St. Kateri Novena Begins July 5
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An important aspect of the observance of the sesquicentennial of the foundation of St. Gregory’s Abbey is recognition of the vital role that Native American tribal nations played in the arrival of our monastic community. Leadership in the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, the Osage Nation and Catholics of other tribes petitioned the Church for Catholic priests and religious orders to come to Indian Territory so that they could receive the sacraments and so that their children might attend Catholic schools. It was through these requests that pastoral care of the people of the territory was entrusted to Fr. Isidore Robot, OSB, and Br. Dominic Lambert, OSB, the founders of Sacred Heart Abbey and Mission, now known as St. Gregory’s Abbey. The relationship between Native American Catholics and the monks of St. Gregory’s has continued in various ways until the present time.
In tribute to all Native American peoples, a statue of then Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha was commission by the monks and installed on the campus of St. Gregory’s on July 14, 1984, the Memorial of this first Native American Catholic to be beatified. When the “Lily of the Mohawks” was canonized as a saint in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI, the Abbey composed and published a novena in her honor to seek her intercession. The novena emphasizes aspects of her spirituality, including her love of the Church, the Cross of Christ, the holy Eucharist, chastity, patience in the face of persecution and the natural environment. The monks offer the novena each year during the nine days before July 14 on July 5.
The Abbey continues to receive requests for printed copies of the Novena in Honor of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, and for permission to reprint the novena by parishes, missions and groups under the patronage of St. Kateri. You can access the prayers of novena by clicking the link below, or by sending a request for a printed copy. Printed copies are also available in the literature holders in the church narthex and abbey lobby. The monks invite all to come to know St. Kateri and her example of heroic virtue and love of the faith during her short life.
Mass on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
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Mass on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus will be this Friday, June 12th at 10:00 a.m. in the Abbey Church. Please join us!
Shawnee Peace and Praise Choir to Give Concert
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We welcome the Shawnee Peace and Praise Choir on Saturday, June 6th at 7:30 p.m. in the Abbey Church for their season finale concert: an evening of inspiring and motivating sacred, gospel, and contemporary Christian music.
PULS Housing Initiative Receive Grant
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Pottawatomie County Commissioners have approved a $100,000 grant to PULS Housing from the
Pottawatomie County Economic Development Fund. The grant will be used toward the installation of a
fire sprinkler system in residence halls formerly operated by St. Gregory’s University. Rt. Rev. Lawrence
Stasyszen, O.S.B., Abbot of St. Gregory’s Abbey expressed gratitude for the grant. “We wish to thank
County Commissioners Melissa Dennis, Abby Thompson and Greg Rush for their support and
encouragement for the mission of PULS Housing Initiative.”
PULS Housing Initiative is a 501(c)3 non-profit established in 2025 initiated by St. Gregory’s Abbey. Its mission is
to develop and facilitate affordable housing in Pottawatomie County for populations with special
financial need. With donated labor provided by St. Gregory’s Abbey, and funds from both public and
private sources, PULS Housing is refurbishing facilities once used as student housing at the former St.
Gregory’s University, which closed in December 2017. This will result in a total of 108 two-bedroom
suites suitable as housing for workforce and educational development.
Abbot Lawrence explained, “This generous grant provides significant funding that will enable us to move
forward with plans to partner with The Caring Collective of Pottawatomie County in its mission.” The
Caring Collective provides housing and other services for young people who are aging-out of foster care
programs. “We recognize the important work of The Caring Collective and are excited to be associated
with their efforts. We hope that the grant will inspire other organizations and individuals to help us raise
an additional $250,000 needed to complete the project.” said Abbot Lawrence.
Beginning this summer, The Caring Collective will utilize part of a thirty-two-unit wing of Duperou Hall to
provide housing for young people who are at high risk of homelessness as they make the difficult
transition from foster care to independent living. The Caring Collective provides the young people with
stability, workforce training and job placement. Some fifty percent of young people without this type of
support during their transition to independent living experience homelessness or incarceration.
