About Saint Cornelius · Cherokee, Oklahoma
Saint Cornelius Catholic Church is a Roman-Latin rite mission parish in the small town of Cherokee, Oklahoma (Alfalfa County), serving the Catholic faithful of this rural northwestern Oklahoma community. It is a mission of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in nearby Alva, sharing pastoral staff and resources with that parish and with Our Mother of Mercy Church in Waynoka. The current church building was constructed in 1928 in the Romanesque style, distinguished among the historic churches of Cherokee by its buff-brick walls, large arched entry, and short tower. All three mission communities fall under the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.
- Established
- 1928
- Patron
- Saint Cornelius (Pope Cornelius)
- Rector
- Reverend Rajesh Mankena
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
Why belong here
Saint Cornelius offers a faithful, traditional Catholic presence in the small town of Cherokee and the surrounding Alfalfa County countryside. As part of a tri-town Catholic family shared with Sacred Heart in Alva and Our Mother of Mercy in Waynoka, it provides Sunday Mass and confessions close to home for Catholics who would otherwise have to travel significant distances. Visitors are welcomed to a historic 1928 buff-brick Romanesque church in a community where each denomination's building still tells the story of early-twentieth-century rural Oklahoma.
Mass times at Saint Cornelius
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 11:15 AM – 11:30 AM (immediately before Mass)
Saint Cornelius Catholic Church
Saint Cornelius Catholic Church is a Roman-Latin rite mission serving the town of Cherokee in Alfalfa County, northwestern Oklahoma. The parish is located at 404 South Massachusetts Avenue in Cherokee (ZIP 73728) and shares its life and ministry with two neighboring mission communities, Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Alva and Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church in Waynoka. All three are served by one pastor as a single pastoral team, under the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.
History
The current church building dates to 1928, built for the small but determined Catholic community in Cherokee. According to National Register of Historic Places documentation compiled for the Cherokee Friends Church, 'Saint Cornelius Catholic Church was built in 1928. Its design is Romanesque, with a large arched entry and a short tower. It is buff brick.' The parish has since been reclassified as a mission within the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, sharing pastoral leadership with Sacred Heart in Alva and Our Mother of Mercy in Waynoka. Today it continues to offer weekly Sunday Mass and confessions for Catholics across rural Alfalfa County.
- 1928 — Saint Cornelius Catholic Church constructed on South Massachusetts Avenue in Cherokee, Oklahoma.
- The parish is administered as a mission of Sacred Heart, Alva, by direction of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.
- 2024 — Rev. Rajesh Mankena appointed pastor effective July 2, 2024, for Sacred Heart Alva, Saint Cornelius Cherokee, and Our Mother of Mercy Waynoka.
Architecture
The 1928 Saint Cornelius Catholic Church is built in the Romanesque Revival style, an architectural choice that sets it apart from the Craftsman-style Cherokee Friends Church next door, the Classical Revival Christian and Methodist churches, and the Late Gothic Nazarene church elsewhere in town. Its buff-brick exterior, large arched entry, and short tower give Cherokee a distinctive Catholic landmark dating to the late 1920s.
- Style: Romanesque Revival.
- Material: buff brick.
- Defining exterior features: large arched entry and short tower.
- Built: 1928.
Clergy and Pastoral Staff
Saint Cornelius is cared for by the pastor assigned to Sacred Heart, Alva — currently Rev. Rajesh Mankena of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. He was appointed effective July 2, 2024 in the Official Pastoral Assignments for 2024 and serves the three linked parishes together.
- Rev. Rajesh Mankena — Pastor (Sacred Heart, Alva / Saint Cornelius, Cherokee / Our Mother of Mercy, Waynoka).
- Rev. Balraj Sagili Jesudas — Prior pastor; subsequently assigned as Parochial Vicar, Church of the Epiphany of the Lord, Oklahoma City.
How to Find and Visit the Parish
Saint Cornelius Catholic Church is located at 404 South Massachusetts Avenue in Cherokee, Oklahoma, in the heart of this small Alfalfa County seat. The parish shares the same mailing address, phone line, and bulletin website with Sacred Heart in Alva — please call (580) 327-0339 for the most current Mass and confession schedule before traveling.
- Address: 404 South Massachusetts Avenue, Cherokee, OK 73728.
- Phone: (580) 327-0339.
- Website (shared bulletin / parish news): http://www.sacredheartalva.org/.
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.
- Social: Sacred Heart Catholic – Alva (Facebook page covers all three mission churches).
Faith Resources and Diocesan Connection
As a mission of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, Saint Cornelius is listed in the diocesan parish finder and benefits from archdiocesan programs (Annual Catholic Appeal, deanery gatherings, faith-formation resources). Weekend bulletins for Saint Cornelius and its sister missions can be found at the shared parish website.
- Archdiocesan parish finder listing for Saint Cornelius Church, Cherokee.
- Shared bulletins and announcements via sacredheartalva.org.
- Archdiocese 2024 Official Pastoral Assignments publicly confirm Saint Cornelius as part of a tri-town pastoral team with Sacred Heart and Our Mother of Mercy.
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Balraj Sagili JesudasPrior to 2024
Listed in older Archdiocese of Oklahoma City Wave 4 parish directory as pastor of Sacred Heart Alva and Saint Cornelius Cherokee.
- Rev. Rajesh Mankena2024–present (effective July 2, 2024)
Appointed pastor of Sacred Heart Alva, Saint Cornelius Cherokee, and Our Mother of Mercy Waynoka in the Official Pastoral Assignments for 2024.