About Saint Barbara Catholic Community (Grieson Chapel) · Lawton, Oklahoma
Saint Barbara Catholic Community worships at Grierson Hill Chapel on Fort Sill, a U.S. Army installation in Lawton, Oklahoma that is home to the Field Artillery School and is known as the home of American artillery. The Catholic community is named for Saint Barbara, the patron saint of artillerymen, military engineers, and miners — a fitting patron for a post whose primary mission is training artillery Soldiers. Mass is offered six days a week in the chapel at 3280 Crane Avenue, and the parish is served by Catholic priest-chaplains who minister to active-duty Soldiers, families, retirees, and DA civilians authorized to worship on the installation.
- Patron
- Saint Barbara (patroness of artillerymen, military engineers, and miners)
- Rector
- Chaplain (Maj.) Jerry Sherbourne, Catholic priest for the 434th Field Artillery Brigade and Garrison (as of the December 2018 reopening); the current senior Catholic chaplain of the garrison is Father Felix Kumai
- Diocese
- Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (serviced in coordination with the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City)
Why belong here
Saint Barbara Catholic Community at Grierson Hill Chapel is the historic post chapel where Fort Sill's Catholic Soldiers, families, and retirees gather for daily Mass, weekly confession, and the sacraments. Worship here means joining a congregation that prays together for the men and women who train and serve in America's artillery and air defense branches, sharing a special patroness in Saint Barbara herself — whose statue stands on post and whose feast day is celebrated in a base-wide artillery tradition. The chapel is one of Fort Sill's historic sanctuaries (renovated and reopened in 2018), and chaplain-priests offer spiritual counseling, marriage and family support, and the full sacramental life of the Church in the unique context of a military community.
Mass times at Saint Barbara Catholic Community (Grieson Chapel)
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM (first Saturday of the month)
- By appointment, or 30 minutes prior to any Mass
Saint Barbara Catholic Community at Grierson Hill Chapel
Saint Barbara Catholic Community is the Catholic worshiping community on Fort Sill, Oklahoma, centered at Grierson Hill Chapel (GHC) — one of the historic post sanctuaries that give name to the Army's 'Chapel Hill' area. The community takes its name from Saint Barbara, an early-Christian virgin martyr and one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers who is venerated as the patroness of artillerymen, military engineers, and miners. Because Fort Sill is the home of the U.S. Army Fires Center of Excellence and the Field Artillery School, Saint Barbara's patronage has a particular resonance here, and her image appears across the installation — most visibly in the 7-foot bronze statue that overlooks the 18th hole of the Fort Sill Golf Course.
- Grierson Hill Chapel (GHC), 3280 Crane Avenue, Fort Sill, OK 73503
- Phone: (580) 442-5001
- Under the Religious Support Office (RSO) of Fort Sill
- Served by the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA
History of the Chapel and the Catholic Community
Grierson Hill Chapel is one of Fort Sill's historic sanctuaries and has long served the installation's Catholic community. After prior budget reductions forced the chapel to close, the Catholic congregation shared worship space with basic trainees at Cache Creek Chapel for nearly two years. The closure ended on December 2, 2018 — the First Sunday of Advent — when the chapel reopened to a packed congregation with a full Mass celebrated by the 434th Field Artillery Brigade's Garrison Catholic priest, Chaplain (Maj.) Jerry Sherbourne, followed by the public recognition of three leaders whose work made the reopening possible.
- Reopened December 2, 2018 after nearly two years of closure
- Renovation led by Chaplain (Col.) Jimmy Nichols, Chaplain (Maj.) Craig Ludwig, and Staff Sgt. Elijah Deloach
- Renovation included $42,000 in new pews and modesty rails and over $26,000 in theater-grade curtains
- 7-foot bronze Saint Barbara statue unveiled May 2, 2016 by sculptor Mari Bolen, voted on by 30,000 Soldiers
- Annual Saint Barbara's Day celebration and Artillery Ball, with senior leaders retrieving the 'base charge' from Blockhouse Signal Mountain
Clergy and Chaplaincy
The Catholic community is served by active-duty and assigned Catholic priest-chaplains who minister to Soldiers, families, retirees, and DA civilians. The Garrison Catholic chaplaincy works as part of the broader Religious Support Office (RSO) on Fort Sill, alongside Protestant, Gospel, Jewish, and other faith-group chaplains serving the post. Chaplains provide confidential spiritual, marriage, and family counseling, with an on-call duty chaplain available after hours through the Installation Operations Center.