PULS Housing Initiative continues in a centuries-old tradition of hospitality. “The monks of St. Gregory’s
Abbey are concerned about the well-being of our neighbors who have special needs. PULS Housing
Initiative is named from the Latin word meaning ‘to knock’ that St. Benedict used in his Rule for
Monasteries when giving instructions for how to receive newcomers, guests and pilgrims when they
knock at the door of the monastery,” Abbot Lawrence explained. “This seemed like the natural name for
our desire to facilitate affordable housing for our neighboring population.”
St. Gregory’s Abbey regained ownership of the historic campus of its former university in June 2024.
Since that time, the Abbey has invested over $500,000 toward restoration of the property to repurpose
the facilities. The Abbey first opened the Abbot Mark Braun Retreat House, which has hosted close to
one thousand retreatants in its first year of operation. The Sarkeys Performing Arts Center also has been
used as a performance space by local organizations, including most recently North Rock Creek High
School. More information on how you can support PULS Housing Initiative or Gregory’s Abbey is
available at 405-878-5296, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To learn more about PULS Housing Initiative go to: www.pulshousing.org
Appeal for Elderly and Infirm Monks Kicks Off
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Update- we have reached 97% of our $80,000 goal! Help us over the top.
Our elders are a true treasure and continue to do what they can to pray for and to assist others. Thank you for considering a contribution to this special appeal as a sign of your gratitude for them!
Thank you for supporting the monks who have given so much, to so many people, for so many years.
Spring Plant Sale Scheduled
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Purchase your spring plants at the St. Gregory's Abbey Spring Plant Sale on Saturday, April 18th in the Abbey Conference Center. Rain or Shine!
The Words - and Silence of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Weekend Retreat
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Registration is now closed. Watch here for future day and weekend retreats.
2026 Triduum and Easter Schedule Announced
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You are welcome to join the Monks of St. Gregory's Abbey for prayer and liturgies during the Triduum and the Easter Season. We expect to livestream most of the liturgies on Facebook and on our website (Click on "Pray With Us" and then "Livestream Links."
Abbey Discernment House nearing completion
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For over 44 years, the Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Mexico and the Sisters of Resurrection lived in the convent on campus while serving the monastic community and the students of St. Gregory's.
St. Gregory's High School and College students remember the Sisters, as well as Br. Andrew Raple, OSB fondly for their years of providing meals to the students in the campus cafeteria. Br. Andrew and the Sisters will be memorialized through the Discernment House at St. Gregory's Abbey, which is nearing completion. Giving opportunities are now available!
The St. Andrew Discernment House
at St. Gregory's Abbey
In Memory of Br. Andrew Raple, OSB, the Missionary Benedictine Sisters of Mexico and the Sisters of Resurrection.
"Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”)."
John 1:41
While donations of any size are very much appreciated,
your donation of $1,500 would furnish one of 7 bedrooms, the common room or the dining room.
A donation of $2,000 would help purchase kitchen appliances and equipment.
A $2,500 donation would furnish the chapel.
Thank you for supporting the next generation of monastic life at St. Gregory's Abbey.
. . . where men will be able to seek the will of God in their lives in the company of others
and with the guidance of members of the monastic community.
Click Here to Support the St. Andrew Discernment House
Experience the Beauty of Choral Vespers
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The public is invited to Choral Vespers on February 1st at 5:00 p.m. in the Abbey Church. Vespers will be presented by the Choir of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral in Oklahoma City. A reception will follow in the Conference Center.
The Choral Vespers will be livestreamed on Facebook, on our website or at the link below:
Holiness and Marriage
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The Church teaches that the vocation of marriage is indispensable to the members of the Body of Christ. Therefore, the Church boldly holds up the examples of married men and women as examples of holiness from which all people can learn. St. Gregory's Abbey invites you to come and further explore how holiness in the Sacrament of Matrimony has been lived out in the lives of married saints and how this beautiful Sacrament teaches everyone, regardless of vocation, of the love that Christ has for His Church. Fr. Peter Shults, OSB will lead a day retreat on Holiness and Marriage on February 14th at the St. Gregory's Abbey Conference Center.
The Monks Need Your Help With a "Wheel"y Good Cause
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Today, on Giving Tuesday, help us raise $25,000 to add a critically needed vehicle to our fleet!
