of their prayers and communion with him. They acknowledged facing a growing worldview that is often at odds with the Gospel mandate to love thy neighbor, but stated: “Holy Father, please know that the bishops of the United States, united in our concern, will continue to stand with migrants and defend everyone’s right to worship free from intimidation.”
The topic of immigration and the U.S. government’s recent surge in enforcement actions that have been prompting anxiety and fear in the communities across the country was a key point of discussion among the bishops throughout the meeting. Out of their pastoral concern for immigrants and in unison with Pope Leo XIV, the bishops issued a Special Message. In their vote, the body of bishops overwhelmingly approved the Special Message, with sustained applause of the body following the vote. (Read the bishops' full message: English | Spanish)
The United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence next year. To mark the American Semiquincentennial, the U.S. bishops voted to consecrate the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in June 2026, with 215 votes in favor, 8 votes against, and 7 abstentions to pass this measure.
The bishops discussed and voted on a revision of the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services. The revisions address the statement issued by the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine in 2023 (“doctrinal note”) that underscored the role that those involved in the ministry of Catholic health care services have in providing the best medical care, as well as Christ’s compassionate accompaniment to all patients, no matter who they may be, or from what condition they may be suffering. The bishops voted 206 in favor, 8 votes against, and 7 abstentions to pass the action item. Read more here.
Other business items on their agenda included: an update from the Subcommittee on the Catechism on the Catechetical Accompaniment Process; a report from The Catholic University of America, and from The Pontifical Mission Societies USA. The USCCB’s 2026 budget was approved 220 in favor, 7 votes against, and 2 abstentions.
The bishops also held a consultation on advancing the cause for beatification and canonization for Reverend Richard M. Thomas, a priest of the Society of Jesus. With 206 votes in favor, 4 votes against, and 1 abstention, the bishops affirmed the advancement of the case at the diocesan level.
The bishops also received an update on the recently concluded National Eucharistic Revival and were given a report on the impact of the three-year initiative. The report was followed by a vote to approve the Summer of 2029 for the next National Eucharistic Congress with 192 votes in favor, 19 votes against, and 7 abstentions.
In a presentation during the public session of the plenary that underscored the importance that the Catholic Church places on understanding artificial intelligence and the ethical implications of AI, especially in the context of the life of the Church. The bishops were briefed on the topic by Dr. Paul Scherz of the University of Notre Dame.
The bishops discussed and voted on two action items pertaining to liturgical texts from the Committee on Divine Worship.
News updates, texts of addresses and presentations, and other materials from the 2025 fall plenary assembly are posted to: www.usccb.org/meetings.
Photo courtesy of USCCB
Bishops from across the United States gathered last week in Baltimore for their fall plenary assembly.
Scenes from Around the Diocese
Multiple events of interest have taken place at parishes across the diocese over the past week. Here is just a sampling of a few events. For more, see parish or diocesan social media.
Photo by Katie Buynak
Nationally known Catholic recording artist John Michael Talbot leads praise songs during the Mini Eucharistic Congress held at the Church of St. Benedect in Broken Arrow Nov. 5-8.
Photo courtesy St. Francis Xavier
Priests of the Diocese gather for an African Mass at St. Francis Xavier in Stillwater on Sunday evening. The Mass was followed by a reception offering a variety of African dishes.
EOC Photo by Renata Copsey
Bishop David Konderla leads a presentation at the 3rd Annual Altar Server Retreat last Saturday at the Church of St. Benedict in Broken Arrow. The event drew altar servers and parents from around the region
GUEST COLUMN: When Faith Walks Beside Sorrow: Grief as a Path of Integral Healing
BY REV. LEONARDO MEDINA
Grief is one of the deepest mysteries of human existence. It hurts not only because something or someone is gone, but because loss confronts us with our fragility, the passage of time, and the search for meaning. In the midst of that inner desert, faith becomes a steady light, it does not erase the darkness, but it allows us to walk without losing our way.
As a priest, psychologist, and therapist in grief accompaniment, I have come to understand that grief is not an illness but a sacred process of transformation. It is not only about accepting absence, but about reconciling with it, about looking with love at what once was, giving thanks, and allowing it to live on in a different place, the heart. The science of end-of-life accompaniment teaches that no two losses are ever the same. Each story, each bond, and each farewell are unique. Yet we all share the same need: not to suffer alone.
