About Saint Mary Assumption · Wakita, Oklahoma
St. Mary Assumption is a small Roman Catholic mission church in the rural community of Wakita, in Grant County, Oklahoma. It is classified as a mission of the parish of St. Mary in nearby Medford and falls under the care of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. The mission was established in 1947 by Father Urban de Hasque and was dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Bishop Eugene J. McGuinness on May 30, 1948. Sunday Mass is celebrated at 11:00 AM, with confessions heard immediately beforehand. The parish's patroness is the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of the Assumption.
- Established
- 1947
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary (under the title of her Assumption)
- Rector
- Rev. Joseph Nettem
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
Why belong here
St. Mary Assumption offers the small Wakita-area Catholic community a regular Sunday Mass and the sacrament of Confession right in their own town, supported by the larger parish of St. Mary, Medford. Parishioners can take part in long-standing parish societies like St. Ann's Altar Society, and the mission shares its pastor with two other rural parishes in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, giving it a wider community of support. For Catholics living in or passing through Grant County, it is a welcoming country mission with deep roots in Oklahoma's Catholic pioneer history.
Mass times at Saint Mary Assumption
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 10:30 AM – 10:55 AM (before Mass)
History of St. Mary Assumption, Wakita
St. Mary's Assumption mission was established in 1947 by Father Urban de Hasque, then pastor of SS. Peter and Paul Church in Manchester, Oklahoma. He purchased and remodeled the church and parish hall buildings, and on May 30, 1948, Bishop Eugene J. McGuinness of the Diocese of Oklahoma City and Tulsa formally dedicated the church to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The parish grew quickly enough to support both a men's organization — the Catholic Order of Foresters Court No. 1825 — and a women's organization, St. Ann's Altar Society, founded in the parish's first year. Father Vytautas Zakarevicius succeeded to the care of St. Mary's Wakita in 1952 and had previously been a resident pastor in Manchester.
- 1947 — Mission established by Father Urban de Hasque from SS. Peter and Paul, Manchester.
- May 30, 1948 — Church dedicated by Bishop Eugene J. McGuinness to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
- 1947 — St. Ann's Altar Society founded; Delores Schmitz served as its first president.
- 1952 — Father Vytautas Zakarevicius assumes care of St. Mary's, Wakita.
Parish Organizations
Two long-standing organizations anchor parish life. The Catholic Order of Foresters Court No. 1825, originally started at Clyde, is the parish men's organization. St. Ann's Altar Society, founded in Wakita in 1947, serves as the women's organization. These societies have been part of the mission since its earliest years.
- Catholic Order of Foresters Court No. 1825 (men)
- St. Ann's Altar Society (women, founded 1947)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Urban de Hasque1947–c.1950
Founder of the Wakita mission; then pastor of SS. Peter and Paul, Manchester. Purchased and remodeled the church and parish hall; the church was dedicated by Bishop Eugene J. McGuinness on May 30, 1948.
- Father Vytautas Zakarevicius1952–
Succeeded to the care of St. Mary's, Wakita; previously served as a resident pastor at Manchester (1950–1953).