We also accept donations of cars, trucks, golf carts, utility vehicles, tractors and riding lawnmowers in good working condition! Call 405.878.5296.
Give today by clicking the link below or you can donate using Venmo or PayPal (@monksOK).
Checks can be mailed to St. Gregory's Abbey at 1900 W. MacArthur Street, Shawnee, OK 74804 and write "Giving Tuesday" on the memo line.
Monks are Praying for Oklahoma Parishes
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Abbey to Commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Consecration of the Abbey Church
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November Weekend Retreat Announced
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Following St. Anthony the Great into the Desert
A Weekend Retreat presented by Fr. Peter Shults, OSB
Dates: November 21-23, 2025
Abbot Mark Braun Retreat House- St. Gregory's Abbey
In the earliest days of Christian Monasticism, men and women were drawn to the desert in a sincere pursuit of holiness. One of the earliest and most popular accounts of this desert spiritual quest recorded the life of St. Anthony the Great and was written by St. Athanasius around 360 A.D. One of the first Christian bestsellers, men and women throughout the ages have sought to imitate St. Anthony's quest in the desert through a life of prayer, work, and solitude. Come to St. Gregory's Abbey for a three day retreat as we seek to follow St. Anthony into the desert through this literary masterpiece, learning more about his ancient spirituality and how our own spirits can be renewed in silence and in prayer. Bring a Bible, a journal, and a heart ready to encounter our Lord in following this example of desert spirituality.
Weekend Retreat information:
Cost is $135 per person which includes lodging, meals and retreat.
Retreatants will each receive a single room (no double rooms available) and will need to provide their own bedding (Twin XL), toiletries and towels
Retreat Schedule:
Friday - November 21, 2025
4:00 p.m.- Check In at Abbot Mark Braun Hall
5:00 p.m. - Vespers in the Abbey Church
5:45 p.m. - Supper in the Conference Center
7:15 p.m. - Compline in the Abbey Church
7:45 p.m. - Opening Talk in the Conference Center
8:45 p.m. - Individual Reflection Activity
Saturday - November 22, 2025
6:30 a.m. - Continental Breakfast in Mark Braun Hall
7:15 a.m. - Lauds in the Abbey Church
8:15 a.m. - Mass in the Abbey Church
9:30 a.m. - Morning Talk in the Conference Center
10:45 a.m. - Break
11:00 a.m. - Individual Reflection Activity
12:00 p.m. - Midday prayer in the Abbey Church
12:15 p.m. - Lunch in the Conference Center
1:00 p.m. - Personal Time
1:30 p.m. - Afternoon Talk in the Conference Center
2:45 p.m. - Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Confession in the Abbey Church
4:00 p.m. - Personal Time
5:00 p.m. - Vespers in the Abbey Church
5:45 p.m. - Supper in the Conference Center
6:45 p.m. - Personal Time
7:15 p.m. - Compline in the Abbey Church
7:45 p.m. - Evening Talk in the Conference Center
8:30 p.m. - Individual Reflection Activity
Sunday - November 23, 2025
6:30 a.m. - Continental Breakfast in Mark Braun Hall
7:15 a.m. - Lauds in the Abbey Church
8:30 a.m. - Closing Talk in the Conference Center
10:00 a.m. - Sunday Mass in the Abbey Church
11:30 a.m. - Check Out at Mark Braun Hall
Mass for the Remembrance of the Unborn
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On Saturday, September 13th at 8:30 a.m., we invite you and your parish community to join in the National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children Mass at St. Gregory’s Abbey, 1900 W. MacArthur Street in Shawnee, Oklahoma. This solemn memorial mass is part of a nationwide effort to honor the more than 66 million unborn victims of abortion and to ensure that our unborn brothers and sisters are never forgotten.
For more information, please visit NationalDayOfRemembrance.org or contact:
Dr. Chris Hill - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Together, let us witness to the dignity of every human life.
Sesquicentennial Anniversary Kicks Off October 12th
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St. Gregory’s Abbey will soon begin an 18-month celebration of the sesquicentennial of the arrival of our founders in Indian Territory on October 12, 1875. Our primary kick-off celebration will be at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, October 13, 2025, at the Shine of Blessed Stanley Rother in Oklahoma City.
