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30 June 2023

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30 June 2023

For your shopping convenience, The Monks' Marketplace is now open Tuesday-Saturday from 9:30-11:45 a.m. and 1:30-4:30 p.m. We are now located inside the front doors of the monastery in the north parlor! 

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30 May 2023

With Praise and Thanksgiving to Almighty God,  Abbot Lawrence Stasyszen, OSB and the Monks of St. Gregory’s Abbey announce the ordination of Br. Peter Shults, OSB to the Sacred Order of the Priesthood through the laying on of hands and the invocation of the Holy Spirit by Most Reverend Paul S. Coakley, Archbishop of Oklahoma City. 

Video from the ordination Mass can be viewed at:

https://vimeo.com/832076332?share=copy

The video from Fr. Peter's first Mass can be viewed at:

https://vimeo.com/832635871?share=copy

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01 May 2023

The day begins with Mass at 8:30 a.m. and ends after adoration around 3:00 p.m. Lunch is included. The cost is $30, if prepaid, or $35 if paid at the door. Preregistration is required. Seating is limited. 

 

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13 April 2023

Shop for your spring bedding plants, vegetables, herbs, succulents and indoor plants while supporting the Monks of St. Gregory's Abbey. 

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30 March 2023

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14 March 2023

Register today for "Transformation in Christ" presented by Br. Damian Whalen, OSB on April 29th at St. Gregory's Abbey.

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23 February 2023

Join us for A Day of Silence at the Abbey- Preparing for Easter on April 1st.  The facilitator for this Day of Reflection will be Abbot Lawrence Stasyszen, OSB. 

As we prepare to celebrate the Paschal Mystery during Holy Week and Easter, spend some time in quiet reflection on the High Priestly Prayer of Jesus at the Last Supper. 

The day begins with Mass at 8:30 a.m. in the Abbey church and concludes after adoration around 3 p.m. Lunch is included. The cost is $30 per person (if pre-paid, or $35 at the door). Preregistration is required.

To register and pay on-line Click Here.  You can also preregister by calling 405.878.5656 or e-mailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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29 December 2022

St. Gregory's Abbey invites the public on January 1, 2023, the Solemnity of Mary the Holy Mother of God, for Adoration. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will begin at 12:50 p.m., will continue through Vespers at 5 p.m. and will end after Benediction at 5:30 p.m. This is part of Abbey's offerings for the National Eucharistic Revival.

The National Eucharistic Revival was launched on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi on June 19, 2022 and has a mission to "renew the Church by enkindling a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist." The revival is a three-year initiative by the U.S. Bishops.

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27 December 2022

The Bishops of the United States have launched a three year Eucharistic Revival whose mission and vision is “to renew the Church by enkindling a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist” by inspiring a “movement of Catholics across the United States who are healed, converted, formed, and unified by an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist—and who are then sent out on mission ‘for the life of the world.’ ”

The topics of St. Gregory’s Abbey’s Spring and Summer, 2023 Days of Reflection will focus on the significance of the Eucharist in the life of the Church.

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21 December 2022

 Dates for the 2025 Monastic Encounter Weekend  dates have been announced.  Registration is being accepted for August 1-3 and October 17-19. 

The voice of God is always calling but too few are able and willing to listen. In his 6th century Rule for monasteries, St. Benedict outlines a way of life that teaches one to listen with the ear of the heart and to daily translate into action God’s holy teachings so that in all things God may be glorified. To hear the voice of God clearly, one must be prepared to receive it. St. Benedict offers a disciplined way of prayer and work, of obedience and stability, and of ongoing conversion to prepare the hearts of his monks to encounter the God whom they seek. His monks seek God in solitude, but they do not seek Him alone. Rather, they seek him in the company of their brothers who encourage and support them along their way. Within the enclosure of the monastery, they journey together to God who is always near to those who call upon Him.

St. Gregory’s Abbey vocation director Fr. Simeon Spitz, OSB invites single Catholic men ages 18-45, behind the cloister gate for a monastic encounter. During this time, they will share in the liturgical prayer, lectio divina, common work, and communal life of the abbey and live as a monk, if only for a weekend. While these encounters are primarily intended for those discerning a religious vocation, they are of spiritual benefit to anyone yearning to know God’s still, small voice amidst life’s chaos. 

