About St. Barbara's Catholic Military Community - Grierson Hill Chapel · Fort Sill, Oklahoma
St. Barbara's Catholic Military Community — Grierson Hill Chapel is a Roman Catholic military parish located at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, the home of the U.S. Army's Field Artillery. The chapel is part of the U.S. Army Garrison's Religious Support Office and, as a Catholic military community, falls under the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (while geographically within the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City). It is named for Saint Barbara, the patron saint of artillerymen, and serves soldiers, families, and civilian employees of the Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill community. Worship is centered on Sunday Mass at 10:00 AM and weekday Mass at 11:45 AM, with the Sacrament of Reconciliation offered on Saturdays.
- Patron
- Saint Barbara, virgin martyr and patron saint of artillerymen, military engineers, and miners; traditionally counted among the Fourteen Holy Helpers.
- Rector
- Senior Catholic Chaplain: Father Felix Kumai (per Archdiocese of Oklahoma City feature)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA (geographically within the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City)
Why belong here
St. Barbara's is the gathering place for Catholics on one of the U.S. Army's most historic installations — home of the Field Artillery and honored under the patronage of Saint Barbara. It offers the regular rhythm of a traditional military parish: Sunday Mass, weekday Mass, Saturday confessions, and ongoing faith formation through CCD and RCIA. Active-duty soldiers, retirees, families, and DOD civilians are warmly welcomed, with chaplain support, devotions such as the Perpetual Help Novena, and ministry to isolated IET (Initial Entry Training) soldiers at the basic training units on post.
Mass times at St. Barbara's Catholic Military Community - Grierson Hill Chapel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:45 PM – 5:15 PM
- Saturday 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM (1st Saturday of the month, per Catholic Church Times listing)
- Sunday 7:00 AM (Quarry Hill Chapel — IET soldiers only)
- By appointment or 30 minutes prior to any Mass
Saint Barbara — Patron of Artillery
The parish takes its name from Saint Barbara, an early Christian virgin martyr venerated from the seventh century and traditionally counted among the Fourteen Holy Helpers. Because early artillerymen faced backfires, muzzle bursts, and exploding weapons, Saint Barbara became the patroness of artillerymen, military engineers, and miners. The earliest documented association of artillery with Saint Barbara is a Papal Ordinance to Florence in 1429; the French formally recognized her patronage of artillery in 1417. Saint Barbara's feast day falls on December 4.
- Patronage: artillerymen, military engineers, miners
- Feast Day: December 4
- Status: formerly in the General Roman Calendar; removed by Pope Paul VI in 1969 along with 30 other saints (subsequently listed among the Fourteen Holy Helpers)
Saint Barbara's Tradition at Fort Sill
Major General Thomas E. de Shazo, Commanding General of the Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, is credited with reviving Saint Barbara's tradition at the post. In 1956 he directed the first observance of the Feast of Saint Barbara at Fort Sill, and in 1958 he had an official image of Saint Barbara crafted into a stained-glass window and installed in the Old Post Chapel. In 1974 Major General David E. Ott created the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara to extend eligibility beyond Fort Sill, an award now administered by the U.S. Field Artillery Association for outstanding contributions to the Field Artillery.
- 1956 — first Feast of Saint Barbara observance at Fort Sill
- 1958 — Saint Barbara stained-glass window installed in Old Post Chapel
- Honorable Order of Saint Barbara — created 1974; administered by the U.S. Field Artillery Association
Grierson Hill Chapel — Building & Reopening
Grierson Hill Chapel (GHC) sits at 3280 Crane Avenue on Fort Sill, directly across Crane Road from Goldner Gymnasium near Sheridan Theater and the Fort Sill Education Center. After nearly two years in closure caused by previous-era budget cuts, the chapel reopened on Sunday, December 2, 2018 — the First Sunday of Advent — to a packed congregation. The reopening Mass was celebrated by then-434th Field Artillery Brigade Catholic priest Chaplain (Maj.) Jerry Sherbourne, followed by recognition of the leaders instrumental in the chapel's renovation. Since reopening, GHC has resumed its role as the principal Catholic worship site on post.
