Together, Our Faith Goes Further

Exactly 50 years after Pope Paul VI established the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma on February 7, 1973, the diocese marked its Golden Jubilee with prayer, praise, and joy. 

The Most Rev. David Konderla and dozens of priests celebrated the anniversary Mass at Holy Family Cathedral in Tulsa, giving thanks to God for the 78 parishes that make up our diocese. In his homily, Bishop Konderla said the diocese has a bright future as long as we proclaim Jesus. 

“The future of the diocese is not a question of politics or cultural ideology, or demographics. Rather it is entirely a question of fidelity to Jesus Christ and the Church He has given us,” Bishop Konderla said. “No matter our size, no matter how much cultural prestige or influence or lack thereof, we will bear fruit if we remain in the Lord and continue the Church’s mission to guard the deposit of faith He has passed to us.”

From 1905 to 1973, just one diocese covered the whole state. But by papal decree a half century ago, the 31 counties on the eastern side of the state became a new and distinct diocese. The western and central counties, meanwhile, were erected into the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. 

Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum, speaking prior to Mass, pointed out that his grandfather Robert LaFortune was serving as mayor when the diocese was established. Bynum issued a “Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma Day” proclamation for what he described as a momentous occasion.  

The celebration reflected the unity and diversity among the estimated 61,000 Catholics who call our diocese home. Scriptures were proclaimed in English and Spanish. Music included a hymn in Latin and a spiritual called “Awesome” sung by choirs from St. Monica and St. Augustine parishes. St. Thomas More parish’s Los Aztecas de Tulsa dance troupe — accompanied by drum, violin and maracas — wore sequined and feathered costumes. Troupe members said they praise God through their dance. 

Worshippers prayed for Bishop Konderla and our three previous bishops: Bernard J. Ganter (now deceased) from 1973-1977; Eusebius Beltran from 1978-1993; and Edward J. Slattery from 1994-2016. Following Mass, each parish received a papal blessing parchment commemorating the 50th anniversary.  

Many priests, deacons, religious, and parishioners from far and wide came to the cathedral on the eve of the anniversary to pray Solemn Vespers. They heard Catholic theologian and author George Weigel deliver a history lesson that emphasized every Christian’s duty to evangelize the modern world.  

“Mission territory is right here … your kitchen table, your neighborhood, your job, your life as a consumer, your life as a citizen,” Mr. Weigel said. “Everything is mission territory and everyone is a missionary.” 

In his remarks at the Vespers vigil, Msgr. Patrick Gaalaas reflected on the Catholic imprint shaping local education, health care, and social services. The diocese counts 13 Catholic schools, four university Newman Centers, 10 Catholic hospitals, and the Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma. So it is fitting to praise God for the blessings He has bestowed, he said. 

Msgr. Gaalaas closed his remarks with a prayer paraphrasing Colossians 1:9-11. “May the Lord grant us perfect wisdom and spiritual insight so that we may come to know God’s will. May we lead a life worthy of the Lord and pleasing to Him. May we multiply good works of every sort and grow in the knowledge of God. And may we be endowed with the strength needed to stand fast and even endure joyfully whatever may come.” 

Looking Ahead
The future of the diocese depends on our loving obedience and proclamation of Christ to the world, Bishop Konderla said. God will continue to bear fruit if we unite ourselves to Him. 

“It is simple, but obviously it’s not easy,” he said in the homily. “That is why Jesus gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Believers in every age face challenges even to the point of persecution. Bishop Konderla said the saints and martyrs — including Blessed Stanley Rother of Okarche — responded to hard circumstances by making Jesus the Lord of their lives, their minds, their bodies and material possessions. They placed all their hope in him.  

Some people might be tempted to leave the Church because its teachings don’t align with popular cultural opinion, the bishop said. The answer to that temptation requires patient study and prayer so that the truth of Jesus leads to conversion. “If we leave, we miss out on the greatest of all gifts — the faith of the Catholic Church, the faith of the saints and the martyrs, the faith of the ages.”

Bishop Konderla asked what might happen in the next 50 years. “Will the Church and the diocese grow or shrink? Will we enjoy religious liberty or persecution? Will our cultural and political unity strengthen or weaken? Will we have economic prosperity or will we find ourselves in poverty? Will we control our technology or will cat videos master us? The answer to all of these questions most certainly is yes and no,” he said. “The Church and the diocese are not apart from the world but precisely in the world in order to win the world for Christ. As we fulfill our mission, we must weather the wind and the waves along with all men and women of goodwill.”

Looking Back 
We study the 2,000-year history of the Catholic Church not for the sake of nostalgia, but because the past contains lessons in sanctity that can inform the vitality of parishes today. “The history of the Church is a history of the grace of God transforming lives, transforming cultures and societies,” Mr. Weigel said in his presentation at Holy Family. 

Mr. Weigel said he wanted to help the open the Tulsa diocese’s 50th anniversary events by putting our current times in perspective. He broke down Church history into four transitional periods: 
1. The early Church described in Acts
of the Apostles
2. The patristic era (Church of the Fathers, such as St. Ambrose and
St. Augustine)
3. The Middle Ages 
4. The Counter-Reformation 
A fifth transitional era began in 1878 with the election of Pope Leo XIII, Mr. Weigel believes. That era continues today as the New Evangelization. 
“I think we are living in an especially privileged moment in the two-millennium long history of the Church,” he said. “If we understood the character of that privilege, we might actually feel a little bit better” about difficulties around us.  

Pope Leo XII aimed to engage with science and the world of his time through Catholic tools such as the Vatican observatory and archives containing primary source materials. Leo XIII also launched the modern Catholic study of the Bible. Another turning point came when Pope John XXIII opened the Second Vatican Council in 1962.  

“The purpose of the Council was to prepare the Church to evangelize in a world that had become almost tone deaf to the Gospel,” Mr. Weigel said. 

An encyclical from Pope St. John Paul II in 1990 reinforced that message with two essential points — every Catholic is a missionary, and our mission territory is everywhere. In Jesus’ words: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Mt 28:19-20)
“That Great Commission is not simply addressed to those 2,000 years ago, but to every one of us on the day of our Baptism,” Mr. Weigel said. And the mission field isn’t faraway lands, but the ordinary places where we live, work, and interact with others. 

The first Christians were so transformed by their encounter with the Risen Lord that they were galvanized to share him. Likewise, the “Easter effect” can empower us to evangelize in 2023 and beyond.  

“In this transitional moment, we are all being called back to Galilee to hear the Great Commission,” Mr. Weigel said. “If we understand turbulence as a summons to extend the Gospel, to extend friendship with the Lord Jesus Christ to those who’ve never met him before or need to meet him again, if we understand we are all missionary disciples … then the second 50 years of the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma can be as magnificent as the 50 years we are celebrating tonight.”

A series of events throughout the year are being planned, including prayer opportunities, a Day of Service, a Diocesan pilgrimage to the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine, and more. Keep up-to-date through our emails, social media, and your parish bulletins.