2025 Monastic Encounter Weekends are scheduled for: February 14-16, June 6-8,  August 1-3, and October 17-19. 

Click here to register

For more information contact
Fr. Simeon Spitz, O.S.B.
405.878.5456
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  |  www.monksok.org/vocations

What is more delightful than this voice of the Lord calling to us.

+ St. Benedict (RB: Prologue)

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21 December 2022

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16 December 2022

Rev. Patrick McCool, O.S.B., entered eternal life on Thursday, December 15, 2022, at the age of  86. He had completed 65 years of monastic profession and 59 years of priestly ministry.

Father Patrick was born in St. Louis, MO, on July 30, 1936, and lived until age thirteen at St. Joseph’s Orphanage in Eldorado, KS. He then became the beloved adopted son of James and L.C. “Elsie” (Feist) McCool of Wichita, KS.  He graduated in 1954 from St. Gregory’s High School in Shawnee, OK, and from St. Gregory’s College in 1956.

Fr. Patrick professed temporary vows as a monk of St. Gregory’s Abbey on July 11, 1957. He then earned a Bachelor of Philosophy degree from St. Benedict College in Atchison, KS, and completed theological studies at St. Gregory’s Abbey. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 25, 1963. Following his ordination, he completed a master’s degree in English at the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Library Science degree at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

Fr. Patrick served at St. Gregory’s Abbey as prior of the community under three abbots, and for several terms as a member of the Abbey Senior Council. He served at St. Gregory’s College and University as Residence Hall Director, Instructor of English, and as Assistant Director and Director of the institution’s James J. Kelly Library. He was the founding sponsor of Knights of Columbus Council 5354 at St. Gregory’s College, serving as Chaplain and Financial Secretary. He served as State Chaplain of the Oklahoma Knights of Columbus from 1983 to 1993.

Fr. Patrick served as pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish, McLoud, OK, from 1971 to 1976.  In 1979 he was assigned to assist with Catholic services at Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City, OK, “for a few weekends.” This temporary duty lasted for nearly forty years. Commuting from the Abbey as many as seven days a week, he celebrated Mass, performed baptisms, heard confessions, provided pastoral counseling, celebrated weddings and conducted funerals. In 2001, Pope St. John Paul II bestowed upon him the Cross of Honor “Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice” in recognition of his faithful service to military personnel and their families. Fr. Patrick completed his tenure of service at Tinker AFB in 2018. 

When the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease limited his public ministries, he continued to participate actively in nearly all aspects of daily life at St. Gregory’s Abbey. After a brief stay at Golden Rule Nursing Home near Shawnee, Fr. Patrick returned to the monastery, where he died peacefully on the 29^th anniversary of the death of his beloved mother.

Fr. Patrick is survived by the monks of St. Gregory’s Abbey, several cousins and numerous grateful former students, parishioners and friends. Public viewing will be available in The Conference Center at St. Gregory’s Abbey in Shawnee from 11:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 18. A vigil service will be held at St. Gregory’s Abbey at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 18. Mass for Christian Burial will be at St. Gregory’s Abbey at 2:30 p.m. on Monday, December 19.  Services are open to the public.

In lieu of flowers, gifts in honor of Fr. Patrick can be contributed to St. Gregory’s Abbey, 1900 W. MacArthur, Shawnee OK 74804, or  Click Here to Donate. 

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15 November 2022

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29 November 2022

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14 November 2022

A Message from Abbot Lawrence

 

Dear Friends,

 

      Visitors to the monastery often remark on the unique free-standing arches that grace the front hallways of the monastery.  Several times each day we monks pass under these simple yet beautiful arches as we process to the Abbey Church to lift up our voices in praise of God and in intercession for the needs of our world.

      Arches are at once both one of the strongest and most beautiful forms of architectural design.  Distributing weight through the entire structure, arches are capable of bearing incredible weight while enduring the test of time. Along with that, their form inspires passers-by with the beauty of their symmetry that lifts eye and spirit from the earth to the heights of heaven.

