About Holy Name of Jesus · Chickasha, Oklahoma
Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church is a bilingual (English/Spanish) Roman Catholic parish in Chickasha, Oklahoma, serving Grady County and the surrounding area under the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. The parish worships in a striking 1926 brick church designed by architect Harold Gimeno, known for its sixty-foot Gothic bell tower, rose window, red brick with limestone highlights, and ornate marble interior. Holy Name also operates as a regional hub, hosting Sunday Mass celebrated for the nearby mission in Lindsay, a Catholic campus ministry at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) called the Green House, and a parish religious education program for children attending non-Catholic schools.
- Established
- 1898
- Patron
- Holy Name of Jesus
- Rector
- Fr. Mike Wheelahan
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
Why belong here
Holy Name of Jesus is a bilingual parish that welcomes both longtime Chickasha families and Spanish-speaking Catholics across Grady County, offering Sunday Mass in English at 9:00 a.m., Spanish at 11:30 a.m., and a bi-lingual Mass for the Lindsay mission at 4:00 p.m. Parishioners can grow in faith through a structured Religious Education program (Pre-K through Confirmation), a Youth Discipleship track for grades 7–12, an RCIA/Become Catholic process, and the diocesan Safe Environment program. Beyond Sunday worship, the parish cultivates a strong devotional life with daily noon Mass Tuesday–Friday, Saturday confessions, First Friday all-day adoration with Benediction and Mass, and an overnight Night Adoration every second Friday — uncommon gifts for a parish of its size.
Mass times at Holy Name of Jesus
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 5:30–7:30 PM
Adoration times
- First Friday of every month: 8:00 AM – 5:45 PM, followed by Benediction at 5:45 PM and Mass at 6:00 PM
- Second Friday of every month: Night Adoration — Mass at 7:00 PM, Adoration from 8:00 PM to 6:00 AM
Parish History
Holy Name of Jesus traces its origins to 1892, when Catholic railroad workers in the newly founded town of Chickasha were visited monthly by a priest from El Reno. The first frame church was dedicated in 1898, and the current brick church was dedicated on May 2, 1926. The parish's identity is inseparable from the pioneering priest Father Urban de Hasque, who arrived in 1901, cleared the parish debt by 1907, and whose labors shaped the community for generations. The parish grounds also housed St. Joseph's Academy, founded in 1899 by the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia with funds from St. Katherine Drexel.
- Founded 1898 in the Chickasaw Nation as a mission attended by Benedictines
- Father Urban de Hasque, pastor 1901–1912, was the great builder of the parish
- Current brick church dedicated May 2, 1926
- Designed by Harvard-trained architect Harold Gimeno
Worship Schedule
Holy Name offers bilingual Sunday worship — English at 9:00 AM, Spanish at 11:30 AM, and a bi-lingual Mass for the Lindsay mission at 4:00 PM — together with daily noon Mass Tuesday through Friday. Saturday confessions run from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, and the parish maintains an unusually rich Eucharistic adoration schedule.
Parish Staff & Clergy
The parish is led by Pastor Fr. Mike Wheelahan and supported by a parish secretary, Director of Religious Education Rosa Muñoz, Director of Music Linda Spellman, and coordinators for Safe Environment, Altar Servers, and Liturgical Ministers. Earlier bulletins (2017) also reference an Office Manager/Campus Minister and a Facilities Manager.
- Fr. Mike Wheelahan — Pastor
- Mrs. Amy Avila — Secretary
- Rosa Muñoz — Director of Religious Education
- Linda Spellman — Director of Music
- Alyson Kopycinski — Safe Environment Coordinator
- Patty Lopez — Altar Servers Coordinator
- Nancy Nix — Liturgical Ministers Coordinator
Religious Education & Faith Formation
The Parish Religious Education Program provides catechetical instruction for parish children who attend non-Catholic schools, framed by the understanding that parents are the primary teachers of the faith from baptism onward. Programs span Pre-K through 12th grade and culminate in the two-year Confirmation program, which follows the guidelines of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City Office of Religious Education and requires students to be at least 16 years old.
- Pre-K through 5th grade catechesis
- Confirmation — two-year program, minimum age 16
- Youth Discipleship for grades 7–12
- Become Catholic (RCIA)
- Safe Environment program
Campus Ministry — The Green House
The Green House is the Catholic Campus Center for the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO), located in Chickasha. It offers USAO students a welcoming place to express their faith, ask questions, and discern their vocation through worship, prayer, the sacraments, retreats, spiritual direction, social justice opportunities, and faith-sharing groups. Its motto is to give students a place to Believe, to Belong, and to Become.
- Worship and prayer
- Retreats and spiritual direction
- Social justice and faith-sharing groups
- Sacramental life for students
Sacraments
Parish membership for at least six months is required before any sacrament may be celebrated. Baptism requires preparation classes for parents and godparents (held on the last Saturday of the month). Marriage requires contacting the pastor at least six months before the wedding. First Eucharist, First Penance, and Confirmation are scheduled through the Religious Education program.
- Baptism — preparation classes last Saturday of the month
- First Eucharist & First Penance — through Religious Education
- Confirmation — two-year program, age 16+
- Marriage — six months' notice to pastor
- Penance — Saturdays 5:30–7:30 PM
Parish Life & Organizations
Parishioners are invited into a network of councils, ministries, and devotional organizations. Court St. Teresa Catholic Daughters of Holy Name offers scholarships to parish women, while the Parish Council coordinates the apostolic and community life of the parish. The parish also actively supports the Archdiocese's Annual Catholic Appeal and provides a Formed digital subscription for ongoing faith formation.
- Court St. Teresa Catholic Daughters of Holy Name
- Parish Council
- Annual Catholic Appeal
- Formed digital faith platform
Visit, Contact & Facilities
The parish office is located at 210 South 7th Street in Chickasha, Oklahoma, and is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The parish also lists rental facilities as part of its community ministry, and a 'Give Online' link is available for stewardship.
- Address: 210 South 7th Street, Chickasha, OK 73018
- Phone: (405) 224-6068
- Email: [email protected]
- Office Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
- On-site parking (directions provided on the parish website)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Germanus (of El Reno)1890s
Traveled once a month from El Reno to celebrate Mass for Catholic railroad workers in the newly founded town of Chickasha.
- Father Joseph Van Hulse1890s
First resident pastor; one of three Van Hulse brothers who ministered in Oklahoma. Celebrated Mass in parishioners' homes and later in the second floor of the Fitzpatrick building.
- Father Francis Halllate 1890s
Newly ordained when assigned to build a church; remembered as the priest robbed by the Jennings Gang while riding the Rock Island line.
- Father Urban Alphonse de Hasque1901–1912
Belgian-born (Antwerp, 1875) missionary who relocated the frame church to the current property, secured the school-block land, doubled the church, built the rectory, eliminated parish debt by 1907, and published the first parochial bulletin in the diocese in 1905. Resigned at Bishop Meerschaert's request to become Chancellor of the diocese.
- Monsignor John Heiring
Later builder of Holy Family Cathedral in Tulsa.
- Monsignor Gavin Monaghan
Superintendent of Catholic schools.
- Rev. Vara Prasad2017
Pastor as of February 2017 bulletin.
- Fr. Mike Wheelahancurrent
Current pastor; listed in bulletins from at least December 2019 onward.