About Saint Gregory Abbey · Shawnee, Oklahoma
St. Gregory's Abbey is a Roman Catholic Benedictine monastery in Shawnee, Oklahoma, home to a community of 16 monks who live under the Rule of St. Benedict. Founded in 1876 as Sacred Heart Abbey among the Citizen Band Potawatomi in Indian Territory, the monks relocated to Shawnee in 1929 and adopted their current name when they joined the American-Cassinese Congregation. The Abbey continues its mission of contemplative prayer, the daily Liturgy of the Hours, the Eucharist, and pastoral service at parishes around Oklahoma; it also ran St. Gregory's University, the oldest institution of higher learning in Oklahoma, until its closure in 2017.
- Established
- 1876
- Patron
- St. Gregory the Great
- Rector
- Rt. Rev. Lawrence Stasyszen, O.S.B. (Abbot)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
Why belong here
St. Gregory's Abbey is a working Benedictine monastery where the monastic round of prayer shapes every day: Vigils at 5:30 a.m., Lauds, daily Eucharist, the mid-day Hour prayers, Vespers and Compline are all open to the public, and Sunday Mass is celebrated in the Abbey Church at 10:00 a.m. Several monks assist with weekend Masses at parishes across Oklahoma, extending the community's pastoral reach beyond the monastery walls. The Abbey also welcomes visitors for retreats at Mark Braun Hall and offers livestreams of solemnities, Choral Vespers and First Friday Adoration, making it a place of Benedictine hospitality and stability in the heart of Oklahoma.
Mass times at Saint Gregory Abbey
Weekly Mass schedule
Adoration times
- First Friday of each month — Adoration and Benediction at 6:45 p.m.
- First Thursday of each month — Adoration 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. (per CatholicMassTime listing)
Who We Are — Benedictine Monks in Shawnee
St. Gregory's Abbey is a Roman Catholic Benedictine community of men who seek God together through a life inspired by the monastic ideal of the Rule of St. Benedict. There are currently 16 members of the community, most of whom reside at the monastery in Shawnee, while several assist with weekend Masses at parishes around Oklahoma.
- Core Values: Reverence, Heritage and Home, Common Life, Witness, Simplicity of Life, Hospitality and Service, Work and Commitment
- Member of the American-Cassinese Benedictine Congregation
- Located within the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
Our History
The community traces its roots to October 1875, when Fr. Isidore Robot, O.S.B. and Br. Dominic Lambert, O.S.B., monks of the French monastery of Notre Dame de la Pierre-qui-Vire, entered Indian Territory at the suggestion of the Bishop of Little Rock, Arkansas. They settled with the Citizen Band Potawatomi and, in 1876, established Sacred Heart Abbey near present-day Konawa, Oklahoma. After a devastating 1901 fire, the monks accepted an invitation to build a new school and monastery in Shawnee; the monastic community was formally transferred there in 1929 and the name changed to St. Gregory's Abbey, joining the American-Cassinese Congregation.
- 1875 — Pioneer monks arrive in Indian Territory
- 1876 — Sacred Heart Abbey founded near Konawa with the Potawatomi
- 1877 — Sacred Heart College established for Native American and settler children
- 1901 — Fire destroys Sacred Heart Mission; community dispersed
- 1910s — Catholic University of Oklahoma / St. Gregory's High School and College opens in Shawnee
- 1929 — Community formally moves to Shawnee; renamed St. Gregory's Abbey
- 1975 — Abbey and former college grounds listed on the National Register of Historic Places
- 2017 — St. Gregory's University closes at the end of the fall semester
- June 2024 — Campus returned to the Abbey from Oklahoma Baptist University
The Founders — Sacred Heart Mission and Fr. Isidore Robot
The Abbey's founder, Rev. Isidore Robot, O.S.B., was named Abbot honoris causa and the first Prefect Apostolic of the Indian Territory, and in many ways can be considered the founder of the Catholic Church in present-day Oklahoma. He is buried in the cemetery at Sacred Heart Mission near Konawa. The original mission site, located about 30 miles south of the current Abbey, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places and remains open to visitors during daylight hours, with surviving 1880s buildings, monastery and school foundations, and two cemeteries.
- Two cemeteries at Sacred Heart: founding monks and the Sisters of Mercy of St. Mary's Academy
- Buildings from the 1880s still grace the property
- Site maintained today by the neighboring rural parish of Sacred Heart
Meet the Monks
The community is led by an Abbot, Prior and Subprior, with ordained priests and brothers serving in a variety of monastic and pastoral assignments.