      St. Paul uses the enduring strength and beauty of an arch to describe the Church as the Temple of God. He points to Jesus Christ as being the capstone that gives strength and stability to the Church, and the members of the Church as the living stones that together sustain the weight that bears down upon the Church. And like an arch of stone, the Church also lifts eye and spirit upward toward Christ and the very heights of heaven.

      The arches in the hallways of our monastery remind us that we are part of the great Temple of the Church built upon the foundation of the apostles and held together by Jesus Christ.  As monks, we have a particular role in building-up the Church through our prayers and work. But we are not able to persevere in our role without the strength and support of our many oblates, family members, friends and benefactors.   For this we are humbly grateful.

      In this our annual appeal, we ask you to be the “living stones” that sustain us in our vocation through your prayers, friendship and financial support.  Like a beautiful arch, together we can bear one another’s burdens and lift one another up in the Holy Spirit and through Jesus Christ and the glory of God the Father!

 

Rt. Rev. Lawrence Stasyszen, OSB

Abbot

 

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31 October 2022

Come to St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Norman on Saturday November 12th to purchase your favorite products from St. Gregory's Abbey! We will have our wooden Advent Wreaths, our new handcrafted wooden cutting/cheese/charcuterie boards, Abbey Christmas Ornaments, hand-knotted rosaries, handmade soap as well as Mission Monks honey and beef. The craft fair starts at 9 a.m. and will be held in Founder's Hall.

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26 September 2022

People tend to see Advent as a "countdown" to Christmas.  While it is that, it is much more. Placed at the beginning the Church's liturgical year, Advent (from, "ad-venire" Latin for "to come to") is the season encompassing the four Sundays (and weekdays) leading up to the celebration of Christmas.  In the season of Advent, we await the coming of Christ on all the levels in which we experience time: in the past — as a babe in the stable of Bethlehem; in the present — as grace in our souls; and in the future — as the Judge at the end of time.  This day of reflection will focus on these three actions of Christ’s coming into our world and into our hearts and how we might use this time of preparation to deepen our awareness of them.

Fr. Boniface Copelin, OSB will be the presenter. Register for this Day of Reflection by calling (405) 878-5656 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Preregistration is required. Cost is $30 (if prepaid) or $35 at the door.  Lunch is included.

The day begins with Mass at 8:30 a.m. in the Abbey church and ends after adoration around 3:00 p.m.

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17 August 2022

Brother Peter Shults, OSB will soon begin his final year of coursework at St. Meinrad's Archabbey Seminary in Indiana.  He is expected to be ordained to the priesthood in May 2023.  Please pray for him this year as he embarks on the final stretch toward ordination.

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11 July 2022

Brother Kevin (Eugene) McGuire, O.S.B., monk of St. Gregory’s Abbey, died on Thursday, July 7, 2022.  He was 83 years old.  Br. Kevin was born on May 17, 1939, in Oklahoma City, OK, to Paul and Doris (Ayotte) McGuire.  He was baptized the next day and raised in the parish of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help along with his two brothers and one sister.

 After graduating from St. Gregory’s High School in 1957, Br. Kevin entered the novitiate at St. Gregory’s Abbey.  He professed first vows a Benedictine Lay Brother on July 11, 1958. He made his permanent commitment as a monk by professing Simple Perpetual Vows on April 13, 1962. He was nearing the sixty-fourth anniversary of his first profession at the time of his death.

Br. Kevin possessed a deep sense of piety throughout his life with particular devotion to the presence of the Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and the love of God made manifest in the Sacred Heart of Jesus. During his many years of outdoor work he developed great sensitivity to God’s self-revelation in nature through the changing of the seasons, the beauty of trees and the numerous species of birds that make the grounds of the monastery their home. Out of his love for birds he designed, built and installed hundreds of bluebird houses for the monastery and friends.

Br. Kevin served the monastic community in a wide variety of ways through manual labor, as caretaker of the Abbey cemetery and as a member of the Abbey Senior Council. He worked with the care of Abbey cattle, the harvest of farm crops, the maintenance of the facilities and vehicles, and the beautification of the monastery and college grounds. Early in his monastic life he suffered frostbite in his hands, resulting in Raynaud’s Syndrome. Despite this persistent condition, his love for outdoor work never wavered. He was particularly committed to adding trees to the campus, eventually planting most of the current trees on the property. He installed and maintained a network of pumps and irrigation pipes to bring water from monastery ponds to trees, shrubs and other plants during hot and dry periods of the long Oklahoma summer.