Authentic Christian faith provides a solid foundation for the soul in moments of pain. Jesus Himself wept at the death of His friend Lazarus, revealing a God who is not distant from suffering, but who embraces it from within. On the Cross, Christ teaches us that love does not die with death, it rises beyond it. That is why those who love through faith do not say goodbye; they say, “until we meet again.”
I have walked with many people who, through their tears, found in prayer, the sacraments, and the Church community a comfort that no human word could provide. Yet I have also witnessed how attentive listening, emotional validation, and therapeutic silence can bring deep peace. When faith and psychology walk together, a more complete form of hope emerges, one that does not deny pain but illuminates it from within.
Spiritual and emotional accompaniment is, at its heart, a way of making God’s tenderness visible. To listen without judging, to hold space for silence, to weep with those who mourn if needed, that too is evangelization. True accompaniment does not seek to explain pain away; it stands reverently before its mystery, trusting that the Holy Spirit is working even in the emptiness.
When lived through faith, grief becomes a journey of reconciliation, with the one who has gone, with life itself, and with God who remains. It is not about forgetting, but about remembering with love. When the heart learns to hold absence without bitterness, the wound becomes a source of compassion and suffering turns into wisdom.
Healing means learning to see life through new eyes. Faith teaches us that those we love never truly disappear; they simply change form, presence, and dwelling. Their love does not die, it transfigures. Every tear shed with hope becomes a seed of eternity.
Grief does not destroy those who love; it purifies them. And when accompanied with faith, understanding, and reverence, pain becomes a living prayer. I believe that love always has the final word. To walk beside those who suffer is to remind them, again and again, that death is not the end, it is the threshold where the fullness of life in God begins.
Father Leonardo Medina is a psychologist and therapist in grief recovery and emotional loss accompaniment. He serves as pastor of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Hartshorne and Mision Sagrado Corazon de Jesus in
Heavener.
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NOTE: A Requiem Mass for Child Loss Remembrance will take place at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Nov.18, 2025, at Holy Family Cathedral. Led by Bishop David Konderla, the Mass is intended for remembrance of little ones who have been lost due to miscarriage, still birth, sudden infant death, abortion, or other causes of death of a child. There will be a reception following.
Funeral Services Set for Deacon Bart Brashears
STILLWATER — Funeral services for Deacon Leslie Bart Brashears of Stillwater, Okla., who died on Nov. 7, 2025, have been announced. He was 71.
A wake service will be held from 7-8 p.m., Tuesday, Nov.18, at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Stillwater. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 19, also at St. Francis Xavier. Interment will follow at 2 p.m. at the Glenwood/Eden Chapel Cemetery in nearby Perkins, Okla.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Strode Funeral Home of Stillwater. For more information, click here.
Deacon Leslie Bart Brashears
April 2, 1954 — Nov. 7, 2025
From the Editor...
Did you know that there are 24 parishes within the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma that offer at least one weekend obligation Mass in Spanish? Several parishes offer multiple Masses in Spanish on weekends and throughout the week.
Father Juan Grajeda, parish priest of San Clemente de Rome in Bixby, has just announced that a new Mass in Spanish on Saturday evenings at 7 p.m., will start on Nov. 29. The diocese's largest parish by attendance, St. Thomas More in east Tulsa, just recently added a tenth weekend Mass, eight of which are in Spanish!
Two parishes of the diocese — St. Jospeh Vietnamese Parish in Tulsa and St. Joseph in Muskogee — both offer Mass in Vietnamese. And one parish, St. Catherine of Alexandria in west Tulsa, offers multiple Masses in the Zomi language for its predominantly Burmese congregation.
Latin Mass? Most Precious Blood Parish in Tulsa, an Apostolate of the Fraternity of St. Peter, celebrates the Traditional Latin Mass each Sunday. Holy Cross Catholic Church in Wagoner also offers the Latin Mass. And, of course, the Benedictine Monastery of Our Lady of Clear Creek Abbey near Hulbert celebrates Latin Mass daily.
Be sure to check out the parish finder on our website, or the individual parish website for up-to-date information on Mass times.
Our diocese is diverse and becoming more so. The diocese has also recently received recognition in a national publication placing Tulsa at the top of "America’s Most Fruitful Dioceses." In response, Bishop David Konderla stated, "God is faithful and the Holy Spirit is moving everywhere in the country all the time. Our task is to give our lives to God and announce to all that Jesus is Lord and invite all into His body the Church."
Until next week, thanks for reading!
Chris Rush
Editor
"Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" — Philippians 4:8
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