About Holy Cross · Madill, Oklahoma
Holy Cross Catholic Church is a bilingual Roman Catholic parish in Madill, Oklahoma, in Marshall County, that brings together English-speaking and Hispanic Catholics as one faith community. The parish belongs to the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and is served by Pastor Rev. Raul Sanchez Castro. It operates the parish church at 1010 S. 5th Avenue in Madill, oversees the Mission of Good Shepherd in nearby Marietta (800 Broadway St.), and offers Mass in both English and Spanish throughout the week along with daily adoration and Friday confessions.
- Established
- 1949
- Patron
- Holy Cross (the Exaltation of the Holy Cross)
- Rector
- Rev. Raul Sanchez Castro
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
Why belong here
Holy Cross is a bilingual parish where North American and Hispanic Catholics worship side by side and have built one community through shared faith and baptism. The parish offers six Masses a week in English, Spanish and bilingual form, daily adoration (especially all day on Friday and evenings Tuesday through Thursday), and Friday confessions. It also runs a Tuesday-night catechumenate for those entering the faith, religious instruction for 16 children through the Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters from Durant, an active Altar Society, a Gift Shop, a parish mission at Good Shepherd in Marietta, and many lay ministries — so there are concrete, easy ways to get involved.
Mass times at Holy Cross
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Friday 6:00 PM (to 6:55 PM)
Adoration times
- Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday — 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM
- Friday — All Day, starting at 8:30 AM
Parish History
The Catholic faithful of Madill gathered for Mass in private homes from 1914 until 1949. The first Mass in Madill was offered on June 6, 1914 by Father James J. Wallrapp, then pastor of Ardmore, in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Melvin on Second Avenue. After that, Father Weirsma of Durant celebrated Mass in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Canady. On Sunday, January 29, 1949, Bishop Eugene J. McGuinness blessed the first Catholic church and rectory in Marshall County — Holy Cross church in Madill. It was constructed under the supervision of Father J. W. Kerns, pastor of Durant, with material help from parishes in McAlester, Purcell, Durant, the Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Oklahoma City, and Denison, Texas. The priests present for the blessing included Msgr. R. F. Harkin, Father Joseph La Enote, Father Bart Murtaugh, Father Frank B. Warnke, Msgr. McCullough and Father Tucek of Sherman, Texas.
- First Mass in Madill: June 6, 1914 (Father James J. Wallrapp, Ardmore, in the Melvin home)
- Long mission era celebrated from Durant
- Church blessed January 29, 1949 by Bishop Eugene J. McGuinness
- Built under Father J. W. Kerns with gifts from parishes across Oklahoma and Texas
Altar Society & Parish Life in 1949
In 1949, Father Kerns organized a very active Altar Society at Holy Cross. Its first officers were Mrs. Julia Owens, president; Mrs. Fayette Walker, vice-president; and Miss Mary Catherine Criswell, secretary-treasurer. Charter members included Mrs. Russell, Mrs. Sadie, Mrs. Osterhaus and others. The Altar Society remains an active ministry of the parish today, currently led by Rosa Aldaba. Friends in Tulsa later gave the parish a beautiful statue of the Infant Jesus of Prague; parishioners made a pilgrimage to the National Shrine in Oklahoma City where the statue was officially blessed before being installed in its place of honor over the lovely walnut tabernacle, recessed in the wall and beneath the large crucifix.
- First Altar Society president: Mrs. Julia Owens (1949)
- Infant Jesus of Prague statue donated by friends in Tulsa
- Pilgrimage to the National Shrine in Oklahoma City for blessing
Pastoral Team & Staff
Holy Cross is shepherded by Pastor Rev. Raul Sanchez Castro, who leads the parish's bilingual liturgical life. The parish also relies on a strong lay leadership team that runs religious education, the parish council, the altar society, and the many practical ministries that keep the parish running.
- Rev. Raul Sanchez Castro — Pastor — (580) 795-3721
- Carolina Navarrete — Director of Religious Education — (580) 677-1178
- Joanna Treviño — Parish Council President — (580) 677-5331
- Gloria Torres — Parish Secretary — (580) 795-3721
- Rosa Aldaba — President of the Altar Society — (318) 518-4240
- Misael Duran — Maintenance Coordinator — (580) 380-7279
Faith Formation & Religious Education
Faith formation is a central part of parish life. The parish runs a Tuesday-evening Catechumenate for adults and older youth preparing to enter the Catholic Church. Children's religious instruction is provided weekly by the Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters, who travel from Durant to Madill and currently teach 16 children of the parish. The Director of Religious Education is Carolina Navarrete.
- Catechumenate — Tuesday 7:00 PM
- Our Lady of Victory Missionary Sisters (from Durant) — weekly religious instruction
- Director of Religious Education: Carolina Navarrete — (580) 677-1178
Parish Ministries
Holy Cross runs a wide range of lay-led ministries that touch nearly every aspect of parish life — from liturgy to hospitality to upkeep of the church buildings. The parish especially welcomes bilingual participation, and many coordinator roles are organized to match the 8:00 AM English Mass and the 10:00 AM Spanish Mass.
- Altar Society — Rosa Aldaba
- Parish Council — Joanna Treviño
- Gift Shop — Lourdes Duran and Tammy Williams
- Lectors / Reading Coordination — Dalia Chavez
- Audio Ministry — Claudia Carrillo
- Altar Kids — David Quintana
- Ultreya (Cursillo) — Maribel Guevara
- Sunday Cleaning — Lourdes Salinas
- Maintenance — Misael Duran
- Ushers (8:00 AM) — Carmen Aldava
- Ushers (10:00 AM) — Beatriz Valdez
Mission: Good Shepherd, Marietta
In addition to the Madill church, Holy Cross oversees the Mission of Good Shepherd at 800 Broadway St., Marietta, OK 73448. The mission extends the parish's pastoral reach into neighboring Marshall County communities and is listed alongside Holy Cross on the parish website and the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City parish finder.
- Mission: Good Shepherd — 800 Broadway St., Marietta, OK 73448
Bilingual Identity & Parish Mission
The parish describes itself as 'a community of faithful Catholics, made up of North American and Hispanic Catholics, who have been able to integrate thanks to the faith and baptism that makes us cry out ABBA (Father).' Members seek to recognize their differences of race and language in order to unite as one church, working fraternally in activities and events so that the parish is sustained economically and in bonds of fraternal charity. The parish mission is 'the experience of those baptized in the gospel of Jesus Christ,' building 'a true community of believers' as the mystical body of Christ.
- English and Spanish weekly Mass schedule
- Bilingual Thursday Mass at 8:00 AM
- Spanish-language Ultreya (Cursillo) movement
Visit & Contact
Parishioners and visitors can reach Holy Cross by phone at (580) 795-3721, and the parish secretary is Gloria Torres. The parish is also listed through the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City parish finder.
- Address: 1010 S. 5th Avenue, Madill, OK 73446
- Phone: (580) 795-3721
- Archdiocese of Oklahoma City parish finder: https://archokc.org/parishfinder