About St. Barbara's Catholic Military Community - Grierson Hill Chapel · Lawton, Oklahoma
St. Barbara's Catholic Military Community at Grierson Hill Chapel is the Roman Catholic worship community serving the soldiers, families, civilians, and retirees of Fort Sill, Oklahoma — the U.S. Army's Fires Center of Excellence and home of the Field Artillery. The chapel, located at 3280 Crane Avenue on post, is staffed by active-duty U.S. Army Catholic chaplains under the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and offers daily Mass and weekly Confession to the installation's Catholic population. Its patroness, Saint Barbara — virgin martyr and patron saint of artillerymen, military engineers, and miners — is a fitting choice for a post whose very mission is field artillery.
- Patron
- Saint Barbara
- Rector
- Father Felix Kumai (Senior Catholic Chaplain)
- Diocese
- Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA
Why belong here
St. Barbara's is the natural spiritual home for Catholics living and working on Fort Sill — soldiers in basic and advanced training, permanent-party families, DA civilians, contractors, and area veterans who choose to worship on post. Daily Mass (Monday–Friday at 11:45 AM) and a Sunday Mass at 10:00 AM keep the Eucharist within reach of even the busiest training schedule, and Confession is offered Saturdays. The chaplains also provide confidential spiritual, marriage, family, and crisis counseling to soldiers, family members, and DA civilians, making the chapel both a parish and a pastoral anchor for the entire installation.
Mass times at St. Barbara's Catholic Military Community - Grierson Hill Chapel
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM (1st Saturday of the month, per catholicchurchtimes.com)
About St. Barbara's Catholic Military Community
St. Barbara's Catholic Military Community is the Roman Catholic worship community at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, headquartered at Grierson Hill Chapel. The parish serves active-duty soldiers (including those in basic and advanced training at the Fires Center of Excellence), their families, Department of the Army civilians, contractors, and retired military members living in and around Lawton. It is staffed by active-duty Catholic chaplains assigned to the Fort Sill Religious Support Office under the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and is dedicated to Saint Barbara, the early Christian virgin martyr and patroness of artillerymen, military engineers, and miners.
History of Grierson Hill Chapel
Grierson Hill Chapel has long served as the principal Catholic worship space on Fort Sill. The parish's formal history is intertwined with the post's mission as the home of U.S. Army Field Artillery and with the military chaplaincy that serves it.
- Father Joseph L. DiGregorio was assigned to the Field Artillery Training Center at Fort Sill in 1994 and named Post Catholic Pastor in 1996.
- Under DoD budget cuts, Grierson Hill Chapel was closed in approximately 2017, forcing the Catholic community to share space with basic trainees at Cache Creek Chapel.
- On December 2, 2018 — the First Sunday of Advent — the chapel reopened to a packed congregation with a full Mass celebrated by Chaplain (Maj.) Jerry Sherbourne, the 434th FAB and Garrison Catholic priest.
- Chaplain (Col.) Jimmy Nichols, Chaplain (Maj.) Craig Ludwig, and Staff Sgt. Elijah Deloach of the Religious Support Office were publicly recognized for making the reopening possible.
Patron: Saint Barbara
The parish takes its name from Saint Barbara, an early Christian virgin martyr traditionally counted among the Fourteen Holy Helpers. She is venerated as the patron saint of artillerymen, military engineers, and miners — a connection that resonates directly with Fort Sill's role as the U.S. Army's field artillery school and Fires Center of Excellence. Her feast day is December 4.
Clergy & Chaplaincy Staff
St. Barbara's is served by active-duty Catholic chaplains of the U.S. Army. The current chaplaincy team includes a Senior Catholic Chaplain and two Associate Catholic Chaplains, supported by the broader Fort Sill Religious Support Office.
- Father Felix Kumai — Senior Catholic Chaplain
- Father Killian Muli — Associate Catholic Chaplain
- Father Azubuike Igwegbe — Associate Catholic Chaplain (chaplain since February)
- Religious Support Operations Center: (580) 520-7149-472 (during duty hours)
- On-Call Duty Chaplain via Installation Operations Center: (580) 442-2101 or (580) 442-2102 (after hours)
Other Worship Spaces on Fort Sill
While Grierson Hill Chapel is the home of St. Barbara's Catholic Military Community, the Fort Sill Religious Support Office coordinates Catholic services across additional on-post locations for soldiers who cannot easily reach GHC.
- Reynolds Army Health Clinic (RACH) Chapel — Friday Catholic Mass
- Frontier Chapel Center
- Cache Creek Chapel — used by the Catholic community while Grierson was closed (2017–2018)
Pastoral Care & Counseling
Beyond Mass and the sacraments, the Fort Sill chaplaincy provides professional, 100% confidential spiritual, marriage, family, and crisis counseling to soldiers, DA civilians, and family members. As Chaplain Kumai has observed of his congregation: "Unlike many churches today, his Masses are filled with young people. They cannot wait to spend an hour with God. It gives them some sense of peace and hope."
- Family Life Chaplain: (580) 483-5197
- Family Life Center: Bldg 4700, 4th Floor, Suite 459
- Religious Support Operations Center (duty hours): (520) 714-9472
- On-Call Duty Chaplain (after hours): (580) 442-2101 / (580) 442-2102
- All counseling is offered with full confidentiality under AR 165-1.
Diocese & Affiliation
As a military installation parish, St. Barbara's Catholic Military Community falls under the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, rather than the local Archdiocese of Oklahoma City in whose territory Fort Sill geographically sits. The Archdiocese for the Military Services provides pastoral care to Catholics serving in the U.S. Armed Forces and their families worldwide, regardless of where they are stationed.
Visiting & Contact Information
Grierson Hill Chapel is located inside the Fort Sill installation and can be reached via the post's main gates. The Fort Sill Religious Support Office is the best point of contact for current gate-access requirements, since Fort Sill is an active military installation.
- Address: 3280 Crane Avenue, Fort Sill, OK 73503
- Chapel phone (Religious Support Office): (580) 442-5001
- Official Facebook: facebook.com/fortsillcatholic/
- Installation info: home.army.mil/sill/my-fort/all-services/chaplains
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Joseph L. DiGregorio1996 (as Post Catholic Pastor)
Assigned to FATC at Fort Sill in 1994; named Post Catholic Pastor in 1996 before later assignments in Korea and Alaska.
- Chaplain (Maj.) Jerry Sherbourne2018
Celebrated the reopening Mass of Grierson Hill Chapel on Dec. 2, 2018 as the 434th FAB and Garrison Catholic priest.
- Father Felix Kumaipresent (as of archokc.org profile)
Current Senior Catholic Chaplain at Fort Sill.