e-newsletter companion of Eastern Oklahoma Catholic magazine
Saint Francis Hospital Muskogee Unveils New $286.6 Million Patient Tower
MUSKOGEE— Saint Francis Health System celebrated the completion of its new seven-story patient tower at Saint Francis Hospital Muskogee last week, marking the largest single investment in Muskogee’s healthcare history and one of the most substantial economic drivers in the region’s recent history.
Patients are expected to be moved into the new space starting in January.
“As someone who was born and raised right here in Muskogee, this day means more than I can put into words,” said Michele Keeling, president of Saint Francis Hospital Muskogee. “Saint Francis made a promise to this community — my community — that we would invest in its people, its future and its health. This expansion represents that commitment not only in brick, steel and square footage, but more importantly, in better care for our patients, better jobs for our neighbors and a stronger foundation for generations to come.”
Construction of the new facility, which began in 2022, adds 290,000 square feet of modernized clinical space and including: larger, modern patient rooms; expanded critical care capacity; upgraded infrastructure and advanced clinical technology; new main entrance with expansive public lobby; and a new dedicated chapel for patients, families and staff. (See story below.)
EOC Photo by Daniel McCay
According to an economic analysis by the Tulsa Regional Chamber, Saint Francis Hospital's expansion in Muskogee will support more than 100 new jobs and generate more than $25 million in yearly economic output for Muskogee County. The total economic impact for northeastern Oklahoma is projected to be $449.1 million.
Bishop Blesses New Chapel at Muskogee Hospital
MUSKOGEE — At the first Mass to be celebrated in the new chapel of Saint Francis Hospital Muskogee, Bishop David Konderla blessed the beautiful new facility and sprinkled each of the walls and the altar.
"Send your blessing, we pray, O Lord, on this chapel, which you have permitted us to build, and grant that all the faithful who assemble here, in holding fast to your word and your holy mysteries, may know the presence of Jesus Christ...," said Bishop at the beginning of the Mass. During his homily, he noted the beauty of the chapel and how it would serve patients, families, and hospital employees in the years to come as a place of quiet prayer.
An entire wall of the new chapel is consumed with an expansive and magnificent stained-glass window depicting "Christ, Our Life," created by the Frei family of St. Louis. The window floods the space with natural light and color. Another window depicts the hospital's namesake, St. Francis Xavier. The bishop also celebrated a special Mass the day prior on the Feast of St. Francis Xavier at the main Saint Franics Hospital campus in Tulsa.
Thursday's occasion was opened with a greeting from Michele Keeling, president of Saint Francis Hospital Muskogee, and ended with closing remarks from John-Kelly Warren, Chair of the Saint Francis Health System Board of Directors, and grandson of the hospital's founder.
"It serves as a place where we can be grounded, where we can reflect, where we can pray, and hope," Warren said of the new chapel. "And it is so vitally important, especially given all the crazy times that we experience in today's world, to remind ourselves that we need places like this."
William K. Warren, Sr., founder of The William K. Warren Foundation and the Saint Francis Health System, along with his wife Natalie Overall Warren, began Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa in 1960. It is now one of the largest Catholic health systems in the nation.
EOC Photos by Daniel McCay
Concelebrants and servers for the chapel dedication at Saint Francis Hospital Muskogee included Bishop David Konderla; Very Rev. Gary Kastl, vicar general for the Diocese of Tulsa; Rev. John O'Neill, pastor of St. Joseph parish in Muskogee; as well as other priests and deacons of the Diocese of Tulsa & Eastern Oklahoma.
McAlester Pilgrimage Spotlights Hope for Prisoners
BY JEAN YAEGER
SPECIAL TO THE EOC
MCALESTER — Catholic faithful from across the diocese packed St. John the Evangelist Church on Saturday, praying for the imprisoned and persecuted in the final stop on the 2025 Jubilee of Hope pilgrimage.
“We’ve come to the end of the Jubilee Year of Hope, but not to the end of hope,” said Bishop David Konderla, who celebrated the Mass. Ten priests concelebrated, most of them from parishes on the southern area of the Diocese of Tulsa & Eastern Oklahoma.
Twelve parishes of the diocese were chosen last year to serve as pilgrimage sites on the first Saturday of each month this year. The theme for December reflected McAlester’s proximity to the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.
Father Jovita Okonkwo, pastor and vicar forane for the Southern Vicariate, expressed gratitude for the pilgrimage’s geographical representation – including urban and rural churches — “so that the joyful hope of the Lord will reach every corner of the diocese.”
Father Jovita and his parishioners welcomed pilgrims to St. John’s with warm hospitality, including a youth choir, dance troupe and barbecue sandwiches served in the parish hall after Mass. The choir sang a song with the lyrics: “Hearts of hope, voices bright, guided by Jesus, our true light.”
As people of hope, we trust in God to set our hearts free from doubts and fear, Bishop Konderla said in his homily.
“You can face whatever comes because you know that God is with you, and that is the definition of hope – not what we can do, but what He can do,” he said. “This then becomes the manner of our life as people of hope. To not focus on the problems, to simply recognize they’re there. What we focus on is Jesus, and then every day take whatever steps we can take in the direction of our Savior.
“The steps might be small. They might be very humble. They might be weak. They might be doubting. They might be filled with fear,” Bishop Konderla said. “But because we have hope, we take whatever is the next step in the direction of the Savior, and eventually we will live with Him forever.”
The Jubilee Year of Hope 2025 will conclude locally with a Closing Mass at 2:30 p.m., Dec. 28 at Holy Family Cathedral in Tulsa. Look for more details to come.