In the early 1870s, Church leaders were looking for a solution for the pastoral care of Catholic Native Americans who had been forcibly moved into Indian Territory. Eventually, officials learned of two French Benedictine monks looking for a location where they could establish the missionary monastery that they envisioned. It was thus that Fr. Isidore Robot, O.S.B., and Br. Dominic Lambert, O.S.B., received and accepted the challenge of establishing not only their monastery, but also the Prefecture of Indian Territory, which has evolved into the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the Diocese of Tulsa. It is time to celebrate what God has accomplished through them and subsequent generations of monks, diocesan clergy and the faithful laity of the Church of Oklahoma!
We will celebrate the actual 150th anniversary, October 12, 2025, with Mass at 10:00 a.m. in the Abbey Church. Rt. Rev. Jonathan Licari, O.S.B., Abbot President of the American-Cassinese Congregation of Monasteries, will preside at the liturgy. We expect several visiting abbots, monks, religious sisters and Benedictine oblates to be present.
We will hold a larger celebration on Monday, October 13, at the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine in Oklahoma City. The solemn Mass will begin at 4:00 p.m. with Christophe Louis Yves Georges Cardinal Pierre, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, Archbishop Paul Coakley, Bishop David Konderla, clergy from the Oklahoma City Archdiocese and Tulsa diocese, along priests, deacons, and several abbots and representatives of other monastic foundations from the United States, France and England in attendance. In addition, we just learned that Archbishop Peter Wells, Apostolic Nuncio to Thailand and Cambodia will also be joining us. He is from the Diocese of Tulsa.
Knights of Columbus Sponsor Work Day on May 21st
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Come help us spruce up the campus on Saturday, May 24th before the National Eucharistic Procession arrives on campus May 31st.
National Eucharistic Pilgrimage Arriving at St. Gregory's Abbey
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Triduum and Easter Schedule Announced
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Abbot Mark Braun Retreat House Blessed
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This week, the Abbot Mark Braun Retreat House will host its first gathering. Yesterday, February 10th, on the Feast of St. Scholastica, Abbot Lawrence Stasyszen, OSB blessed the new facility with the monastic community, staff members and other guests in attendance. Numerous donors stepped forward to make this much needed facility possible. The retreat house features 60 single-occupancy rooms, conference rooms, break-out rooms and a chapel.
Abbot's Table is Here!
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Tickets and Sponsorships are now available for the 2025 Abbot's Table on May 2, 2025 at the Petroleum Club in Oklahoma City. Enjoy this splendid evening of fine wines and elegant dinner. There will be numerous ways to support the Monks of St. Gregory's Abbey including silent and live auctions, raffles, "fund-a-need" appeal, virtual parties, gift registries, and event donations. This year's fund-a-need will go toward the renovation of Sacred Heart Abbey mission site in preparation for the Sesquicentennial!
In addition to credit cards, cash and checks, this year's Abbot's Table will also be accepting Venmo and Pay Pal for payment of tickets, sponsorships, auction items, raffle tickets and other donations. Venmo and Pay Pal payments should be sent directly to the Abbey- recipient name "monksok"- with information (i.e. Abbot's Table tickets, etc.) in the memo line.
REGISTER FOR THE 2025 ABBOT'S TABLE
St. Gregory's Abbey named Jubilee Pilgrimage Site
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The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City has selected St. Gregory's Abbey as a Jubilee Pilgrimage Site.
Most Reverend Paul S. Coakley, Archbishop of Oklahoma City writes, "Every Jubilee year offers an opportunity to make a pilgrimage. Pope Francis is inviting us to the Holy Doors in Rome. These special doors at each of the four major basilicas of Rome are a sign of God's mercy and a physical symbol of our entrance into a new relationship with him through baptism.
Though no Holy Doors will be opened outside of Rome, the Holy Father has permitted bishops to designate sacred places as Jubilee sites. These sites serve as local pilgrimage destinations. I invite you to visit the following Jubilee sites in our archdiocese during the Jubilee year: The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Oklahoma City), Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine (Oklahoma City), Saint Gregory’s Abbey (Shawnee), Holy Trinity Catholic Church (Okarche), the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima (Bison), and the National Shrine of the Infant Jesus of Prague (Prague).
