About Holy Family · Lawton, Oklahoma
Holy Family Catholic Church is a Roman Catholic parish in Lawton, Oklahoma, in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. The parish community began life in 1959 as St. Barbara's Church and was renamed and re-established at its current 82nd Street and Cache Road location in 1980. Today Holy Family serves roughly a thousand families with bilingual and daily Masses, a religious education program, a youth ministry, and a Byzantine Catholic community that shares the church. The parish is also home to an authenticated relic of St. Padre Pio, certified in 2011 by the Superior Guardian of the Convent in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
- Established
- 1959
- Patron
- Holy Family (of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph)
- Rector
- Rev. Philip (Phil) Seeton
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
Why belong here
Holy Family is a thriving, family-oriented Catholic community in northwest Lawton that welcomes worshippers in both English and Spanish with a bilingual Sunday Mass. The parish offers daily and weekend Masses, Saturday confessions, an OCIA process for adults seeking to become Catholic, a CCD religious education program for children, and a shared youth ministry with nearby Blessed Sacrament that focuses on forming teens in prayer, fellowship, and service. It is also a place of pilgrimage as home to an authenticated relic of St. Padre Pio, and it hosts a Byzantine Catholic community that celebrates the Divine Liturgy monthly — making it a uniquely diverse spiritual home in southwest Oklahoma.
Mass times at Holy Family
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
- By appointment (call the parish office at 580-536-6351)
Parish History
The parish's roots go back to June 1959, when Bishop Victor J. Reed of the Diocese of Oklahoma City and Tulsa appointed Fr. Paul Mollan as the first pastor of a new mission in Lawton called St. Barbara's. After eighteen months of Sunday Mass at the Vaska Theater, the first St. Barbara's church and school were dedicated on December 4, 1960. The school, staffed by the Grail International Movement, opened with 312 students but closed in 1967. By 1978 the parish had outgrown its plant; new land was purchased at 82nd Street and Cache Road, and Archbishop Charles Salatka selected the name "Holy Family" on November 1, 1979. The current Holy Family Church was dedicated on October 30, 1980.
- Original parish founded June 1959 as St. Barbara's, Lawton
- First pastor: Fr. Paul Mollan
- First church dedicated December 4, 1960 (feast of St. Barbara)
- School opened 1960 with 312 students, closed May 1967
- New Holy Family Church dedicated October 30, 1980 by Archbishop Charles Salatka
- Family Life Center built in the 1990s as the parish passed 1,000 families
Shrine of St. Padre Pio
Holy Family Catholic Church venerates an authenticated relic of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina. The authenticity of the relic was certified in writing on June 24, 2011 by Padre Carlo Maria Laborde, Superior Guardian of the Convent where Saint Padre Pio lived in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy. The parish publishes a brief biography of the saint — an Italian Capuchin priest born in Pietrelcina on May 25, 1887 and died in San Giovanni Rotondo on September 23, 1968 — and notes that he was the only priest to bear the visible stigmata. Visitors may inquire about veneration of the relic through the parish office.
- Relic of St. Padre Pio venerated at Holy Family
- Certified June 24, 2011 by Padre Carlo Maria Laborde
- St. Pio born May 25, 1887; died September 23, 1968
- St. Pio: Italian Capuchin priest; first priest to bear the stigmata
Byzantine Catholic Community
Holy Family hosts the Byzantine Catholic Community of Oklahoma, a mission of the Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, which usually celebrates the Divine Liturgy on the second Sunday of each month at 5:30 p.m. Visitors are asked to call ahead to confirm the schedule.
- Divine Liturgy on the second Sunday of each month at 5:30 p.m.
- Contact number listed: 405.637.8681
- A mission of the Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh
Becoming Catholic (OCIA)
Adults interested in the Catholic faith are welcomed through the parish OCIA process (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults), the restored name for the ancient catechumenate. The journey proceeds through four periods — Inquiry, Catechumenate, Purification and Enlightenment, and Mystagogy — each marked by its own liturgical rite. The parish assigns each inquirer a sponsor and a team of companions who walk with them through weekly sessions, Lenten retreat, and the celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil.
- OCIA Coordinator: Linda Hillard — (580) 536-6351
- Four periods: Inquiry, Catechumenate, Purification & Enlightenment, Mystagogy
- Each inquirer is paired with a parish sponsor
- Sacraments of Initiation celebrated at the Easter Vigil
Faith Formation & Religious Education (CCD)
Holy Family runs a parish CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) program, directed by the parish's Director of Religious Education, "Gable." The program supports adults and children in continued catechesis and is paired with an Adult Education Program highlighted on the parish calendar.
- Director of Religious Education: Gable
- Adult Education Program (CCD) listed on parish calendar
- Baptism preparation for older children available through CCD/OCIA
Youth Ministry
Holy Family shares a youth ministry with neighboring Blessed Sacrament Parish, forming a unified Lawton Catholic Community effort to walk with teens. The program focuses on forming, equipping, and supporting young people and their families through prayer, fellowship, snacks, lessons, small groups, socials, games, and competitions. All high school students are welcome.
- Joint Lawton Catholic Community youth ministry (Blessed Sacrament + Holy Family)
- Youth Director: Billy Gonsler — [email protected]
- Open to all high school students; bring-a-friend culture
- Contact via Holy Family parish office: 580-536-6351
Sacraments
Holy Family celebrates the usual sacraments of a Roman Catholic parish. Baptism of infants is arranged through the parish office, while adults and older children prepare through the OCIA process or individual instruction with a priest or deacon. Reconciliation is available Saturday afternoons and by appointment; weddings and other sacraments are scheduled through the parish office.
- Baptism of infants and children — contact parish office
- Baptism of adults/older children — via OCIA or individual instruction
- Confession/Reconciliation — Saturday 2:30–4:00 p.m. and by appointment
- Marriage — contact parish office
Parish Staff
The parish is led by its pastor and supported by a deacon who also serves as Parish Business Administrator, along with a Director of Religious Education and lay staff.
- Pastor: Fr. Phil (Philip) Seeton
- Deacon & Parish Business Administrator: Mike Romaka
- Director of Religious Education: Gable
- OCIA Coordinator: Linda Hillard
- Youth Ministry contact: Billy Gonsler
Parish Office & Visiting
The parish office is located at 1010 NW 82nd Street in Lawton and can be reached at 580-536-6351 (fax 580-536-6352). Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to Noon and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.; the office is closed on Fridays.
- Address: 1010 NW 82nd Street, Lawton, OK 73505
- Phone: 580-536-6351
- Fax: 580-536-6352
- Office hours: Mon–Thu 8 a.m.–Noon and 1 p.m.–5 p.m.; closed Fridays
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Paul Mollan1959 – June 1967
First pastor of the original St. Barbara's parish; held Mass at the Vaska Theater while the first church and school were built.
- Fr. James H. RossJune 1967 – June 1975
Succeeded Fr. Mollan; oversaw the period when the school had closed.
- Fr. James StaffordJune 1975 – June 1987
Shepherded the parish through the move from St. Barbara's to the new Holy Family Church dedicated in 1980.
- Fr. Gerard MacAulayJune 1987 –
Assisted by Deacons Herman Lawrence and James Doherty.
- Fr. Larry Kolwalski
Assisted by Deacons Charlie Wade, Herman Lawrence, and Norman Christophe.
- Fr. Leven1994 – June 1998
Retired in June 1998.
- Fr. Robert T. WoodJune 1998 – June 2000
Assisted by Deacons Herman Lawrence, Leo Martinez, and Pete Dulcamara.
- Fr. Philip SeetonJune 2000 – present
Current pastor; succeeded Fr. Wood.