EOC Photos by Renata Copsey
Still Time Left to Support Diocese by Donating to 2025 Faith & Works Appeal
BROKEN ARROW — The annual Faith & Works appeal brings every parish, mission, and ministry in Eastern Oklahoma together to build up the Body of Christ and there's still time to make end-of-year gifts to the 2025 campaign. One-time donations can be made through Dec. 31, online by clicking here.
The Diocese of Tulsa & Eastern Oklahoma spans 31 counties, serving communities both large and small, rural and urban, with Masses at times spoken in six different languages. One of the most important things the Faith & Works Appeal supports is the education and training of seminarians, young men considering the call to the priesthood.
Another key aspect of the Faith & Works Appeal is its support for the ministries and offices that serve the diocese under Bishop David Konderla’s leadership. These offices help the bishop guide the local Church, teach the faith, and care for the community.
The impact of the Faith & Works Appeal goes far beyond the diocesan offices. It helps change lives all over the region. It helps Catholic schools shape young minds in faith and wisdom. It helps spread the word of God to inmates who have little hope. It helps ministries walk with people during tough times.
The January/February 2026 issue of Eastern Oklahoma Catholic magazine will devote much of its space to the launch of next year's Faith & Works 2026 campaign, including several features on diocesan ministries and the people faithfully carrying them out. The diocese will also soon release a Faith & Works 2026 companion film by local Catholic documentary filmmaker Manny Marquez.
See also a special message from Isaac Owen, Development Director for the Diocese of Tulsa & Eastern Oklahoma, in the twice-monthly Communications FlockNote email due out tomorrow.
For more information about the Faith & Works annual appeal, click here.
Retired Priest Who Previously Served in Diocese Dies at Abbey He Co-Founded in India
KAPPADU, INDIA — A retired priest who formerly served in the Diocese of Tulsa & Eastern Oklahoma, Father Anselm Maniyakkuppara, OSB, died on Nov. 29, 2025, in his homeland of India. He was 94.
Father Anselm had previously served at St. William in Durant, St. Stephen in Holdenville, and as a chaplain at Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa.
He was a Benedictine monk and co-founder of St. Thomas Benedictine Abbey, Kappadu, Kerala, India. He made a religious profession on April 9, 1954 and was ordained to the priesthood on Feb. 27, 1965. His work of service at Kappadu Abbey and its daughter houses and abroad was rich and varied, including positions as formation master, superior, parish priest, confessor, spiritual father, and more.
His funeral service took place on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025 at the Kappadu Abbey Chapel in India. A video recording of his funeral service can be viewed here.
His community invite all who knew and loved him to join them in prayer and thanksgiving for his long, devoted life of service. May he rest in peace.
Fr. Anselm Maniyakkuppara, OSB
Guest Column:
Saying “Yes” to God Each Day During Advent
BY PETE BURAK/via FAITH Catholic
On the morning of Aug. 7, 2011, I snuck out of bed to procure two cups of coffee from the hotel lobby. As I arrived back at the room and fumbled with the key card, I was struck by a thought, “I’m a married man now and this is forever!” Obviously, I had previously considered the ramifications of the vows Cait and I exchanged the day before. But suddenly, the joyful and weighty reality of the previous day stopped me in my tracks.
Even though I didn’t harbor a single doubt or speck of concern regarding our newly formed marriage, I still needed to say “yes” again. And again. And again. And again. We had stepped into a new mission with each other and the Lord on our wedding day, and the consequences of that decision still flow into each day. On that glorious August day, a path was laid before us and we started down it, but the beginning wasn’t enough. Marital vows require a daily re-commitment to love, protect and serve each other.
Have you ever considered what thoughts must have run through Mary’s head the morning after the Annunciation? Her trusting and glorious assent to God’s unique invitation had set into motion a new salvific mission. Mary’s role in God’s amazing plan for mankind isn’t just about her initial “yes” but also very much about her daily “yes.” Her faithfulness started before Gabriel’s visit, and it only deepened after it.
Although Mary’s life was certainly not always easy, she continued each day to faithfully, humbly and joyfully say “yes” to God’s plan. As we move through the Advent season, it’s a perfect time to ask our Blessed Mother to help us trust Jesus – and not just in the big moments, but through the everyday sufferings, challenges, joys and victories.
Our walk with the Lord will take many twists and turns, but the foundation of our lives need not be shaken if we keep looking at him and saying “yes.” You will never regret imitating Mary’s unwavering commitment to cooperating with God’s will. Fourteen years later, I still make Cait coffee every morning, a little daily re-commitment to our marriage. Jesus doesn’t need coffee, but he definitely wants our fidelity.
Pete Burak is the vice president of Renewal Ministries. He has a master’s degree in theology and is a frequent speaker at events for youth and young adults.
From the Editor...
Today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day of obligation in the Catholic Church.
"Celebrating the feast of the Immaculate Conception as the Jubilee Year was ending, Pope Leo XIV prayed that 'Jubilee hope' would 'blossom in Rome and in every corner of the earth,' bringing with it reconciliation, nonviolence and peace," reported the Catholic News Service from the Vatican this morning:
"Look, O Mary, upon the many sons and daughters in whom hope has not been extinguished: May what your Son has sown sprout within them — he, the living Word who in each person asks to grow still more, to take on flesh, face and voice." — Pope Leo XIV
If you missed morning Mass today, fear not. Several parishes will hold evening Mass on this holy day. Please check your local parish website for times. For a complete listing of parishes within the diocese and contact information, click here.
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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