Every Jubilee year affords the faithful the opportunity of gaining an extraordinary indulgence. Pope Francis describes an indulgence as “a way of discovering the unlimited nature of God’s mercy. Not by chance, for the ancients, the terms ‘mercy’ and ‘indulgence’ were interchangeable as expressions of the fullness of God’s forgiveness, which knows no bounds” (Spes non Confundit, 23).
By walking through the Holy Doors in Rome, making a pilgrimage to attend Mass at a Jubilee site or praying at a Jubilee site anywhere in the world, you may receive a plenary indulgence provided you fulfill the usual norms. Furthermore, works of mercy and penance are occasions for the faithful to obtain a plenary indulgence in this Jubilee year."
The Sooner Catholic article link
Abbey Ornaments Now Available
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The new Abbey Christmas ornament is now available starting tomorrow, December 13th in the Monks' Marketplace and for order on E-Bay for shipping around the country. Cost is $30.
The ornaments are wonderful gifts for friends, family and St. Gregory's Alumni! The image is the back windows of the Abbey Church, with St. Gregory the Great in the middle.
Click the link below to go order the ornament off E-Bay
Support the Retreat House on Giving Tuesday!
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Frank Cleary, SGC and SGU alum, has been named the Coordinator of Abbey Outreach and the Director of the Abbot Mark Braun Retreat House. We invite you to listen to his message, and prayerfully ask for your consideration. Click Here to Watch
PayPal and Venmo Now Accepted for Donations
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Donating to St. Gregory's Abbey has been made even easier! Donors may choose to donate thru their PayPal or Venmo accounts directly to the Abbey. In addition, we will have both available for Giving Tuesday (December 3) and for ticket, auction and donation payments at Abbot's Table 2025. Our ID for both Venmo and Pay Pal is @monksok. Please write in the memo line which appeal you are donating toward (i.e. Annual Appeal, Giving Tuesday, etc.).
2024 Annual Appeal Underway
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Update- we have reached 70% of our goal! Help us over the top!
We prayerfully ask for your consideration of our 2024 Annual Appeal. It is our largest single appeal each year. Throughout the year, your donations and our external funding makes up 47% of our annual revenues. This year's Annual Appeal goal is $200,000! If you didn't receive a packet in the mail this past week, or wish to pay on-line, you can click below to donate. Thank you for supporting St. Gregory's Abbey!
Spring 2025 Days of Reflections Announced
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The first three Days of Reflection for Spring 2025 have been announced and registration is now open! Fr. Peter Shults will start the series on January 11th with "Beauty So Ancient and So New: Falling in Love with the Mass Again" on January 11th. The second presentation will be "A Day of Silence with Repentance with the Psalms" on February 8th. In March, Fr. Tom Boyer, retired priest of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City will present "A 2025 Journey from Nazareth to Jerusalem" a program based on the Gospel of St. Luke. Additional descriptions are on our website: https://monksok.org/news/days-of-reflection.
Each day will begin with Mass at 8:30 a.m. and end after adoration around 3:00 p.m. Cost is $30 per presentation (if paid in advance) or $35 if paid at the door. Preregistration is required. Lunch is included. Register by clicking the links at https://monksok.org/news/days-of-reflection, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 405.878.5656.
Progress at Abbot Mark Braun Retreat House
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Earliest this summer, the announcement was made regarding the historic land swap with Oklahoma Baptist University allowing the return of the St. Gregory's University campus back to the Abbey. The first big project has been preparing Mark Braun Hall to become our Abbey Retreat House. Over the past several months the maintenance staff, lead by SGU Alumnus Rick Gowin (Abbey Chief Operations Director) has been busy reopening the building- plumbing upgrades, replacing natural gas lines, new lighting, repairing HVAC and massive amounts of cleaning. This week painting has started as well as moving out old furnishings. SGU Alumnus Frank Cleary has been hired to lead the retreat house and conference center. Watch for another clean-up day!