Saturday, November 14, 2009

Construction commences on new Catholic church in Oklahoma
Parish will focus on old Latin Mass

BY CARLA HINTON
Published: November 14, 2009

The Rev. Howard Remski presides over Mass at St. Patrick’s Cemetery, near the site where a new Catholic church is being built. Photo Provided

Construction has begun on a new building that will house a Catholic church west of Edmond.

A groundbreaking ceremony and Mass were held Nov. 2 for a church building on 10 acres at Sorghum Mill Road, between Council Road and County Line.

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The Rev. Howard Remski said the building will be the church home of his as-yet unnamed parish. Remski said his parish consisting of 250 to 300 members has been meeting at St. Michael’s Chapel, a small building on private property in Oklahoma City.

He said Oklahoma City’s archbishop, the Most Rev. Eusebius Beltran, will create the name for the parish as crews work on its new building. He said the church is being built east of the former St. Patrick Catholic Church and the church’s cemetery, and it will feature a Spanish mission design.

The estimated completion date is right before Easter 2010, he said.

A hallmark of Remski’s parish is its focus on the Tridentine rite, also known as the old Latin Mass.

Remski, a native of Michigan, said the Mass is a focal point of his order, Firstly Fraternity of St. Peter. He said the 21-year-old order was specifically founded to make the Latin Mass well-known.

"I think there’s a part on behalf of a lot of Catholics that wants to rediscover the beauty of the Latin Mass. I think people are really drawn to it,” he said.

"It’s kind of everything old is new again.”

The Latin Mass experience became less significant in some parts of the world after the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) of the 1960s, which said parishes could conduct the Mass in local languages.

Remski, 38, said some of the renewed interest in the Latin Mass could be attributed to Pope Benedict XVI easing restrictions to its use.

The priest said Beltran had indicated he wanted to see the parish find a permanent home.

Remski said the new building will make it possible for his parish to hold potluck dinners and fundraisers much like other traditional Catholic parishes.

Editor's note: The story incorrectly listed the new location for the church. The church will not be located near Wiley Post airport, but on Sorghum Mill Road, between Council Road and County Line.