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Bishop Leads Faithful in Diocesan Corpus Christi Procession
"An expression of popular Eucharistic devotion is found in the processions with the Blessed Sacrament that take place in the streets of many towns and countries; in this regard, I encourage you to keep alive this beautiful manifestation of public witness to the faith."
— Pope Leo XIV
Dozens of priests, seminarians, deacons, religious sisters, colorful dance troupes, the Knights of Columbus, Knights and Dames of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, as well as hundreds of lay faithful representing parishes from around the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma solemnly processed, prayed, sang hymns, and adored the Blessed Sacrament. Confirmandi children in their best dress whites scattered rose petals before the monstrance displaying the Blessed Sacrament. The large monstrance itself was housed in an elegantly decorated elevated platform, or tabor, which was alternately carried along by dozens of strong men from St. Thomas More parish in east Tulsa.
Following Mass at Parish of Christ the King, the procession assembled and began the slow walk down Cherry Street (15th Street) west towards downtown while neighbors and onlookers paused to take it in. With a record number of 15 dance troupes and hundreds of lay faithful taking part this year the procession stretched a mile long according to Brian Pounds, head of security at Holy Family Cathedral. Pounds coordinated law enforcement presence and traffic control along the 1.5-mile route from CTK to the Cathedral.
By the time the slow-moving procession reached downtown, the sun had set. Fr. Brian O'Brien, rector of Holy Family Cathedral, greeted and blessed participants with a sprinkling of holy water as they arrived. Volunteers from Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma distributed a literal truckload of cold water and snacks to participants during and after the procession.
EOC Photos by Daniel McCay, Renata Copsey and Chris Rush
Priests Attend Annual Convocation
MONKEY ISLAND — Priests of the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma gathered together last week for their annual Convocation at Shangri La Resort on Grand Lake O' The Cherokees for three days of fellowship, rest and relaxation.
Dr. Edward Sri, an Assistant Professor of Theology at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., co-founder of FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) and author of several books and articles, led the priests during workshop period with a program titled, "Spiritual Fatherhood."
"It was such a blessing to reflect more on the mystery of fatherhood — for both priests as spiritual fathers and human fathers like me — both ultimately rooted in God the loving Father, who delights in and provides for his children while blessing, guiding, strengthening, and comforting us…calling us ever deeper into union with Him and generously bestowing his mercy from Him kind and compassionate heart," said Dr. Sri.
"So good to meet so many happy, healthy, faithful priests and their wonderful Bishop, Bishop David Konderla, who is celebrating his 10-year anniversary as the Bishop of Tulsa. Congratulations to Bishop Konderla and may God continue to bless him and his priests in their spiritual fatherhood!"
Priests also had ample time to fellowship with one another at mealtime and to compete in the Annual Priest Convocation Wiffle Ball Game. Father Brian O'Brien, rector of Holy Family Cathedral reports that teams were picked by ordination year (odds v. evens) with the "evens" winning in dominating fashion, 29-13."So good to meet so many happy, healthy, faithful priests and their wonderful Bishop, Bishop David Konderla, who is celebrating his 10-year anniversary as the Bishop of Tulsa. Congratulations to Bishop Konderla and may God continue to bless him and his priests in their spiritual fatherhood!"
Father Adrian Meneses who was ordained to the priesthood earlier this year, attended his first convocation as a priest of the Diocese.
"Grateful for the gift of priestly brotherhood, for the faith we share, and for the many years of ministry ahead." said Fr. Meneses in a post from the event. He serves as parochial vicar of St. Pius X Catholic Church in Tulsa.
Vocations Office Announces 6 New Seminarians
BROKEN ARROW — "I'm happy to announce we recently accepted a new seminarian for our great diocese!"
With that statement Fr. Duy Nguyen, Vocations Director for the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma, has announced each of six new prospective seminarians beginning the Propaedeutic Stage this August.
"Including (these six men), we currently have 17 seminarians," said Fr. Duy. "Please join us in welcoming them to our Diocese."
• Patrick Humphrey, a parishioner at St. Henry’s in Owasso, graduated from Oral Roberts University with a political science degree. He recently finished his first year working as a Job Coach for Special needs children in a Tulsa Public School Academy. In his free time, he enjoys reading and listening to various podcasts, volunteering at church and he enjoys trivia on several topics.
• Leo Tuang, a parishioner at St. Pius X in Tulsa, is the oldest of seven siblings. He immigrated with his family to the United States in 2014. After graduating from Jenks High School, he attended Divine Word College and completed his studies in December 2025. In his free time, he enjoys playing sports, hiking, biking, and swimming.
• Christopher Kendrick, a parishioner at St. Bernard’s in Tulsa, is a Bishop Kelley High School graduate (class of 2019) and currently working as the youth minister at St. Bernard’s. In his free time, he enjoys playing sports and being outdoors.
• Alexander Nguyen, a parishioner of St. Joseph Vietnamese in Tulsa, is one of three children of Giang John (permanent Deacon candidate) and Tien Nguyen. In his free time, he enjoys listening to podcasts, playing sports and hanging out with his friends and family.
