e-newsletter companion of Eastern Oklahoma Catholic magazine
Stephen Matthew McClain to be Ordained Transitional Deacon
BROKEN ARROW — Seminarian Stephen Matthew McClain is scheduled to be ordained into the Sacred Diakonia of Jesus Christ this week.
Solemn Vespers are scheduled for 6 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 18 at Holy Family Cathedral. Ordination will take place at 6 p.m. the following night, Friday, Dec. 19, also at Holy Family Cathedral. An informal reception will follow in HFC's Heiring Auditorium.
McClain will serve his first Mass of Thanksgiving at his home parish of St. John Before the Latin Gate in Bartlesville at 11 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 21. This Mass will also be followed by a reception.
McClain will serve as a transitional deacon while he continues his education for the priesthood. He is currently in Configuration Stage IV at St. Meinrad School of Theology in Indiana.
Prior to entering the Seminary, McClain studied computer science at Oklahoma State University and formerly worked as an Information Technology Analyst (IT Analyst) at ConocoPhillips in Bartlesville. He also previously served as Technology Assistant at Monte Cassino School in Tulsa.
For more, click here to watch a brief video from Fr. Duy Nguyen, Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Tulsa & Easten Oklahoma.
Jubilee Year of Hope 2025 Closing Mass to be Celebrated at Cathedral on December 28
TULSA — Bishop David Konderla will celebrate the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025 Closing Mass at 2:30 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 28 at Holy Family Cathedral.
The special Mass will officially bring to a conclusion local observance of the Jubilee Year which saw 12 parishes from around the Diocese each host a Pilgrimage Mass on the first Saturday of each month. Many faithful traveled to one, several, or even all the Pilgrimage sites throughout the year to pray and strive for a greater integration of the theological virtue of Hope in their lives.
Pope Francis designated the 2025 Holy Year as a time for the faithful to renew themselves as "Pilgrims of Hope." According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the 2025 Jubilee Holy Year — the 2,025th anniversary of the Incarnation of our Lord — has been an "event of great spiritual, ecclesial, and social significance in the life of the Church." The concept of Jubilee has its origins in the Book of Leviticus (chapter 25) as a special year of reconciliation, pilgrimage, and coming home.
The Jubilee Year was launched locally on Dec. 29, 2024, with a short procession from Chapman Centennial Greens in downtown Tulsa to Holy Family Cathedral, where Bishop Konderla read the Jubilee Proclamation. The following parishes hosted a First Saturday Pilgrimage Mass during the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025:
Jan. 4, St. Francis Xavier, Tulsa — Peace & Unity: Victims of War & End to Violence
Feb. 1, Sacred Heart, Miami — First Responders & Public Workers
March 1, St. Joseph Vietnamese, Tulsa — Culture of Life: Those with Disabilities
April 5, St. John University Parish, Stillwater — Healthcare Workers: Sick & Suffering
May 3, Immaculate Conception, Pawhuska — Family: Grandparents, Parents, Children, Grandchildren
June 7, Holy Family Cathedral, Tulsa — Holy Orders & Consecrated Life
July 5, St. Anne, Broken Arrow — Poor, Marginalized, Neglected
Aug. 2, St. Catherine, Tulsa — Catechists, Teachers, Educators & Support Staff
Sept. 6, St. Augustine, Tulsa — Evangelization Efforts through Sports: Athletes & Coaches
Oct. 4, St. Agnes, Antlers — Immigrants & Victims of Trafficking
Nov. 1, Sacred Heart Mission, Heavener — Missionaries & Those Who Have yet to Encounter Jesus Christ
Dec. 6, St. John, McAlester — Prisoners & Those Being Persecuted
Two additional Masses at Our Lady of Clear Creek Abbey were also designated official Pilgrimage Masses: April 26, in celebration of the Abbey's 25th Anniversary; and on Oct. 11, the concluding Mass of the annual Three Hearts Pilgrimage.
Second Collection for Local Priest Retirement Fund Takes Place at Christmas
BROKEN ARROW — Each December at Christmastime, parishes throughout the Diocese of Tulsa & Eastern Oklahoma take up a second collection to support retired priests. This year’s second collection will take place during Mass on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Dec. 24-25.
“In this season of giving, for all the generosity that you show to our priests in the diocese, we will have another opportunity to show them our love at the second collection on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day,” says Bishop David Konderla. “That second collection each year goes towards the Priest Retirement Fund, and I appreciate your generosity.”
The Priest Retirement Fund was established in 1973 to help support the many priests who dedicate their lives to serving the diocese. To donate online, click here and select “Priest Retirement Fund.”
To view an informational video featuring retired priest Fr. Benjamin Vima, click here.
2025 Faith & Works Appeal Nears Goal
BROKEN ARROW — With 2025 drawing to a close, there is still time to support the annual Faith & Works appeal.
The annual appeal has raised $2.4M, or 96 percent of the $2.5M goal from more than 3,200 donors, as of Dec. 6.
"As you consider your year-end giving, I invite you to support the Faith & Works Appeal once again," says Isaac Owen, Development Director for the Tulsa Diocese of Tulsa & Eastern Oklahoma.
The generosity of faithful Catholics in eastern Oklahoma helps form future priests, supports youth and Catholic education, equips families, sustains evangelization, and ensures pastoral care for rural parishes.
