About Holy Rosary · Hartshorne, Oklahoma
Holy Rosary Parish is a small Catholic community in Hartshorne, a former coal-mining town in Pittsburg County, eastern Oklahoma. The parish belongs to the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma and is currently pastored by Rev. Leonardo Medina, who also serves Sacred Heart Mission in Heavener. Worship is offered in both English and Spanish, with weekly Sunday Mass in English and Saturday evening Mass in Spanish, plus a Spanish Mass on Thursday evenings. Though only about 35 households remain active today, Holy Rosary occupies an outsized place in the history of the Catholic Church in Oklahoma, having been the first parish assigned to the persecuted Carmelite fathers who fled Mexico in the early 20th century.
- Established
- 1895
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Holy Rosary (Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Leonardo Medina
- Diocese
- Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma
Why belong here
Holy Rosary offers a tight-knit, bilingual Catholic community in a rural corner of eastern Oklahoma where active Catholic parishes are few. Worshippers can take part in weekly Mass in either English (Sunday 9:00 AM, Tuesday 6:00 PM, Wednesday and Friday 9:00 AM) or Spanish (Saturday 7:00 PM and Thursday 7:00 PM), receive Confession before Sunday Mass, and join First Friday Eucharistic Adoration. Even though the active flock numbers around 35 households, the parish remains a living link to the immigrant mining families who shaped Hartshorne more than a century ago — and a place where visitors are warmly welcomed.
Mass times at Holy Rosary
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 8:30 AM (or by request)
Adoration times
- First Friday 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM
History of Holy Rosary Parish
Established in 1895 by the (then) Catholic Diocese of Oklahoma, Holy Rosary grew out of the same wave of European immigrants — Italian, Irish, Polish, Lithuanian, and others — who came to eastern Oklahoma to mine coal. The first Mass in Hartshorne is attributed to Father Isidore Robot around 1890, while the church itself was formally dedicated as a wooden-frame structure in 1895. By the eve of the Carmelite takeover in 1916, the parish counted more than 500 members. Fire twice tested the community — in 1917 and again in 1948 — but each time a new church rose in its place. The present building was dedicated in 1949 and remodeled in 1995.
- Founded 1895; first resident pastor Father John Schaaf arrived 1898
- Carmelites assumed pastoral care in 1916
- Diocese of Tulsa took direct responsibility in 1973
- Active households today: about 35
Carmelite Heritage
The Discalced Carmelites — recent exiles from religious persecution in Mexico — were assigned to Holy Rosary in 1916, making it the first parish entrusted to their care in Oklahoma. They quickly stamped the parish's identity on the wider Church by publishing 'The Catholic Home' and 'The Little Flower' from Hartshorne. They also opened a Carmelite preparatory seminary in Hartshorne in 1935. Father Bernard Brotons, who led the rebuilding after the devastating 1917 fire, became a beloved figure in the parish's memory. The Carmelites remained until 1973.
- Father Bernard Brotons led 1917 rebuilding
- Publishers of 'The Catholic Home' and 'The Little Flower'
- Carmelite preparatory seminary, 1935
Clergy & Staff
Holy Rosary is currently pastored by Rev. Leonardo Medina (ordained June 15, 2007), who also serves Sacred Heart Mission in Heavener as a canonical dependency. Religious education for the parish is coordinated by Marianne Akins. Holy Rosary sits in the Southern Vicariate of the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma.
- Rev. Leonardo Medina — Pastor
- Marianne Akins — Religious Education
- Parish belongs to the Southern Vicariate
Mass & Worship Schedule
The parish offers Mass in both English and Spanish each week, giving Hartshorne's bilingual community access to the Eucharist throughout the week. Mass times below are published on the Diocese of Tulsa parish finder and on discovermass.com.
- Saturday 7:00 PM — Spanish
- Sunday 9:00 AM — English
- Tuesday 6:00 PM — English
- Wednesday 9:00 AM — English
- Thursday 9:00 AM — English
- Thursday 7:00 PM — Spanish
- Friday 9:00 AM — English
Sacramental Life
Beyond Mass, Holy Rosary offers the Sacrament of Reconciliation before Sunday Mass and by appointment, as well as a generous block of Eucharistic Adoration on First Fridays. Confession is the published diocesan listing.
- Confession: Sunday 8:30 AM, or by request
- Eucharistic Adoration: First Friday, 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM
Religious Education & Ministry
Given its small size, Holy Rosary's ministry life is intentionally close-knit. Religious education for children and youth is organized locally with the help of Marianne Akins. Bilingual parish life is one of the parish's defining features, with a Spanish-language Mass offered on Saturday evenings and Thursday evenings for Hartshorne's Hispanic Catholic community.
- Religious Education (coordinator Marianne Akins)
- Bilingual (English/Spanish) weekly Mass schedule
- First-Friday Adoration gatherings
Visit & Contact
Parishioners and visitors are warmly welcomed. The parish office can be reached at the number below, and mail can be sent to the parish's PO Box. Holy Rosary's central place in Oklahoma Catholic history is documented in the Diocese of Tulsa parish finder and in Marquette University's Native Guide to Catholic Records.
- Address: 912 Cherokee Avenue, Hartshorne, OK 74547
- Mailing: PO Box 389, Hartshorne, OK 74547
- Phone: (918) 308-3312
- Email: [email protected]
- Directions: From US-270, take 10th Street north to Cherokee Avenue
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Isidore Robotcirca 1890 (celebrated Mass as mission of McAlester)
First known priest to celebrate Mass in Hartshorne, before the parish was formally established.
- Father John Schaaf1898–1908
First resident pastor; built the rectory, school, convent, and six low-rent homes for poor families.
- Father John Davlin1908–1916
Succeeded Father Schaaf; served until the Carmelites took possession of the parish in 1916.
- Father Bernard Brotons (Carmelite)from 1916
Led rebuilding after the 1917 fire; the new church and convent were dedicated June 13, 1918. Discalced Carmelites staffed the parish until 1973.