- Father Felix Kumai — Senior Catholic Chaplain
- Father Killian Muli — Associate Catholic Chaplain
- Father Azubuike Igwegbe — Associate Catholic Chaplain
- Chaplain (Maj.) Jerry Sherbourne — 434th FABrigade Catholic priest
- Chaplain (Maj.) James O'Neal — Catholic Garrison Chaplain (earlier tenure)
- Chaplain (Col.) Jimmy Nichols — Installation Chaplain
- Chaplain (Maj.) Craig Ludwig — Garrison chaplain resource manager
- Religious Support Operations Center: 520-714-9472 (office hours)
- On-call duty chaplain after hours: (580) 442-2101 / (580) 442-2102
Religious Education and Faith Formation
Catholic faith formation on Fort Sill is coordinated through the Director of Religious Education (DRE) and runs throughout the regular school year, typically September through May. Classes meet on Wednesday evenings with a light dinner and childcare provided, and volunteers are always welcome. REConnect is the garrison's flagship formation program.
- Catholic Religious Education — Wednesday evenings during the school year
- Catholic Youth Group — Wednesday evenings
- Protestant Adult Classes — concurrent
- DRE contact: Cindy Cline at (580) 442-1875; Rachel Johnson at (580) 442-1883
- Parish coordinator — Chaplain (CPT) Iheke at (580) 442-5967
REConnect — Intentional Spiritual Community
REConnect is an intentional community-building program run out of Frontier Chapel that brings together the garrison's faith communities around spiritual development. In an interfaith setting, it pursues three goals: faith formation, relationship building, and leadership development. The program meets a real need identified in garrison surveys, where many service members said they did not know who their chaplains were.
Family Life and Marriage Ministry
The Family Life Chaplain offers confidential counseling, intervention, and the Marriage 101 program to Soldiers, DA Civilians, retirees, and their families. A library of family and marriage resources is available, and the chapel partners with Army Family Advocacy and Strong Bonds programs to strengthen military marriages.
- Family Life counseling at (580) 483-5197 — Chaplain (MAJ) DiTolla at (580) 442-5003
- Marriage 101 program
- Strong Bonds marriage-retreat program
- Library of family and marriage resources
Men's, Women's, and Young-Adult Groups
Several smaller communities meet under the Religious Support Office umbrella for prayer, formation, and fellowship. These include a men's group that gathers monthly, Protestant women's programs, and Catholic young-adult ministry that chaplain-priests say is thriving on the installation.
- Conquerors for Christ Men's Group — every 3rd Saturday, 9:00 AM at Frontier Chapel Center
- Sisters Abiding in Christ — women's fellowship
- PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel)
- CWOC (Catholic Women of the Chapel) — First Friday program
Sacraments and Sacramental Preparation
The Catholic chaplain-priests at Grierson Hill Chapel celebrate the full sacramental life of the Church for those authorized to worship on the installation. Beyond the weekly Mass and confession schedule, baptism, first Communion, confirmation, marriage, and anointing of the sick are all available by request through the Religious Support Office.
- Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, and Marriage preparation
- Anointing of the Sick
- Spiritual direction and sacramental catechesis
- Confidential sacramental and pastoral counseling
Visiting Fort Sill and the Chapel
Because the chapel is located inside the gates of Fort Sill, worship at Grierson Hill Chapel is normally open to anyone with a valid DoD ID card — including active-duty service members, family members, retirees, and DA civilians. Veterans and others in the Lawton community sometimes prefer on-base Mass, and chaplains can help arrange that. The chapel itself can be reached at (580) 442-5001; after hours, the on-call duty chaplain is reached through the Installation Operations Center.
- Frontier Chapel Center (FCC): 4121 Thomas Road, (580) 442-2701
- New Post Chapel (NPC): 1005 Shade Avenue, (580) 442-3319
- Old Post Chapel (OPC): 425 Hamilton Road
- Cache Creek Chapel (CCC): 6043 Rothwell Street, (580) 442-3308
- Grierson Hill Chapel: 3280 Crane Avenue, (580) 442-5001
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Chaplain (Maj.) James O'Neal
Catholic Garrison Chaplain; fourth-generation Fort Sill family member; ordained a Catholic priest in 1980.
- Chaplain (Maj.) Jerry Sherbourne2018–
Celebrated the reopening Mass at Grierson Hill Chapel on December 2, 2018.