"Your faithful giving is changing lives in our 76 parishes and two missions in eastern Oklahoma through the ministries of the diocese," says Owen. "Thank you!"
To make a year-end contribution to this year's appeal online, click here.
Religious Sisters of Mercy to Host Festival of Lessons and Carols Thursday Evening
TULSA — As they prepare for Christmas. the Religious Sisters of Mercy will host the second annual Festival of Lessons and Carols at the Saint Francis Hospital Main Chapel at 7 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 18.
The Festival of Lessons and Carols is a service of Scripture and song that dates to the late 19th century. In this service, attendees listen to nine Scripture lessons which recount the Fall, the promise of a Messiah, the Incarnation, and the Great Commission to preach the Good News. Each lesson is followed by a carol or other song that reflects on the lesson's message and brief prayer.
GUEST COLUMN:
A Christmas in the Midst of Grief
BY FR. LEONARDO MEDINA
Christmas usually surrounds us with lights, music, and family gatherings. Yet when the heart is going through the absence of a loved one, this season takes on a different tone. The world around us may shine brightly, but inside there can be a quiet heaviness, a nostalgia that words cannot fully express. And it is precisely there, in that fragile space, that the mystery of Bethlehem reveals its true depth. God chooses to be born right in the middle of our human vulnerability.
In accompanying those who face deep sorrow, both spiritually and clinically, we learn that these holidays do not erase pain. But they can transform it if we allow the light of the manger to reach our inner shadows. Christmas does not ask us to forget or pretend. It invites us to walk sincerely, acknowledging the wound while letting a gentle, loving presence help us carry the weight of the absence.
The season of Advent that leads into Christmas becomes especially meaningful for those who grieve. It is a time that does not ask us to hurry but to breathe. A time to arrange our memories, to light small candles within, to remember with tenderness, to cry when needed, and to allow hope to enter slowly. We are not asked to live as if nothing has happened. We are invited to discover that sorrow can coexist with a faith that grows quietly.
Many people feel pressure to celebrate “as before.” But when someone is missing, the celebration naturally changes. It is important to give yourself permission to live these days differently, without guilt. It is perfectly valid to keep things simple, to modify traditions, to create new rituals, or to embrace silence when the heart needs it. Love does not end with death. It takes new shapes. It remains as a gentle presence that continues to accompany from another place.
Christ is born also for those who weep. I have witnessed this many times in families who face loss. The image of the Child Jesus, fragile and lying in a humble manger, brings comfort without demanding anything. He does not require joy. He offers peace. He does not expect forced smiles. He brings closeness. He does not remove sadness, but He remains with us through it. This is one of the great gifts of Christmas: a God who becomes small so He can embrace our pain.
Perhaps this Christmas will be quieter or more intimate. It may be simple. And maybe, precisely because of that, it can be more authentic. Silent Christmases often reveal what is essential. A God who comes gently, who does not rush, who approaches our wounds without fear. Sometimes the absence of a loved one awakens a new kind of presence: a spiritual, interior presence that helps us rebuild ourselves from within.
If you are living a Christmas touched by grief, I invite you not to fight your emotions. Name them. Bring them into your prayer or into your writing. Light a candle in your loved one’s memory. Write a letter. Give thanks for the life you shared. Allow comfort to arrive at its own pace. Surround yourself with people who know how to listen. And most of all, allow the God who comes small and tender to find a place in your heart.
Grieving is a delicate and deeply human journey. And Christmas can become a sacred refuge where the wound finds rest. It is not about being okay. It is about letting yourself be accompanied. May this Christmas, even if it feels different, be a gentle embrace for your soul. May the Child of Bethlehem shine upon your story, support your fragility, and offer a spark of hope, even if tears are still present.
Because even in the midst of sorrow, Light is born. And Light always finds a way forward.
Rev. Leonardo Medina is pastor of Holy Rosary parish in Hartshorne, as well as a psychologist and specialist in grief and emotional loss.
From the Editor...
We are now in the third week of Advent, having just celebrated Gaudete Sunday, the mid-point of the season as we anticipate the coming of Christ. This week also has significance for the local Church as a son of the diocese takes another important step in his journey toward the priesthood.
Seminarian Stephen Matthew McClain of Bartlesville will be ordained a transitional deacon this Friday evening at Holy Family Cathedral. (See story above.) McClain, who goes by Matthew, is the nephew of Fr. Stephen Austin who has served many years as a priest in the Diocese of Tulsa & Eastern Oklahoma. His aunt, Sister Barbara Austin, O.S.B., is a Benedictine Sister at St. Joseph Monastery here in Tulsa.
For more about McClain's life story, click here or here to read our previous coverage of his calling in past issues of Eastern Oklahoma Catholic magazine's online archive.
And speaking of vocations, Deacon Adrian Meneses is to be ordained a priest in January! Our staff came across this inspiring article profiling his fascinating journey,
From Mexico to the US: Deacon Adrian finally found his place, in an online publication called Aleteia. It is definitely worth a read.
Have you caught Bishop David Konderla's reflections on the Hallow app? If not, you're missing out! Each week throughout the liturgical year our bishop presents gospel reflections with prayer, scripture, and homily, guiding listeners to embrace Christ's promises, presence, and kingship in daily life. As part of the diocese's partnership with Hallow, it is FREE for everyone! Several other features — daily prayers, daily gospel, homilies, music, scripture reflections and much more — are also free on the app.
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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