- Named for Brigadier General Benjamin H. Grierson (founder of the 10th Cavalry 'Buffalo Soldiers')
- Reopened December 2, 2018 after ~2-year closure
- Hosts Sunday Mass, weekday Mass, Korean Mass, Perpetual Help Devotion, and confessions
Clergy & Chaplains
Catholic ministry at Fort Sill is provided through the Religious Support Office (RSOC) at (580) 442-3302, with a team of Catholic chaplains serving active-duty service members, families, retirees, and DOD civilians. As of an Archdiocese of Oklahoma City feature, the chaplaincy team at Fort Sill included Senior Catholic Chaplain Father Felix Kumai and Associate Catholic Chaplains Father Killian Muli and Father Azubuike Igwegbe. Previous garrison Catholic chaplains have included Chaplain (Maj.) Jerry Sherbourne and Chaplain (Maj.) James Elliott O'Neal, the latter being a fourth-generation Fort Sill service member.
- Father Felix Kumai — Senior Catholic Chaplain
- Father Killian Muli — Associate Catholic Chaplain
- Father Azubuike Igwegbe — Associate Catholic Chaplain
- Religious Support Office — (580) 442-3302
Faith Formation & Devotions
Alongside the regular Mass schedule, the chapel hosts ongoing formation and devotional life for soldiers and families. RCIA meets Tuesday evenings at Frontier Chapel; CCD meets Wednesday evenings. The Perpetual Help Devotion gathers Monday evenings at Grierson Hill Chapel at 6:00 PM. Catholic Spiritual Fitness sessions are scheduled for IET soldiers on Sundays, and the Military Council of Catholic Women meets the first Friday of the month. A Korean-language Mass is celebrated the third Saturday of the month to serve the Korean Catholic community on post.
- RCIA — Tuesdays 7:00 PM (Frontier Chapel)
- CCD — Wednesdays 6:00 PM (Frontier Chapel)
- Perpetual Help Devotion — Mondays 6:00 PM (GHC)
- Catholic Spiritual Fitness — Sunday 9:00 AM (1-78th FA, Classroom 1)
Other Catholic Worship Sites on Fort Sill
Catholic worship and formation at Fort Sill is distributed across several post chapels to serve widely scattered units, IET (Initial Entry Training) battalions, and the hospital community. Frontier Chapel Center (4121 Thomas Road) hosts 9:30 AM Sunday Mass and CCD/RCIA; Quarry Hill Chapel (6008 Gordon Street) hosts 8:00 AM Sunday Mass for IET soldiers; Reynolds Army Health Center Chapel (4301 Wilson) hosts a Tuesday-Friday noon Mass; and the Regional Containment Facility has a Tuesday 6:30 PM Mass. Old Post Chapel, built in the 1870s on the historic Old Post quadrangle, is the longest continuously used house of worship in the United States and retains the 1958 Saint Barbara stained-glass window.
- Old Post Chapel (425 Hamilton Road) — built 1870s; St. Barbara stained-glass window (1958)
- New Post Chapel (1005 Shade Avenue)
- Quarry Hill Chapel (6008 Gordon Street)
- Frontier Chapel / Frontier Chapel Center (4121 Thomas Road)
- Reynolds Army Health Center Chapel (4301 Wilson Road)
Visit, Access & Contact
Because Grierson Hill Chapel is located on an active U.S. Army installation, visitors will need to pass through the Fort Sill gate; current visitors without a DoD ID should consult the Fort Sill access page or call ahead. The Religious Support Office at (580) 442-3302 can direct callers to the Catholic chaplain on duty, and the chapel's published line is (580) 442-5001. The parish's published Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/fortsillcatholic/.
- Grierson Hill Chapel phone — (580) 442-5001
- Religious Support Office — (580) 442-3302
- Facebook — http://www.facebook.com/fortsillcatholic/
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Chaplain (Maj.) Jerry Sherbourne2018 (reopening)
Celebrated first Mass at Grierson Hill Chapel's reopening on Dec. 2, 2018, after a nearly two-year closure.
- Chaplain (Maj.) James Elliott O'Nealnoted article 2018
Garrison Catholic Chaplain; fourth-generation Fort Sill family member with over 100 years of military service in his family.