About Saint Joseph · Wewoka, Oklahoma
Saint Joseph Chapel is a small Catholic mission church serving the community of Wewoka, Oklahoma, in Seminole County. It operates as a mission chapel of Saint Benedict Parish in Shawnee and falls under the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Weekly Sunday Mass is celebrated in the Latin (Roman) Rite, and the chapel is located at the corner of West 7th Street and South Seminole Avenue. Because it is a mission rather than a standalone parish, the Catholic faithful of Wewoka are served by priests assigned to the mother parish of Saint Benedict in Shawnee.
- Patron
- Saint Joseph
- Rector
- Reverend Christopher Brashears (as pastor of mother parish Saint Benedict, Shawnee)
- Diocese
- Metropolitan Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
Why belong here
Saint Joseph Chapel offers the people of Wewoka a regular Sunday Mass in the Roman-Latin Rite in an intimate mission setting, with the added benefit of being connected to Saint Benedict Parish in Shawnee for sacraments, faith formation and parish life. Because it is a mission rather than a large parish, it gives Catholics in Seminole County a smaller, familiar place to worship while still belonging to the wider Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Visitors and returning Catholics are warmly welcomed to attend the weekly Sunday liturgy.
Mass times at Saint Joseph
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday before Mass
Saint Joseph Chapel, Wewoka
Saint Joseph is a small Catholic mission chapel serving the city of Wewoka in Seminole County, Oklahoma. It is administered from Saint Benedict Parish in Shawnee and is one of three worship sites that historically shared the same pastor, alongside Immaculate Conception Church in nearby Seminole.
- Type: Mission chapel (not an independent parish)
- Diocese: Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
- Rite: Roman-Latin
- Mother parish: Saint Benedict, Shawnee
History of the Catholic Presence in Wewoka
Catholic life in the Wewoka area goes back to the first Benedictine missionaries in Indian Territory. Father Isidore Robot, O.S.B., and Brother Dominic Lambert arrived in 1875 and, from their base at Sacred Heart Mission in the Potawatomi Nation (established 1877), sent monks out to a network of stations across what is now Seminole County. A 'Wewoka station' is recorded as active from roughly 1877 until about 1890. Sacred Heart Mission itself grew into St. Gregory's Abbey in Shawnee, which supplied priests to this region for generations. Today the local Catholic faithful gather at Saint Joseph Chapel, which continues the missionary tradition under the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City.
- 1875 – French Benedictines Isidore Robot and Dominic Lambert arrive in Indian Territory
- 1877 – Sacred Heart Mission founded in the Potawatomi Nation; becomes the seedbed for Catholic ministry across central Oklahoma
- ca. 1877–ca. 1890 – Wewoka station staffed by Benedictine missionaries
- 1929 – Sacred Heart Mission transferred to St. Gregory's Abbey, Shawnee
- Today – Saint Joseph Chapel continues as a mission of Saint Benedict Parish, Shawnee
Pastoral Care and Clergy
As a mission of Saint Benedict Parish in Shawnee, Saint Joseph Chapel is cared for by the priests assigned to that mother parish. For many years the chapel was under the pastoral care of Father Joseph P. Schwarz, who served Saint Benedict from 2013 and also oversaw Immaculate Conception Church in Seminole. He was succeeded as pastor of Saint Benedict by Very Rev. Christopher Brashears, with Father Benjamin Bandanadam serving as associate pastor; Saint Joseph Chapel continues as one of their mission churches.
- Rev. Christopher Brashears – Pastor, Saint Benedict Parish, Shawnee (current pastor of record for the mission)
- Rev. Benjamin Bandanadam – Associate Pastor, Saint Benedict Parish, Shawnee
- Rev. Joseph P. Schwarz – Immediate past pastor of Saint Benedict, Shawnee
Location and Visiting
The chapel is located in Wewoka, the county seat of Seminole County, at the intersection of West 7th Street and South Seminole Avenue. It sits roughly two blocks west of US-270 Business / OK-56, making it easy to find from the main routes through town. Parishioners visiting for Sunday Mass are asked to use the on-site parking at the corner.
- Address: W 7th St. & S Seminole Ave., Wewoka, OK 74884
- Two blocks west of US-270 Business / OK-56
- Phone (parish office at Saint Benedict, Shawnee): (405) 382-3602
Belonging to the Wider Archdiocese
Wewoka's Catholics belong to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and, through Saint Benedict Parish, are linked to the wider sacramental and faith-formation life of the archdiocese. Larger liturgies, feast-day celebrations, and formation programs are typically available at the mother parish in Shawnee, about 28 miles to the northwest.
- Archdiocese: Metropolitan Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
- Mother parish: Saint Benedict, Shawnee
- Sister mission: Immaculate Conception, Seminole
- Nearby Catholic sites: St. Gregory's Abbey, Shawnee; Church of St. Joseph, Ada; Church of St. Stephen, Holdenville
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Joseph P. Schwarz2013–2024 (approx.)
Pastor of Saint Benedict Parish, Shawnee, with Saint Joseph Chapel, Wewoka, and Immaculate Conception, Seminole, as his mission churches; reassigned out of Shawnee.
- Rev. Christopher Brashears2024–present (approx.)
Succeeded Father Schwarz as pastor of Saint Benedict, Shawnee; Saint Joseph Chapel, Wewoka, continues as a mission under his care.