- Rt. Rev. Lawrence Stasyszen, O.S.B. — Abbot
- Very Rev. Simeon Spitz, O.S.B. — Prior
- Fr. Peter Shults, O.S.B. — Subprior
- Fr. Charles Buckley, O.S.B.
- Fr. Brendan Helbing, O.S.B.
- Fr. Martin Lugo, O.S.B.
- Fr. Manuel Magallanes, O.S.B.
- Fr. Adrian Vorderlandwehr, O.S.B.
- Fr. Paul Zahler, O.S.B.
- Br. Joseph Romo De la Torre, O.S.B.
- Br. Benet Exton, O.S.B.
- Br. George Hubl, O.S.B.
- Br. Isidore Harden, O.S.B.
- Br. John Michael Nguyen, O.S.B.
- Br. Dominic Ramirez, O.S.B.
- Br. Damian Whalen, O.S.B.
Devotions
The First Friday of each month is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with Adoration and Benediction at 6:45 p.m. The Abbey also livestreams major solemnities and seasons, including the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption, All Saints, Ash Wednesday, Holy Thursday, Tenebrae, Good Friday, the Easter Vigil, Christmas Midnight Mass and the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.
- First Friday Adoration and Benediction — 6:45 p.m.
- Livestreamed Choral Vespers (e.g., February 1, 2026 with the Choir of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral, Oklahoma City)
- Seasonal liturgies for Advent, Christmas, Lent, Triduum and Easter
The Abbey and Its Buildings
The Abbey sits within a historic campus in Pottawatomie County listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in education, architecture and religion. The current Monastery building was dedicated in 1950, has four floors and houses the personal and common rooms of the monks, the infirmary and the library; its general contractor was one of the monks, Fr. John Bloms, O.S.B. The main former-university building, Benedictine Hall, still stands, and other former campus buildings have been returned to the Abbey's care.
- 1900 W. MacArthur St., Shawnee, OK 74804
- Monastery (1950) — monks' residence, infirmary, library
- Benedictine Hall and other former St. Gregory's University buildings
- Conference Center and Mark Braun Hall — used for retreats
Retreats and Visits
The Abbey welcomes lay men and women for retreats hosted at Mark Braun Hall and the Conference Center. A typical retreat schedule includes check-in, supper, an opening talk, the monastic hours prayed in the Abbey Church (Vespers and Compline), continental breakfast, morning and closing talks, midday reflection activities and Sunday Mass. Choral Vespers and other special liturgies are open to the wider public.
- Retreat housing in Mark Braun Hall
- Liturgy of the Hours attended with the monks
- Public Choral Vespers with reception in the Conference Center
- Daytime visits to Sacred Heart Mission near Konawa (call 405-878-5491 for directions)
Legacy of Catholic Education
From its earliest days the community's apostolate has been education: first Sacred Heart College (1877) for Native American and white settler children at the mission, then St. Gregory's High School and College / the Catholic University of Oklahoma in Shawnee, which became St. Gregory's College in 1922 and St. Gregory's University in 1997 — the oldest institution of higher learning in Oklahoma. After financial difficulties the University closed at the end of the 2017 semester; Oklahoma Baptist University used the campus as its Green Campus before returning it to the Benedictines in June 2024.
- Sacred Heart College, 1877 – c. 1901 (Konawa)
- Catholic University of Oklahoma / St. Gregory's High School and College, opened 1915 (Shawnee)
- Renamed St. Gregory's College, 1922
- Renamed St. Gregory's University, 1997
- University closure, end of fall 2017 semester
- Campus returned to the Abbey from OBU, June 2024
Contact and Visiting
The Abbey office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., closed for lunch from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. Visitors are invited to join the monks for any of the daily Liturgy of the Hours or for Sunday Mass at 10:00 a.m. in the Abbey Church.
- Address: 1900 West MacArthur Street, Shawnee, OK 74804-2499
- Phone: (405) 878-5491
- Office Hours: Mon–Fri 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (closed 12:00–1:00 p.m.)
- Website: https://monksok.org
- Facebook: facebook.com/monksok
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Isidore Robot, O.S.B.1876–
Founder; named Abbot honoris causa and first Prefect Apostolic of the Indian Territory; often called the founder of the Catholic Church in present-day Oklahoma. Buried at Sacred Heart Mission cemetery near Konawa.