A natural engineer, Br. Kevin used discarded materials to design and build a number of tools and devices to use in his work. In the early1980s he combined an office chair, scrap pipe and an old car to build a system with which he ascended, sandblasted, cleaned and tuck-pointed the brick exteriors of the Abbey Church and the monumental academic center, Benedictine Hall. Along with serving as mechanic for the monastery, he assisted generations of students and friends who were having trouble with their cars and trucks. A triumph of his engineering and mechanical skills was the motorcycle he made from scrap, which he christened “Recycled Grace.” For many years he used it to make an annual four-week “pilgrimage” to various parts of the United States to visit with family, alumni, friends, strangers and the occasional law enforcement officer whose curiosity was piqued by the unusual bike.

Having lived his entire monastic life in residence at the monastery, Br. Kevin forged bonds of friendship with countless persons of all walks of life, backgrounds and ages. He read widely, and often expressed himself through poetry and the beautiful prose of his extensive correspondence. Many found inspiration, wisdom and guidance in his simplicity of life, spiritual outlook and direct manner of speaking.

 As he likely would have wanted, Br. Kevin died while engaged in outdoor work on July 7, 2022. He is survived by the monks of St. Gregory’s Abbey, brothers Hilary Paul (Phyllis) and Frank McGuire, sister Kathy Milot, and many nieces and nephews.  

Click here to read Abbot Lawrence's funeral homily

 Memorial gifts should be directed to The St. Gregory’s Abbey Benefit Trust, 1900 W. MacArthur, Shawnee, OK  74804, 405-878-5490.

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13 June 2022

We are saddened to announce the death of Fr. Joachim Spexarth, O.S.B., of St. Gregory's Abbey. He died unexpectedly on the afternoon of Sunday, June 12, the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. He was 83 years old. He lived 61 years in monastic profession and served 57 years as a priest. 

Memorial donations can be mailed to the St. Gregory's Abbey Benefit Trust, 1900 W. MacArthur Street, Shawnee, OK 74804.

Obituary: https://docs.google.com/document/d/143GMdhdyQ1GFpXuTrD5UQQ4ocSgWyUqU6qQ55yNp9JQ/edit?usp=sharing

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11 May 2022

 Our "Care For Those Who Have Cared" appeal supports the elderly and infirmed monks of St. Gregory's Abbey. We appreciate your prayers and donations in support of our monastic community. Consider donating to support a monk for a day, week or month! 

Click here to give on-line! https://bit.ly/3LcdGTm. 

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28 March 2022

As we approach the end of the Lenten season, we invite you to mark your calendars for the Holy Week liturgies at St.  Gregory's Abbey.  Please join us!

 The liturgical schedule is:

Palm Sunday- Sunday, April 10- 10:00 a.m.

Holy Thursday- Thursday, April 14- 8:00 p.m.

Good Friday- Friday, April 15- 3:30 p.m.

Easter Vigil - Saturday, April 16- 9:00 p.m.

Easter Sunday - Sunday, April 17- 10 a.m.

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22 March 2022

Brother Peter Shults, O.S.B., monk of St. Gregory’s Abbey, was ordained to the diaconate on Saturday, March 19. Most Reverend David Konderla, Bishop of Tulsa, conferred the Sacrament of Holy Orders during Mass in the abbey church on the Solemnity of Saint Joseph.

Abbot Lawrence Stasyszen, O.S.B., presented Brother Peter for ordination. “Brother Peter has shown himself to be an excellent candidate for ordained ministry. He has a profound faith, a great love for the Church and a sincere concern for others,” Abbot Lawrence said. 

 During his homily, Bishop Konderla noted that the Solemnity of Saint Joseph was a very appropriate occasion for the ordination, citing the virtues of the saint. The bishop also called upon Brother Peter to contribute to the task of evangelization precisely through his monastic vocation, emphasizing the importance of monastic prayer to the mission of the Church. Monks of St. Gregory’s Abbey frequently provide ministry in the Diocese of Tulsa through weekend parish supply, parish missions and hospital ministry.