• Evan Hathaway, a parishioner at Our Lady of Guadalupe in Dewey, is a Bishop Kelley High School graduate and currently working with his family. In his free time, he enjoys reading, hanging out with friends, and playing basketball.
• Carson Rury, a parishioner of the Church of St. Mary in Tulsa, is a Bishop Kelley graduate and recently graduated from University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Arts in Finance and a minor in French. In his free time, he enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, playing soccer, traveling, spending time with friends, and playing board games.
Last Friday morning, each of the young men and their families attended Mass and a reception at the Chancery as part of Signing Day. They participated later that evening in the annual Priests versus Seminarians Kickball match (See photos below).
Once each of the men is accepted to their respective seminary for the fall semester, Eastern Oklahoma Catholic will announce and publish a more expansive profile on each seminarian.
Seminarians from the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma typically attend one of four Seminaries: Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad, Ind.; Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, Mo.; Conception Seminary College in Conception, Mo.; and Pontifical North American College in Rome, Italy.
First-year seminarians enter what is known as the Propaedeutic Stage followed by Discipleship Stage: All College and Philosophy Seminarians (Levels I, II, II, IV), then the Configuration Stage: Theology Students (Levels I, II, III, IV), followed by the Vocational Synthesis Stage: Ordained Transitional Deacons, and finally a Pastoral Year at a parish, prior to Ordination as a Priest.
Patrick Humphrey
Leo Tuang
Christopher Kendrick
Alexander Nguyen
Evan Hathaway
Carson Rury
Consecration of U.S.A. to Sacred Heart of Jesus to be Livestreamed
EWTN will air the Holy Mass of Consecration of the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus at 3 p.m. Central Time live from the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe, in Orlando, Florida as a part of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) spring plenary assembly.
The consecration will also be livestreamed on the USCCB YouTube channel.
Pastors are invited to encourage the faithful in parishes across the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma to prayerfully commemorate our nation's 250th anniversary. Accompanying resources may be found at the diocesan website here and also at the USCCB by following this link:
- Reflections from bishops on the Sacred Heart of Jesus
- A Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
- Template for a prayer service to acknowledge and honor the diverse communities that have journeyed to the United States
- Local participation in the America 250 commemoration by contributing to 250 Hours of Adoration and/or 250 Works of Mercy
- Prayer of consecration in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Tagalog, French, Haitian Creole, and Portuguese.
Tulsa Native Archbishop Peter Wells Receives Private Audience with Pope
VATICAN — His Holiness, Pope Leo XIV, recently received His Excellency Archbishop Peter B. Wells, Apostolic Nuncio to Thailand and Cambodia and Apostolic Delegate to Laos, in a private audience at the Vatican. Archbishop Wells was born and raised in Tulsa and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Tulsa in 1991.
"It was a special moment with the Holy Father, marked by a warm exchange of greetings, fraternal conversation and prayers for the mission of the Church in this area," said Archbishop Wells of his visit to the Vatican on May 28.
As nuncio, Archbishop Wells stands in for the Holy Father, serving a diplomatic role as the pope's ambassador to the countries, and serving an ecclesiastical role witnessing the ordinations of bishops and coordinating country-wide initiatives.
Previously, Archbishop Wells served as the nuncio in South Africa.
He was consecrated an Archbishop at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome on March 19, 2016, by Pope Francis. He entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on July 1, 1999, working in the apostolic nunciature in Nigeria. In 2009, he was appointed Assessor of the Secretariat of State. He completed his academic studies in philosophy at St. Meinrad Seminary College in Indiana, and in theology at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Besides his native English, Wells speaks Italian, French, German and Spanish.
Then-Father Wells previously served as associate pastor at Tulsa's Holy Family Cathedral in the mid-1990s. Since joining the diplomatic service for the Holy See, he has served Pope Saint John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis, and now Pope Leo XIV.
Third Annual Kickin' for Christ
TULSA — Last Friday evening the 3rd Annual Kickin' for Christ kickball match, pitting Priests versus Seminarians, took place at Bishop Kelley High School. This year, the Seminarians defeated the Priests 12- 9. Here are some scenes from the event.
EOC Photos by Daniel McCay
From the Editor...
Last week was a busy but also very productive and beautiful time in the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma. The Diocese-wide Corpus Christi Procession in Tulsa on Thursday evening drew somewhere between 1500-1800 participants. It's difficult to get a total count, but the procession which included 15 dance troupes this year stretched out a mile.
Several parishes of the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma also hosted processions within their respective communities this past weekend. As Pope Leo recently declared, Corpus Christi processions are a beautiful and courageous public witness of faith. In the heart of Madrid, Spain, the Pope personally walked and led Corpus Christi procession on Sunday with more than 1.2 million people.
The next day, Friday, was also a very big day for our Vocation Office. The Chancery hosted a Mass and "Signing Day" for six new seminarians in the morning and then the annual "Kickin' for Christ" kickball match between priests and seminarians. This year's event was hosted at Bishop Kelley High School, and a good thing too. BK's turf field made for clean, mud-free competition.
After the new academic year begins this fall, we will present a little more in-depth introductions of our new seminarians in a future edition of Eastern Oklahoma Catholic.
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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