Brother Peter currently is in his third year of theological formation at Saint Meinrad Seminary in Indiana. Abbot Lawrence described some of the unforeseen challenges for seminarians during a time of pandemic. “Seminarians normally engage in various forms of pastoral ministry in settings away from the seminary. Restrictions during the pandemic meant that this important part of their formation was not possible during the last two years. Brother Peter creatively addressed the challenge by initiating a telephone ministry to oblates of St. Gregory’s Abbey who also were isolated due to Covid-19. In this way he was able to visit and pray with people from across the United States who were not able to be with their parish communities. Many have shared with me how comforting and encouraging it was to receive his calls.” 

Another ministry initiative Brother Peter began and continues to hold a weekly is an interactive webcast called “Lectio Live!” In this he gives news on the monastery, speaks of upcoming events in the Church, and leads the participants in a prayerful review of the readings for the upcoming Sunday Mass. He now has followers from across the United States and from other continents as well.

Raised in Del City, Brother Peter professed vows as a Benedictine monk of St. Gregory’s Abbey on July 11, 2016. Prior to entering the monastery he served for ten years in the United States Army with deployments in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Brother Peter plans to petition to be ordained to the priesthood in May of 2023.

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07 March 2022

Register today for the Day of Silence at the Abbey on April 30th. We all need the occasional break from the noise and hustle of our daily routine. Spend a day in silence in the peaceful environment of the abbey. Participants will be guided through the day in a reflection (and optional journaling) on selected texts related to Easter. You can register for this Day of Reflection by calling (405) 878-5656 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . The day begins with Mass at 8:30 a.m. with Mass and ends after Adoration around 3 p.m. Lunch is included.
 

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07 March 2022

The Monks' Marketplace now offers a selection of daily meditation and prayer aids for the Lenten Season. The Marketplace is open from Thursday - Saturday from 1:30-4:00 p.m. and Saturday mornings from 9:30-11:30 a.m.  It is located just north of the Abbey church below the clock tower.

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09 December 2021

St. Gregory’s Abbey received Kyle Hankins into the community as a Novice on December 7.  He received the name “Br. Matthew” during the ceremony.  Abbot Lawrence explained, “In sacred scripture we read that God often bestows a new name upon individuals who are called to a change of direction in response to divine grace.  Monastic tradition continues this practice to remind us each day of our response to God’s call.  A new name also gives us a patron saint whom we can invoke and imitate.”  Br. Matthew is named for St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist.

 Br. Novice Matthew was born and raised in Chickasha, Oklahoma, and was an active member of Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church.  He was a member of the parish choir, participated in the parish evangelization team, and is a Fourth Degree member of the Knights of Columbus.  He volunteered in several service organizations in the Chickasha community.  In recent months he was been active with the Gospel of Life School and Communities in Moore and Oklahoma City.

 The novitiate is a period of one year of intense study, formation and discernment.  Novices at St. Gregory’s Abbey study sacred scripture, monastic spirituality and history, the Rule of St. Benedict, Church liturgy, and other courses in human development.  Novices participate in the full common life of the monastic community and are assigned various forms of work.  Toward the end of the novitiate year, a novice may petition to profess temporary vows as a member of the community.

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29 November 2021

Don't forget the Monks of St. Gregory's Abbey on the National Day of Giving- #Giving Tuesday, November 30th.  Donating is easy! Click here to donate!

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16 November 2021

Our St. Gregory's Abbey Christmas ornament has arrived and is available in the Monks' Marketplace!

The Monks' Marketplace has extended hours through the Christmas Season. Starting November 17th, the Marketplace will also be open Wednesday afternoons. The store hours are Wednesday-Friday from 1:30-4:30 p.m.  and Saturdays 9:30-11:30 a.m. and 1:30 - 4:30 p.m.

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15 November 2021

Partner with us in sustaining the "precious service" of monastic life to the Church by contributing to the 2021 St. Gregory's Abbey Annual Appeal.  Appeal packets have been mailed or you can donate by simply clinking the "donate" button!